NFL Betting Futures: NFC Championship Odds Update

The Philadelphia Eagles started the season near the middle of the pack on the NFC Championship odds. A five-game winning streak and MVP-calibre play from quarterback Carson Wentz has since moved the Eagles to the top of the list.

Heading into Week 8 the Eagles are the NFC favorites at +333. By comparison, just over a month ago the Eagles were a +1400 underdog to win the NFC. The Eagles are the only team in the league with only one loss on the season and they’ve built a solid lead atop the NFC East thanks to their five-game winning streak. The maturation of Wentz into one of the top QBs in the NFL has the Eagles’ offense ranked fifth in the league right now.

Other than their own success one other reason the Eagles are now the NFC favorites is the demise of the Green Bay Packers and the recent struggles of the Atlanta Falcons.

The Packers were the NFC favorite for most of the season, but Aaron Rodgers’ broken collarbone quickly changed that. The loss of Rodgers sent the Packers plummeting down the NFC futures to their current position at +1600. With Brett Hundley behind center instead of Rodgers the Packers are a longshot to make the playoffs let alone win the NFC.

Before the Packers and then Eagles took hold of the top spot on the NFC futures, the Atlanta Falcons started the season as the NFC favorite. Right now they’ve slipped to third at +800. Last year’s No. 1 scoring offense has looked like a shell of its former self so far, and rank a lackluster 16th in the league.

Matt Ryan hasn’t been able to repeat last year’s MVP form and as a result the Falcons have lost three straight games. If they don’t turn things around Atlanta could end up in the same boat as Green Bay, going from NFC favorites to out of the playoffs.

With Philadelphia on top of the odds and Atlanta stuck in third spot, that leaves the Seattle Seahawks in between at +450. If Seattle could get some consistency from their offense they could be No. 1.

Right now the Seattle defense is the top scoring defensive unit in the league, allowing only 15.7 points per game. Unfortunately their offense doesn’t average much more with their 22.3 points per game so far. And that number is bolstered by a 46-point outburst against the awful Indianapolis Colts.

If you’re looking for good value on your NFC futures bet you may want to look at the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams, who currently lead the NFC West and have the top scoring offense in the league, are a +900 underdog. They head into their bye this week and when they return in Week 9 they get back-to-back winnable games against the Giants and Texans.

The Rams will get the chance to prove they are legitimate contenders in Weeks 14 and 15 when they face the Eagles and Seahawks back-to-back.