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The Philadelphia Eagles enter the regular season as the betting favorite to win the NFC East in consecutive years at -135 odds, which is much harder to achieve than you think. There has not been a repeat division winner in a hyper-competitive NFC East since 2004.

Jalen Hurts Eagles — Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scores a touchdown against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in Week 14 last season. (Image: AP)

The NFC East crown is a hot potato. It’s been nearly 20 years since a team won consecutive division titles when the Eagles won three-straight NFC East titles between 2002 and 2004.

Three different teams won the NFC East over the last three seasons, so could the New York Giants prevail and complete a perfect cycle? The Giants have not won the NFC East since 2011. In that 11-year span, their rivals won multiple division titles. The Eagles and Dallas Cowboys won four times each and the Washington Commanders shipped the division crown three times.

The NFC East did not have a losing team in 2022, and the last-place Commanders finished the season with an 8-8-1 record.

Three teams from the NFC East qualified for the playoffs. The Giants and Cowboys were NFC Wild Card teams. The Eagles secured the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs and a first-round bye with a 14-3 record.

The Giants and Cowboys won their first-round games during Wild Card Weekend, but both teams lost in the NFC Divisional Round.

The Eagles defeated a banged-up 49ers to win the NFC Championship, but they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.

Philadelphia Eagles: Another Shot at the Super Bowl

NFC East Odds: -135
Super Bowl Odds: +650
2022 Record: 14-3
2023 Win Total: 11.5 o/u

Winning teams can become the victims of their own success, and their coaching staff will get raided by other teams in the offseason. This is an ongoing problem for head coaches like Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay who are unable to retain their coordinators before another team offers them a head coaching job.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni lost two trusted assistants this offseason after a trip to the Super Bowl. Ex-Eagles offensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and ex-defensive coordinator Shane Steichen is the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

While the Eagles adjust to new coordinators, they hit the road for four out of their first six games. After a bye in Week 10, the Eagles have non-divisional road games against the Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks. They also host the Buffalo Bills and 49ers.

The Eagles had the best record in the NFL last season at 14-3, but they have a projected win total of 11.5 o/u this season.

The Eagles have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and also boast a top-notch defense. They have dangerous deep-threat duo with quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver AJ Brown.

The Eagles are +250 odds to win the NFC Championship in consecutive years, and they’ll open the season as the consensus favorite. The Chiefs are the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons at +600 odds, but Eagles are right behind them at +650.

Dallas Cowboys: Texas Coast Offense

NFC East Odds: +195
Super Bowl Odds: +1400
2022 Record: 12-5
2023 Win Total: 10.5 o/u

The Cowboys fired offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, which was a bit surprising consider the Cowboys averaged 27.7 points per game in the last four seasons under Moore. The high-octane Chiefs were the only team to boast a higher scoring average (28.8 ppg) since 2019.

Owner Jerry Jones tossed Moore under the bus after a devastating 19-12 loss in the NFC Divisional Round against the 49ers. Moore wasn’t unemployed for long before the Los Angeles Chargers hired him to run their offense.

The Cowboys hired Brian Schottenheimer as their new offensive coordinator, but head coach Mike McCarthy will take over play-calling duties. McCarthy hasn’t called plays since the 2018 season with the Green Bay Packers.

Quarterback Dak Prescott joked that he’s running the “Texas Coast Offense,” which is a word play on McCarthy’s affinity for the popular West Coast offense. Schottenheimer admitted that 70% of their playbook and verbiage is what Moore used in the last four seasons.

Running back Ezekiel Elliot is no longer with the Cowboys, and Tony Pollard becomes the focal point of their rushing attack. Wide receivers battled injuries the last few seasons, but the Cowboys have a reliable trio with CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Michael Gallup.

The Cowboys will play challenging non-division road games against the 49ers, Chargers, Bills, and Dolphins.

New York Giants: Best Betting Team in 2022

NFC East Odds: +900
Super Bowl Odds: +6500
2022 Record: 9-7-1
2023 Win Total: 7.5 o/u

Even though the Giants won nine games last year, they have a win total of 7.5 o/u due to their difficult schedule. They could start the season 1-5 with four road games in a five-week span.

