Despite the NFL regular season still being about three months out, sportsbooks have already begun to put out their projections for which team will win each division. While two teams favorited to win their division are repeats who won their division last season, there are interestingly two newcomers who missed the postseason last year that Vegas believes will have a much better year this season.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are unsurprisingly the favorites to win the NFC East. Despite the division set to be one of the most competitive in all of football, the Eagles arguably have the most complete roster in the league.
On offense, Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown quickly found chemistry and torched the league in their first season together. In the offseason, the Eagles did right by their quarterback and gave him a huge extension. Along with this, they added to their already elite offensive unit with a trade with the Detroit Lions that landed them D’Andre Swift.
On the defensive end, they added some elite prospects through the draft to a unit that was already one of the best in the NFL last season. With the Eagles coming off of a Super Bowl appearance last season, and making some major additions to the roster over the offseason, they could be well on their way to making another trip to the biggest game of the year.
2. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers were an easy pick to win the NFC West. The division does not have the most talent in it with half of the teams in the NFC West having a line of 6.5 for their win total this season. As long as the 49ers can stay healthy they should not have any trouble winning the division.
On offense, they have a handful of elite weapons that should continue to make life easy for Brock Purdy. Along with this, Purdy is set to break out in his first full season as the team’s starter. If he had remained healthy in the NFC Championship last season, there is a chance that San Francisco could have bested the Philadelphia Eagles and been the team that took on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl instead.
With the team bringing back almost the exact same roster, and their players being very hungry to avenge their loss in the NFC Championship, this could be a very scary team next season.
3. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are the favorites to win the NFC North this season. This comes after they made an incredible run through the second half of the season that left them extremely close to making the postseason after being one of the worst teams in the NFL through the first half of the year.
Jared Goff had a career-revitalizing season that he hopes to continue through into the 2023 season. He propelled Detroit’s offense to be almost impossible to stop during their hot stretch. Although the team lost both D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams over the offseason, they have a very solid replacement in their first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs. The rookie running back has the potential to take the Lions’ offense to a new level.
While their defense was not the strongest through the entirety of the season, they turned up their level of performance when the team went on their 8-2 stretch through the final ten games of the season. If the Lions can continue their run into 2023, they should have no problems knocking off the Minnesota Vikings as the reigning champions of the NFC North.
4. New Orleans Saints
The final team that Vegas believes will win their division is the New Orleans Saints. The Saints benefit from being a member of one of the weakest divisions in all of football.
Over the offseason, they made a big signing to bring in Derek Carr as the team’s new starting quarterback. While he had a very shaky season last year with the Las Vegas Raiders, a change of scenery could cause him to play at a level that fans have come to expect from him. With Michael Thomas set to potentially put in a full season, their offense could end up being a very scary team.
While they will not have to be an elite team by any means to win their division, they have a chance to be a very talented team if they can stay healthy.
To find the best odds and betting lines for the teams above, we got you!
