The NFC East takes the booby prize for the worst division in the NFL once again. The Dallas Cowboys are +150 odds to win the NFC East, and the Washington Football Team are right behind them at +200 odds.
Washington is seeking back-to-back division titles after clinching the 2020 NFC East crown with a 7-9 record. The Eagles were the last team to win consecutive division titles with four straight at the turn of the century. No one has won two in a row since 2004.
| 2021 NFC East Division Odds |
- Dallas Cowboys +150
- Washington Football Team +200
- New York Giants +400
- Philadelphia Eagles +500
There’s no shortage of memes poking fun at the worst division in the NFL. The word dumpster fire is a hackneyed term, but in this case, it’s completely appropriate to describe the bottom feeders of the NFL. With 17 games this season, at least there’s a chance that the NFC East division champion will have nine wins versus another tepid season in which the team with the 8-8 record secures a home playoff game.
Cowboys +150
The Dallas Cowboys are getting a ton of hype once again. They were picked to appear on HBO’s Hard Knocks this season, and Dak Prescott is eager to return to the huddle as the starting quarterback. Prescott suffered a brutal, season-ending compound fracture last season, and the Cowboys have been cautious about his return in the preseason.
The Cowboys are America’s team, and the popular squad is also the betting favorite at +150 odds to win the division. Even so, don’t believe the hype. Until Prescott looks like his old self, hold off on firing away on any Cowboys’ future bets.
Washington +200
If you’d rather bet on coaches to win the NFC East, then you have to choose between Washington’s “Riverboat” Ron Rivera or Mike McCarthy from the Cowboys. Riverboat Ron gets a lot of guff from the media, but his players adore him. McCarthy, on the other hand, is slightly out of touch with the younger generation of players.
Despite a losing record, Washington secured a playoff spot and lost in the wild-card round against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Washington signed Ryan Fitzpatrick and hope the journeyman quarterback and Harvard grad will work his FitzMagic on the field. The trigger-happy Fitzpatrick has a couple of lethal weapons with dual-threat running back Antonio Gibson and wide receiver “Scary” Terry McLaurin.
We believe in FitzMagic, which is why we like Washington at +200 odds to pull off back-to-back division titles.
Giants +400
The Giants continue their rebuild, which they’ve been doing for four seasons to no avail. The Giants went 15–33 since they hired Dave Gettleman as general manager. You have a strong feeling this is a make-or-break season for Gettleman and the Giants. Otherwise, like Luca Brasi in The Godfather, Gettleman will “sleep with the fishes.”
The Giants’ season will be determined by the health of Saquon Barkley. The running back could be an elite player in the NFL if he avoids the IL and fully recovers from an ACL injury. The Giants could also contend for an NFC East crown if Barkley plays every game this season.
The Giants haven’t won a division title since 2011 during the height of the Eli Manning years. In the nine seasons since then, the other trio of NFC East teams won the division three times each while the Giants have nothing to show for it.
The Giants are +400 odds to win the NFC East, so if you like tossing your money into a flaming dumpster fire, then back the G-Men.
Eagles +500
The Eagles traded Carson Wentz because they realized he’s not as good as they hoped. Let’s remember, it was backup Nick Foles who delivered a Super Bowl victory to the City of Brotherly Love while Wentz was on the sidelines and recovering from a knee injury.
The season hasn’t even begun and Wentz is injured for the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, the Eagles are relying on Jalen Hurts to help them soar to the top of the NFC. The Eagles fired head coach Doug Pederson only a few seasons after he led them to a Super Bowl victory.
Philly is a tough town, especially when you’re a loser with a 4-12 record. It’s now up to Nick Sirianni to turn the Eagles around.