In Brian Daboll’s first season as a head coach, the Giants had the best betting record in the NFL last season with a 13-4 record against the spread. They were also 10-2 ATS as underdogs.

Heading into the 2023 season, the Giants are listed as an underdog in eight out of their first 12 games.

The Giants face challenging non-divisional road opponents including the NFC West favorite 49ers, Dolphins, Bills, and New Orleans Saints. They also host tough home games against the Seahawks, Jets, and Patriots.

In a weird scheduling quirk, two of the final three games of the season are against the Eagles.

The Giants are +160 odds to make the playoffs, according to a prop bet by DraftKings. They’re a betting favorite to miss the postseason at -190 odds.

Quarterback Daniel Jones earned a lucrative pay raise with a four-year contract extension worth $160 million, which troubled many fans who weren’t 100% convinced that his performance in 2022 wasn’t a fluke.

Running back Saquon Barkley was not thrilled when he was unable to negotiate a contract extension with the Giants this offseason. They slapped a franchise tag on him, and Barkley avoided a potential holdout when he signed their tender offer of $10.09 million prior to the start of training camp.

Washington Commanders: ‘Riverboat’ Ron in the Hot Seat

NFC East Odds: +1300
Super Bowl Odds: +6500
2022 Record: 8-8-1
2023 Win Total: 6.5 o/u

The Commanders hired Eric Bieniemy as their new offensive coordinator. Bieniemy was considered the top offensive coordinator in the NFL after he won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs. He could’ve secured head coaching positions, but the Commanders persuaded him to join them as their OC.

Bieniemy is tasked with revamping their offense. The Commanders named Sam Howell their starting quarterback, but will utilize a running back by committee with Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson.

The Commanders finished in fourth place in the division and missed the playoffs with an 8-8-1 record in 2022. They’re a long shot to make the playoffs at +300 odds, and -370 odds to miss the postseason for a third year in a row.

Head coach “Riverboat” Ron Rivera enters this season with the assumption that he will lose his job if he cannot produce a winning record. He’s 22-27-1 in three seasons as a head coach with the Commanders. He secured a playoff berth in 2020 after the Commanders luckboxed their way into a division title with a 7-9 record.

The division was so bad in 2020 that fans shared memes that included a dumpster fire and trash cans with NFC East logos. Then again, NFC pulled themselves out of the gutter in two years, and sent three teams to the playoffs in 2022.

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The Cincinnati Bengals are the betting favorite at +140 odds to win a third consecutive AFC North division title.

Joe Burrow Bengals — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow looks downfield during an AFC Divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. (Image: AP)

The Baltimore Ravens are +235 odds to win the NFC North and prevent a three-peat from the Bengals. The Cleveland Browns (+400) and Pittsburgh Steelers (+500) are not far behind in a tight division race.

The NFC North lives up to its “smashmouth football” moniker and it’s widely considered the most physical division in the NFL

The Steelers last claimed the NFC North title in 2020. The Ravens last won the division in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019.

The Browns have never won a division title since the inception of the NFC North when the NFL restructured divisions in 2002. The last time the Browns won a division crown occurred in 1989 in the defunct AFC Central.

Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow and the Cool Cats Eye Three in a Row

AFC North Odds: +140
Super Bowl Odds: +1100
2022 Record: 12-4
2023 Win Total: 10.5 o/u

The Bengals had a huge scare in training camp when quarterback Joe Burrow was carted off the field with a non-contact leg injury. Burrow only suffered a strain calf, and he’s expected to start in Week 1.

The Bengals upgraded their offensive line this season and added tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to protect Joe Burrow’s blind side.

Burrow has the benefit of throwing passes to one of the best wide receiver trios in the NFL with Ja’Marr Chase (9 TDs, 87 receptions), Tee Higgins (7 TDs, 74 receptions), and Tyler Boyd (5 TDs, 58 receptions). Chase and Higgins both logged 1,000-yard seasons in 2022.

The Bengals hit the road to play two 2022 division winners with the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13 and Kansas City Chiefs on New Year’s Eve. They host tough non-divisional home games against last year’s playoff squads including the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, and Minnesota Vikings.

