Early 2022 NFL Division Winner Odds with Analysis and Predictions

We’re approaching a crucial time in the NFL offseason, as the NFL draft is only a few days away. However, we’re looking well past that to the 2022 regular season.

The NFL offseason has been wild, with many big trades and free-agent signings. Those moves have impacted the 2022 NFL division odds. It has brought much more balance and parity to the NFL.

Will the AFC West live up to the hype, and will the Dallas Cowboys run away with the NFC East? My 2022 NFL division predictions will answer those questions and more.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone to see the Buffalo Bills open as the AFC East favorite. The New England Patriots dominated the division for 20 years, but it’s the Bills’ time to shine.

The Miami Dolphins had a successful offseason, acquiring Tyreek Hill. The New York Jets have a pair of top 10 draft picks and are in the running for Deebo Samuel.

The Buffalo Bills have been Super Bowl contenders in the last two seasons. Honestly, this could be their best team yet. Their offense features early 2022 NFL MVP favorite Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs.

Buffalo had a quality defense in 2021, but they took a hit when Tre’Davious White tore his ACL. He’ll be back to boost their pass defense, but Buffalo picked up a significant piece with Von Miller.

Miller received a six-year, $120 million deal. It may have been an overpay, but Buffalo is in win-now mode. They’re playing to win Super Bowl 57.

It’s easy to forget the New England Patriots made the playoffs last season. They suffered an embarrassing defeat in the wild-card round, but Bill Belichick won’t let that happen again.

The biggest problem for the Patriots is they’ve sat still while other teams have made significant upgrades. Their biggest move came with the acquisition of DeVante Parker. Parker has dealt with injuries, but check out his 2019 numbers.

Parker will give the Patriots the No. 1 wide receiver they desperately needed last season.

There is a tight battle at the top of the AFC North. The Cleveland Browns hold a slight advantage over the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

All three teams have a young star quarterback, while the Pittsburgh Steelers are rolling with Mitchell Trubisky. That’s why the AFC North division odds have them as a longshot.

The Cleveland Browns failed to back up an impressive 2020 season, but they didn’t sit back in the offseason. It looked like they would come up short in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes until a last-second change of heart.

This Deshaun Watson trade is one of the biggest trades in NFL history.#Browns get:
Deshaun Watson
(New 5-yr/$230M guaranteed, $45M bonus)= highest guaranteed $ in NFL history
2024 5th Rd Pick#Texans get:
2022, 2023, 2024 1st Rd Pick
2023 3rd Rd Pick
2024 4th Rd Pick@fox8news pic.twitter.com/7wkyHo2uUU

— John Sabol (@John_Sabol) March 18, 2022

It’s easy to forget the Browns also acquired Amari Cooper. Watson, Nick Chubb, and Cooper are an amazing QB-RB-WR combination. That unit is why the Browns have the best 2022 NFL division winner odds.

Their defense remains strong, with Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward leading the way.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a distant fourth in the AFC North odds. I mentioned how the quarterback position leaves them well behind the other three teams. However, their team isn’t that different from the one that made the playoffs last season.

Pittsburgh’s offense still has Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson, and Chase Claypool. The Steelers defense will be the unit that leads them to a surprise AFC North title.

T.J. Watt won Defensive Player of the Year, nearly breaking the single-season sack record. Cameron Heyward, Devin Bush, and Minkah Fitzpatrick should play a key role.

The Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans should run away with the AFC South for the third straight season. The Jacksonville Jaguars hold the No. 1 pick for the second straight season, but it likely won’t be enough to win the AFC South.

It’d surprise me if anyone had the Houston Texans as their AFC South winner prediction.

The 2022 NFL division odds have the Indianapolis Colts as a slight favorite in the AFC South. The Colts were on their way to the playoffs in 2021, but they suffered a disappointing defeat in Week 18. That led to them replacing Carson Wentz with Matt Ryan.

Ultimately, we should see the Colts’ ground game lead the way in 2022. Check out Jonathan Taylor’s 2021 numbers.

