The regular season has come to a close, and the 2023 Super Bowl is right around the corner. Looking back to the recently completed season, a pair of NFL division winners were crowned in the final week of the campaign — the AFC South and NFC East — while others were settled before that. For next year, bettors can wager on how all of the races will shake out and gain some additional rooting interest in the process via the NFL futures market. Odds for those options will become available over the offseason. In the interim, here’s a look back at last season’s races and what you need to know about betting on NFL division odds.
Current NFL division winner odds
When odds for next year’s division winners become available at legal online sportsbooks, you can use the table below to view all of the latest lines. To change the division or market, click the drop-down on the table.
2022-23 NFL division odds
Entering the season, a few division races looked as though they could be tight, while others had clear favorites to take the crown. As the season moved along, the odds continued to evolve. Here’s how the races shook out for all eight NFL divisions.
Last updated: Jan. 31, 2022
Odds to win the AFC East
The Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC East in a convincing Week 16 road win over the Bears. The Dolphins made the chase interesting for a little while, but the club faded down the stretch while Buffalo kicked back into gear
Odds to win the AFC North
The Cincinnati Bengals are this year’s AFC North champs and closed out the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the league while riding an eight-game winning streak. The Ravens finished in second place and snagged a wild card berth.
Odds to win the AFC South
At the midway point of the season, it appeared as if the Titans had this race in the bag. Following a lengthy losing streak and a resurgence for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the AFC South came down to a showdown between the two clubs in Week 18, which Jacksonville won.
Odds to win the AFC West
The Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC West for the seventh season in a row. The Chargers finished in second place, while the Raiders outpaced the Broncos in the race for third.
Odds to win the NFC East
The Eagles were the clear favorites to win the NFC East race for a good part of the season, but it took them until Week 18 to officially seal the deal. The Cowboys and Giants finished second and third, with both clubs earning postseason spots.
Odds to win the NFC North
The Minnesota Vikings won the NFC North, and they managed to do it in epic fashion with the largest come-from-behind victory in league history with their win over the Colts in Week 15. The Lions beat out the Packers in the battle for second place.
Odds to win the NFC South
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally clinched the NFC South with a win over the Panthers in Week 17. The race turned out to be much more competitive than many observers were expecting, as Tampa Bay entered the season as an overwhelming favorite.
Odds to win the NFC West
The San Francisco 49ers are the NFC West champions for this season, clinching in Week 14 with a road victory over the Seahawks. Seattle finished in second place and earned the final wild card slot in the conference.
How to bet on NFL division winners
Sportsbooks make NFL division odds available over the offseason, with numbers for all four teams in each of the eight divisions. As an example, here’s what the numbers might look like for the winner of the AFC East.
- Buffalo Bills -240
- Miami Dolphins +475
- New England Patriots +500
- New York Jets +2800
For this example, the Bills are the clear favorites to win. The odds then give roughly equal weight to the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, while the New York Jets are long shots. For bettors, the goal is simple: pick which team will win the division.
Payouts will vary based on how much you wager and the odds when you place your bet. If you bet $100 on the Bills at -240 and they win, you’d get back $41.66 in profit. The same bet on the Patriots at +500 would return $500 for a winning bet.
Which races will be the most competitive this year?
For individual division chases, just two remained open heading into the final week of the regular season: the AFC South and NFC East. A trio of races turned into blowouts with clubs clinching well before the season came to a close: Chiefs in the AFC West, Vikings in the NFC North, and 49ers in the NFC West. The other three races fell in between the two extremes.
The AFC East was interesting for a little while between the Bills and Dolphins, but Buffalo managed to pull away in the end. The race for the AFC North between the Ravens and Bengals was tight, but Cincinnati took control with an eight-game winning streak to close out the season. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers outlasted the rest in the NFC South, clinching the crown with an 8-9 record.
For next season, there’s still a long way to get until we get our first look at the futures odds for NFL division winners, but there seems to be a good chance that a number of the races will be highly competitive.
Odds on all 32 teams
2021 NFL division winners
Here’s how the eight divisional races shook out for the 2021 NFL season.
- AFC East: The Bills edged out the Patriots. The teams met in the postseason, with Buffalo scoring a decisive 47-17 victory.
- AFC North: The Bengals were the surprise winner, a prelude to the team’s run to the Super Bowl versus the Rams.
- AFC South: The Titans were convincing winners, outpacing the second-place Colts by three games.
- AFC West: The Chiefs continued their AFC West dominance at 12-5, while the second-place Raiders snagged a wild card.
- NFC East: The Cowboys outpaced the Eagles to take the crown. The two clubs were each one and done in the postseason.
- NFC North: The 13-4 Packers ran away with the division, but they lost to the 49ers in the playoffs.
- NFC South: The Buccaneers finished four games ahead of the second-place Saints and made it to the divisional round.
- NFC West: The 12-5 Rams went on to win the Super Bowl, while the 49ers and Cardinals also qualified for the postseason.
Which teams have won their division the most?
The NFL realigned to its current eight divisions in 2002. A couple of divisions have had a clear dominant franchise, while others have been a bit more spread out. Here’s how the teams stack up by the number of division titles along with the year of their last crown.
| Division | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC East | Patriots – 16 (2019) | Bills – 2 (2021) | Dolphins – 1 (2008) | Jets – 1 (2002) |
| AFC North | Steelers – 9 (2020) | Ravens – 6 (2019) | Bengals – 5 (2021) | Browns – 0 (N/A) |
| AFC South | Colts – 9 (2014) | Texans – 6 (2019) | Titans – 4 (2021) | Jaguars – 1 (2017) |
| AFC West | Chiefs – 8 (2021) | Broncos – 6 (2015) | Chargers – 5 (2009) | Raider – 1 (2002) |
| NFC East | Eagles – 8 (2019) | Cowboys – 6 (2021) | Commanders – 3 (2020) | Giants – 3 (2020) |
| NFC North | Packers – 12 (2021) | Bears – 4 (2018) | Vikings – 4 (2017) | Lions – 0 (N/A) |
| NFC South | Saints – 7 (2020) | Panthers – 5 (2015) | Buccaneers – 4 (2021) | Falcons – 4 (2016) |
| NFC West | Seahawks – 9 (2020) | Rams – 4 (2021) | 49ers – 4 (2019) | Cardinals – 3 (2015) |
FAQ
When did the NFL switch to eight divisions?
The NFL realigned to its current structure of eight divisions in 2002. The addition of the Houston Texans as an expansion team was the catalyst for the shift from three divisions in each conference to four.
How do tiebreakers work for NFL division titles?
Tiebreakers for NFL division titles begin with the head-to-head record between the clubs, followed by each team’s overall record in divisional games. If the two teams are still tied, there’s an extensive list of tiebreaking procedures to determine the winner.
Which team was the last Super Bowl winner that didn’t win its division?
The 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl after a second-place finish in the NFC South. All told, seven wild card teams have won the big game since 1970.