National Football League

NFL 2023 odds: Three long shot divisional futures to buy now, Ravens, Bears

Published Jun. 16, 2023 2:09 p.m. ET

Co-Host of THE HERD and FOX Sports Betting Analyst

Football is almost here! We’re about a month away from the start of NFL training camps, and since most rosters have largely been solidified, it's time to take a look at some plus-money bets on teams to win their respective divisions.

While you have your big Super Bowl favorites in the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and Buffalo Bills, I have looked over the schedules and identified three under-the-radar teams that can go on strong runs if everything falls in place.

And you better believe that my New York Jets made their way onto this list.

So without further ado, lets dive into my three best divisional bets heading into the summer.

Baltimore Ravens +240

Joe Burrow’s Bengals are the divisional favorites for obvious reasons. They’ve owned the Ravens in their last five meetings going 4-1, including a playoff win in January, albeit against backup QB Tyler Huntley. But the Ravens will look very different this year. New OC Todd Monken is already talking about more passing in space, a less ground-heavy attack, and lots of new wrinkles for Lamar Jackson.

Yes, the Ravens have questions on defense (who doesn’t?), but with a healthy Jackson, they’re always in the mix for first place in November. With his best receivers' room since joining the franchise, there’s a world where the Ravens surprise everyone with an aggressive, offensive attack and win the division with 11 or 12 wins, overtaking the Bengals in the division.

PICK: Baltimore Ravens (+240) to win AFC North

Chicago Bears +420

This is a Hail Mary, but a calculated one, if that’s possible. The Bears spent more money than anyone in free agency, and the last two teams to do that — New England in 2021 and Jacksonville in 2022 — both saw an uptick of three and six wins, respectively.

This doesn’t mean that running back D'Onta Foreman, tight end Robert Tonyan, linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards — the biggest splashes Chicago made — are going to vault Chicago to the playoffs. But the Packers lost Aaron Rodgers, the Vikings won't duplicate going 11-0 in one-score games again and the Lions' 28th-rated defense still has many questions.

The Bears were an abomination in Year 1 under coach Matt Eberflus, but now that he’s had a second offseason to get his guys in place, expect a surge both defensively (they can’t be worse!), and on offense, too, as QB Justin Fields enters his second season under OC Luke Getsy.

PICK: Chicago Bears (+420) to win NFC North

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New York Jets +250

And now, onto my Jets.

You’ll have a good idea about this wager before Halloween. The Jets open the season hosting Buffalo and then travel to Dallas, host New England and KC, then travel to Denver and play the Eagles. If they can come out of that gauntlet at 3-3 or better, they’ll be in the mix in the NFL's most competitive division.

Yes, Buffalo is the favorite, but the Bills have the toughest schedule in the league from Nov. 1 onward, facing six playoff teams from a year ago, plus Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and rival New England.

The Jets defense ranked fifth in the NFL last year, and even if they drop a little, the offense will surely improve on ranking 26th in efficiency. No team in the league made a bigger move at QB to improve this season, which should lead to wins if Rodgers can stay healthy.

The Dolphins are a threat, and the Bills are the best team in the division, but the Jets are a solid bet here, especially at this price.

PICK: New York Jets (+250) to win AFC East

Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst, and he also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. He joined FS1 in 2016 and has appeared on every show on the network. In 2017, McIntyre began producing gambling content on the NFL, college football and NBA for FOX Sports. He had a gambling podcast for FOX, "Coming Up Winners," in 2018 and 2019. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead, which he sold in 2010.