The 2021 NFL season is set to kick off on Thursday, September 9 — meaning there is less than a month until meaningful football games. Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped fans from killing some time by predicting future outcomes, including which team will win each of the eight divisions. Fortunately, BetOnline has made life a lot easier by releasing odds for each division.
From the AFC East to the NFC West, here’s a look at how each division is shaping up in the 2021 NFL season.
2021 NFL Odds: AFC East
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, August 26
- Buffalo Bills (-160)
- New England Patriots (+340)
- Miami Dolphins (+350)
- New York Jets (+1800)
After going 13-3 in 2020, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Buffalo Bills are favored to win the AFC East at -160 odds. Aside from the New Orleans Saints, the Bills were the only other team in the league to go a perfect 6-0 against its own division, which shows how dominant they were. Buffalo averaged 29.9 points per game last year — which ranked third-best in the league — and considering most of that offense is returning, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Bills finish atop the AFC East again.
Nevertheless, one of the bigger surprises here is that the Miami Dolphins have the third-best odds to win. They went 10-6 last year and just missed out on the playoffs. They’ve spent the 2021 NFL offseason improving their offense while their defense was one of the more solid units last year. Despite what the odds say, the Dolphins could certainly place higher than third in their division by the end of the season.
2021 AFC North Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, August 26
- Baltimore Ravens (+140)
- Cleveland Browns (+140)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (+425)
- Cincinnati Bengals (+1200)
Despite winning the AFC North in 2020, the Pittsburgh Steelers are projected to finish third (+425) in their division in the 2021 NFL season. After beginning the previous campaign at 11-0, they finished 1-4 down the stretch and were eliminated by the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round. Now, the Browns and Ravens share top odds (+140) to win their division after both teams went 11-5 last year. Considering how Cleveland and Baltimore also made a lot more offseason improvements than the Steelers, these odds shouldn’t be shocking.
2021 AFC South Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, August 26
- Tennessee Titans (-130)
- Indianapolis Colts (+180)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (+600)
- Houston Texans (+2500)
2021 NFL Odds: AFC West
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, August 26
- Kansas City Chiefs (-250)
- Los Angeles Chargers (+500)
- Denver Broncos (+525)
- Las Vegas Raiders (+1400)
2021 NFC East Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, August 26
- Dallas Cowboys (+165)
- Washington Football Team (+180)
- New York Giants (+325)
- Philadelphia Eagles (+625)
Last year, the NFC East was arguably the worst division in all of football as no team finished with a .500 or better record. The Dallas Cowboys likely would have won it had it not been for them losing quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending ankle injury just five games into the campaign. Now, even if Prescott isn’t 100%, the Cowboys are favored to win the NFC East at +165. At the end of the day, they looked to have one of the best offenses in the NFL last year before the veteran signal-caller was sidelined. If the team can pick up from where they left off, Dallas should easily have the top offense in the division.
Meanwhile, you can’t count out the Washington Football Team just yet. They shocked a lot of people by winning the NFC East last year despite their 7-9 record. Nevertheless, Washington had a Top-5 defense last year that allowed an average of 21.2 points per game (T-5th). WFT brought in veteran gunslinger Ryan Fitzpatrick to be Alex Smith’s replacement under center, which should provide a huge boost to the offense. Assuming that the defense stays consistent and the improvements to the offense pay off, the Cowboys may want to pay close attention to Washington.
2021 NFL Odds: NFC North
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, August 26
- Green Bay Packers (-150)
- Minnesota Vikings (+220)
- Chicago Bears (+575)
- Detroit Lions (+2000)
2021 NFL Odds: NFC South
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, August 26
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-225)
- New Orleans Saints (+375)
- Atlanta Falcons (+800)
- Carolina Panthers (+950)
2021 NFC West Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, August 26
- San Francisco 49ers (+195)
- Los Angeles Rams (+205)
- Seattle Seahawks (+275)
- Arizona Cardinals (+475)
The NFC West is projected to be the most difficult division to predict as none of its teams has worse than +475 odds to win it. The San Francisco 49ers are favored to win it (+195) even if they finished at the bottom of the division last year with a 6-10 record. Nevertheless, it’s important to realize that the 49ers played poorly last season due to all of their injuries. They did play in Super Bowl 54 just two seasons ago, so it’s not unrealistic to imagine a healthy San Francisco roster winning the NFC West in 2021.
At the same time, each of the other teams could make a solid case as to why they deserve to win. The Los Angeles Rams (+205) have one of the best offensive lines and defenses in the league, while the Seattle Seahawks (+275) are always competing for the divisional crown. Only time will tell who walks away with it this year.
