NFL Division Odds for 2015 Season Arrive at Sportsbooks

Seven of the eight NFL division champions from last year are favored to repeat this season, with the exception being the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North, according to oddsmakers.

The Steelers are looking up at the Baltimore Ravens as the +160 favorites (bet $100 to win $160) in the AFC North in 2015, tied as the second choice in the division with the Cincinnati Bengals at +220.

All three teams made the playoffs from arguably the league’s most competitive division in 2015, but injuries played a large role in keeping Pittsburgh and Cincinnati from winning a game in the postseason.

Baltimore (10-6) finished one game behind the Steelers (11-5) a year ago but then upset them on the road in the playoffs 30-17 as 3-point underdogs in the Wild Card round. The Ravens then gave the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots a battle before ultimately losing 35-31 in the Divisional Round but still managed to cover the spread as 7-point road dogs.

The Bengals (10-5-1) were the early leaders in the division title race but faded down the stretch and lost to the AFC South champion Indianapolis Colts 26-10 without injured All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Green.

The Colts (11-5 in 2015) are the biggest favorites of any defending division champ at -400 (bet $400 to win $100) due mostly to the fact that they lack quality competition in the AFC South.

Indy snagged Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson and San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore in free agency this past offseason and have taken a positive step forward each year with franchise quarterback Andrew Luck under center.

The Texans (+450) are the only real divisional challenger for Indy but are still rebuilding under second-year head coach Bill O’Brien, while the Tennessee Titans (+1200) and Jacksonville Jaguars (+2000) combined to win just five games last season.

The Patriots (-150) and Denver Broncos (-180) are favored to win the AFC East and West, respectively, although the former must deal with a four-game suspension for QB Tom Brady and the latter may be witnessing the last year of QB Peyton Manning’s illustrious career.

Both Brady and Manning are future Hall of Famers who led their teams to 12-4 records last year, and one or both will likely have to contend with Luck in the postseason again if they are going to return to the Super Bowl.

Like last year, the NFC’s top two teams look to be the two-time defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, who also both finished 12-4 last season and played in an epic conference title game in January.

The Seahawks are -250 to win the NFC West for the third straight year and hope to atone for a loss to New England in the Super Bowl after winning it against Manning and the Broncos, and the Packers are -300 to capture the NFC North title for the fifth consecutive season.

The Carolina Panthers are +200 co-favorites with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South, and the NFC East should be an interesting race between the Dallas Cowboys (+125) and Philadelphia Eagles (+180).

The Panthers won the NFC South last season with a 7-8-1 record with the Falcons finishing 6-10. The Cowboys went 12-4 last year to win the division, but they lost reigning NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray to the Eagles as a free agent. Philadelphia had earlier traded RB LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills.

Following is a complete list of NFL Division Odds for the 2015 regular season . . .

AFC East
New England Patriots -150
Miami Dolphins +400
Buffalo Bills +425
New York Jets +750

NFC East
Dallas Cowboys +125
Philadelphia Eagles +180
New York Giants +300
Washington Redskins +1400

AFC South
Indianapolis Colts -400
Houston Texans +450
Tennessee Titans +1200
Jacksonville Jaguars +2000

NFC South
Atlanta Falcons +200
Carolina Panthers +200
New Orleans Saints +225
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +750

AFC West
Denver Broncos -180
Kansas City Chiefs +350
San Diego Chargers +500
Oakland Raiders +1200

NFC West
Seattle Seahawks -250
Arizona Cardinals +450
St. Louis Rams +650
San Francisco 49ers +900

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens +160
Cincinnati Bengals +220
Pittsburgh Steelers +220
Cleveland Browns +900

NFC North
Green Bay Packers -300
Detroit Lions +600
Minnesota Vikings +600
Chicago Bears +1200