The Bengals are +550 odds to win the AFC Championship for a second time in the last three seasons. Patrick Mahomes shrugged off an ankle injury and led the Chiefs to a 23-20 victory over the Bengals in the AFC Championship.

The Bengals are +1100 odds to win Super Bowl LVII as the fifth highest team on DraftKings’ futures board.

Baltimore Ravens: L-Jax Gets the Bag, Revamped Offense

AFC North Odds: +235
Super Bowl Odds: +1800
2022 Record: 10-7
2023 Win Total: 10.5 o/u

After a tense offseason that included a trade request, the Ravens inked quarterback Lamar Jackson to a contract extension worth $260 million over five years. Jackson earned a ridiculous pay raise because the Ravens have a 45-16 record since he took over as the starting quarterback midway through his rookie season.

With the Jackson drama solved, the Ravens can focus on wrestling away the division crown from the Bengals.

The Ravens hired Todd Monken as their new offensive coordinator. Monken was a part of two college football national championship teams with the Georgia Bulldogs. He gets a chance to devise a playbook for the dual-threat Jackson.

The Ravens upgraded their offense with veteran wide receivers Odell Beckham, Jr. and Nelson Agholor. They also drafted Zay Flowers out of Boston College, who is one of the top incoming rookie wide receivers.

The Ravens have three difficult road games late in the season against the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and San Francisco 49ers on Christmas. There’s a couple of non-divisional home games of note including the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, and Seahawks.

The Ravens are +1100 odds to win the AFC Championship as the fourth highest team on the board. They offer the most value in their division to win the NFC North at +235 odds.

Cleveland Browns: Watson’s First Full Season

AFC North Odds: +400
Super Bowl Odds: +3500
2022 Record: 7-10
2023 Win Total: 9.5 o/u

Deshaun Watson missed the first 11 games last season while serving a suspension for sexually assaulting multiple massage therapists during his time in Houston. When his suspension ended in December, Watson struggled in the final six games of the season. He completed a career-low 58.2% of his passes with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Watson gets a chance to play his first full season with the Browns. He has a couple of talented wideouts including Elijah Moore and Amari Cooper.

If Watson returns to old form, the Browns have a shot at a winning season and a postseason berth. He passed for over 4,000 yards twice in his career, and tossed a career-high 33 touchdowns in 2020.

The Browns defense is anchored by Myles Garrett, but they made serious upgrades with star pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith, defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, and safety Juan Thornhill. They also hired defensive guru Jim Schwartz to handle defensive coordinator duties.

Three teams in the NFC North have win totals that indicate potential winning seasons, including the Browns at 9.5 o/u.

The Browns host three potential playoff squads with non-divisional home games against the 49ers, Jaguars, and Jets.

The Browns are +115 odds to make the playoffs, and -135 odds to miss the playoffs according to a prop bet by DraftKings.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Tomlin Faces First Losing Season?

AFC North Odds: +500
Super Bowl Odds: +5000
2022 Record: 9-8
2023 Win Total: 8.5 o/u

Head coach Mike Tomlin always finds a way to avoid a losing season, even in the NFL’s “smashmouth” division. The Steelers have not had a losing season in 20 years. In 16 seasons as head coach, Tomlin has a 163-93-2 record with three break-even seasons at 8-8. Tomlin led the Steelers to ten postseason berths and a Super Bowl victory with the 2008 squad.

However, the Steelers made the playoffs only three times in the last six seasons. They have not won a playoff game since 2016.

This will be the third season with Matt Canada as the offensive coordinator, and Kenny Pickett enters his second season at quarterback. Despite Pickett’s erratic rookie season, he led the Steelers to a winning record at 9-8 but they bubbled the playoffs.

The Steelers have a win total of 8.5 o/u, and they’re projected to finish in last place in the division. They will be tested with three road games in the final four weeks of the season, and a clash against the Bengals at home in Week 16.

Oddsmakers think this could be the year that the Steelers finally falter, but Tomlin somehow finds a way to win. The Steelers are +125 odds to make the playoffs, and -150 odds to miss the postseason.

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NFC East Preview: Philadelphia Eagles Attempt Rare Division Repeat