Elite Sports Betting is taking you through every NFL Division, one at a time! Click below to jump around the league...
Chicago Bears
Odds to win the NFC North: +160
Odds to win the Super Bowl: +1606
2018 record: 12-4
Over/Under wins: 9.5 over +130/-155
The Bears came into the 2018 season with little expectations and ended up as one of the biggest surprises as they went on to win the NFC North. We should expect some regression for this season. The Bears lost defensive coordinator Vic Fangio but still should have one of the best defenses in the league. The bigger concern is the offense as they’re probably an average unit at best. Take away Matt Nagy’s scripted offense early in games and they get even worse. Mitchell Trubisky isn’t exactly a quarterback you want to have when you have Super Bowl hopes so look to play the season win total under.
Detroit Lions
Odds to win the NFC North: +1344
Odds to win the Super Bowl: +9045
2018 record: 6-10
Over/Under wins: 6.5 over -149/+125
The Lions are the worst team in the division but don’t sleep on them as they’re close to an average NFL team this season which shows how strong the NFC North is this season. Matt Stafford is a serviceable quarterback and while the defense will only be average, those two things combined should make things difficult when traveling to Detroit. The other three teams in the division are superior to Detroit but they won’t make it easy on the others. Detroit is currently priced fairly in the futures market.
Green Bay Packers
Odds to win the NFC North: +205
Odds to win the Super Bowl: +1865
2018 record: 6-9-1
Over/Under wins: 9.5 over +124/-148
Matt LaFleur takes over as head coach of the Packers and looks to bring life into what has been a stale team despite having one of, if not the, most talented quarterbacks in the league. The Packers are catching a little preseason buzz because of the new and improved offense that LaFleur hopes to bring. Of course, LaFleur has Aaron Rodgers running his offense which will give him more room for error, but the offense should be improved. Pair that with an improving defense and a couple good drafts in a row and the Packers have a pretty talented roster. The price to win the division is probably fair but considering the top three teams in the division are all expected to win the same amount of games, there is probably some value on Green Bay to win the NFC North.
Minnesota Vikings
Odds to win the NFC North: +208
Odds to win the Super Bowl: +2590
2018 record: 8-7-1
Over/Under wins: 9 over -107/-111
Kirk Cousins first year in Minnesota was certainly a disappointment. After winning 13 games and making the NFC Championship Game in 2017, the Vikings look to bounce back this year as they will again field one of the best defensive units in the NFL which means Kirk Cousins and the offense can dictate how far this offense can go. The Vikings have not had good offensive line play for a couple years now and it seems that that hurt Cousins’ play compared to when he was in Washington. If the offensive line can improve, thus, improving Cousins’ play, the Vikings will be a tough out in the NFC. As I said with the Packers, I believe the Vikings are better than the Bears so +208 to win the division most likely has some value. You can pair the Vikings and Packers together and fade the Bears and still end up with a plus money play to win the division.
