National Football League

Colin Cowherd's best bets for the 2021 NFL season

Published Feb. 24, 2021 6:57 p.m. ET

It's never too early to start placing your bets for the upcoming football season.

And you're in luck because Colin Cowherd shared his favorite NFL picks on "The Herd." We recommend you take these futures to the window and get ready to cash come the fall.

All odds provided by FOX Bet.

Buffalo Bills win AFC East

For more than a decade, the New England Patriots owned the AFC East — until last season, when the Bills earned their first AFC East title in 25 years.

They were one game away from advancing to their first Super Bowl since the 1993 season, and their 13 regular-season wins tied a franchise record.

The Bills swept their division this past season, but Buffalo hasn’t repeated as division champ since winning four in a row from 1988 to '91.

Quarterback Josh Allen had a breakout year in 2020, ranking top-five in the regular season in completion percentage (69.2), total yards (4,544), touchdowns (37) and quarterback rating (107.2).

Buffalo is the clear-cut favorite in the AFC East (-175), and the schedule is in Buffalo's favor, as the Bills have the 23rd-softest slate in the league. The Bills' 2021 opponents combined to go 123-133 (.480) in 2020.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers win NFC South

With the acquisition of quarterback Tom Brady and some key free agents, the Buccaneers didn't capture a division title in 2020, but they did win the franchise's second Super Bowl with a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

The New Orleans Saints have dominated the NFC South as of late, winning the division for the fourth straight time last season, but they will be in a different spot in 2021, with quarterback Drew Brees possibly opting for retirement while Brady is gearing up for a title defense.

The Bucs are listed as the favorites (-162) in the division, and if Tampa Bay wins the South in 2021, it will be the team's first division title since the 2007 season.

Detroit Lions finish last in NFC North

Detroit is coming off a 5-11 season, good for last in the NFC North.

This season will pose new challenges, as the Lions went through an overhaul of their entire coaching staff and, with Jared Goff, will have a new signal-caller under center for the first time in more than a decade.

Detroit hasn't won a division title since 1993 — that's 27 seasons, the second-longest streak in the NFL — and the drought is expected to continue, as the club has the worst odds in the NFC North by quite a bit (+2500).

Luck isn't in the franchise's favor, either, as the Lions’ 2021 schedule ranks fourth-toughest in the league.

Houston Texans finish last in AFC South

This division saw serious movement in the offseason, with the Indianapolis Colts finding their quarterback in Carson Wentz and the Jacksonville Jaguars hiring Urban Meyer as their head coach. The Tennessee Titans haven't made any big moves yet but are the reigning division champs.

Meanwhile, superstar quarterback Deshaun Watson is unhappy in Houston, and there are doubts that he will suit up for the club in 2021. Watson ranked top-three in completion percentage (70.2), yards per game (301.4) and quarterback rating (112.4) in 2020.

Houston's offense shouldn't be the only concern, though, as the Texans' defense ranked 30th in total yards surrendered per game (416.8) and 27th in points allowed per game (29.0) in the regular season.

Jacksonville has the worst odds to win the division, (+1400) with Houston coming in second (+1200). However, Meyer is set up for success with a bevy of draft picks, while the Texans have more questions than answers.

Philadelphia Eagles finish last in NFC East

The NFC East finished with a combined record of 23-40-1 (.359 winning percentage) in 2020, the division’s worst in its 54-year history. The Washington Football Team won the division at 7-9 and was bounced out of the playoffs after one game.

The Eagles will be rebuilding in 2021 after ending the previous season with a 4-11-1 record. They have a new head coach and play-caller in Nick Sirianni and possibly a new starting quarterback in Jalen Hurts, who started just four games last season.

After the NFC East was so weak last year, Philly's 2021 schedule ranks as the easiest in the league, with the franchise's opponents winning 6.9 games on average in 2020.

The Eagles have the second-best odds to win the division (+275), ahead of Washington (+550) and the New York Giants (+600) but behind the Dallas Cowboys (-120).