NFL Pick: NFC East Winner – Philadelphia Eagles (+120) at BetOnline
With the 2023 NFL Draft two weeks away, there are still pieces of the puzzle to move with Aaron Rodgers likely to get traded soon. But even beyond what happens with Rodgers or Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, there are still some solid future bets that you can make today.
Using top-rated sportsbooks like BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review) and Bovada (visit our Bovada Review), we look at three of our favorite NFL futures bets for the Super Bowl winner, a Conference Championship winner, and a division winner.
NFC East Winner: Philadelphia Eagles (+120)
While most divisions are seeing significant changes in head coach and quarterback, the NFC East is bringing everyone back except for a new starting quarterback in Washington. No one is afraid of Sam Howell yet.
Alas, no one has repeated as NFC East champions since the Eagles in 2004, but this division is still poised to run through Philadelphia in 2023. Jalen Hurts was the MVP runner-up last year, and if not for a fumble snafu – or a weak third-down penalty on his defense – he may have been Super Bowl MVP too.
Dallas remains the biggest challenger in the division, and the teams split last year’s meetings with Hurts and Dak Prescott each missing the game his team lost. But the Dallas defense has already defied the NFL odds by leading the league in takeaways two years in a row. Hard to carry that over to a third season. Also, if there is a schedule advantage, the Eagles get to host the Bills and 49ers while the Cowboys must travel to both.
Getting back to a Super Bowl after losing one is very difficult, but the Eagles still have great offensive talent at receiver and the offensive line, a uniquely skilled quarterback in Hurts, and great defensive talent with the pass rush and secondary. If Nick Sirianni does a fine job of replacing his coordinators, this team should still be the class of the NFC East, if not the whole NFC again.
For Philadelphia residents looking to bet on this game, you can do it at our top Pennsylvania betting sites.
NFL Pick: NFC East Winner – Philadelphia Eagles (+120) at BetOnline
AFC Championship Winner: Kansas City Chiefs (+350)
If we learned anything in 2022, it was to not bet against Patrick Mahomes. Even after losing Tyreek Hill, Mahomes led the No. 1 offense to the No. 1 seed and his second MVP award. Even after suffering a high-ankle sprain in the first playoff game, he gutted it out and led the Chiefs to wins over the more balanced, arguably more talented Bengals and Eagles to win his second Super Bowl.
Mahomes became the first quarterback to lead the league in passing yards and win the Super Bowl in the same season. He broke the curse of the MVP winner not winning the Super Bowl since 1999. He won a Super Bowl despite taking up 17% of his team’s salary cap, another record for the cap era.
The vaunted AFC West race never materialized, though we will hear about it again after the Raiders moved Derek Carr for Jimmy Garoppolo, the Chargers have been close in every game with the Chiefs, and the Broncos added Sean Payton to fix Russell Wilson.
The Chiefs will try to end the record streak of no repeat champions in the NFL since 2004. But when Mahomes has been to three Super Bowls and lost two AFC Championship Games in overtime in his first five years as a starter, why would you bet against him at this point?
We are still waiting for the AFC to make Mahomes play his first true road playoff game.
NFL Pick: AFC Championship Winner – Kansas City Chiefs (+350) at Bovada
Super Bowl 58 Winner: Cincinnati Bengals (+1000)
You could argue it seems counterproductive to pick the Chiefs to win the AFC and a different AFC team to win the Super Bowl, but we need to hedge our NFL picks this far in advance of the season. A lot can still happen between now and Week 1.
The Bengals have won the AFC North the last two years, and Baltimore has some issues with Lamar Jackson’s contract status. Cincinnati’s domination of Buffalo in the playoffs suggests this team may have the right stuff for another AFC rival, and we know the Bengals play the Chiefs better than just about every other team in the NFL.
If not for Joe Burrow picking up his fifth sack late in a 20-20 game – or a silly push in the back of Mahomes by the defense – the Bengals may have been in back-to-back Super Bowls. The team acquired left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. from the Chiefs to help improve that offensive line that continues to be the biggest issue.
Cincinnati has the firepower, confidence, and timely defensive calls from coordinator Lou Anarumo to beat the likes of the Bills and Chiefs on the road or at home. The team was able to rebound from a Super Bowl loss and play better last year, but maybe they can take that final extra step to win it all this year.
Beating the Bills at home and the Chiefs in Kansas City could go a long way in picking up a No. 1 seed to make the playoffs run through Cincinnati.
NFL Pick: Super Bowl 58 Winner – Cincinnati Bengals (+1000) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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