Indianapolis upgraded its defense by acquiring Yannick Ngakoue and Stephon Gilmore. Their defense should hold the key to them winning the AFC South.

The Tennessee Titans surprised many by finishing with the best record in the AFC last season. They did that despite missing Derrick Henry in the second half of the season.

Part of the issue for the Titans is they have the same team as last season. They acquired Robert Woods from the Los Angeles Rams, but that’s not enough to return them to the top of the AFC.

Henry’s return should give the Titans a big boost, but Ryan Tannehill needs to have a better season. That’ll be the determining factor in their AFC South hopes.

The best NFL betting sites have the AFC West as the most competitive division in football. The Kansas City Chiefs have the best AFC West winner odds, but the other three teams made significant upgrades in the offseason.

Ultimately, this division will likely come down to the best offense.

The Kansas City Chiefs remain the AFC West favorite despite trading Tyreek Hill. Kansas City has a weak wide receiving core, but you can’t count out a team with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

Kansas City’s offense also has an elite offensive line, and they should upgrade their receiving core in the NFL draft.

The biggest question for the Chiefs’ AFC West hopes it is their defense. They replaced Tyrann Mathieu with Justin Reid, but will that be enough? Still, it’s hard to make an NFL division winner prediction that doesn’t include the Chiefs.

It looked like the Las Vegas Raiders would be left behind in the AFC West. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers immediately upgraded their roster in the offseason. That’s when the Raiders surprised everyone by acquiring Davante Adams.

BREAKING: Raiders trading for WR Davante Adams. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/sY5u2NimRM

— NFL (@NFL) March 17, 2022

Derek Carr now has Adams, Darren Waller, and Hunter Renfrow. That might be the best group of pass-catchers in the NFL. The offense is the name of the game in the NFL, and they have it.

Everyone should be good in the AFC West, so taking the Raiders might be the best bet.

The Dallas Cowboys aim to become the first NFC East team to win back-to-back division titles since 2004. They’re the odds-on favorite, but we’ve seen them underwhelm for years.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders have the potential to be surprise contenders. There’s not much to say about the New York Giants and their NFC East hopes.

The Dallas Cowboys suffered yet another disappointing defeat in last year’s playoffs. You have to wonder if the Cowboys will ever get over the hump, but they have the best 2022 NFL division winner odds in the NFC East.

Dallas traded Amari Cooper, but their offense still features Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and CeeDee Lamb. We saw their defense take a big step forward last season. Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs emerged as All-Pro players.

The Cowboys appear to be in a strong position to win the NFC East. Can they live up to the hype?

The Washington Commanders entered the offseason with one goal, to upgrade the quarterback position. They fell short of acquiring Russell Wilson, but they pivoted to Carson Wentz. Many people were down on the trade, but he had solid numbers in 2021.

Wentz and Terry McLaurin could give Washington their best QB-WR duo in years.

The Commanders’ defense was a big disappointment in 2021, but they still have a dominant defensive line. It wouldn’t surprise me if Washington had one of the league’s best defenses.

There wasn’t much of a question of who would win the NFC North until the Green Bay Packers traded Davante Adams. They remained the favorite, but they became more vulnerable.

The Minnesota Vikings are the only team within striking distance. Are you willing to wager on the Chicago Bears or Detroit Lions?

The Green Bay Packers are the favorite to win the NFC North for the fourth straight season. It’ll be tougher without Davante Adams, but Aaron Rodgers returned to Green Bay with a big three-year extension.

MVP (Last 3 seasons)
2021 – Aaron Rodgers
2020 – Aaron Rodgers
2019 – Lamar Jackson

Most Wins (Last 3 seasons)
1. Green Bay Packers – 39
2. Kansas City Chiefs – 38
3. New Orleans Saints – 34 pic.twitter.com/z50uzM0dJZ

— IKE Packers Podcast (@IKE_Packers) April 22, 2022

Right now, the Packers’ top wide receiver is Randall Cobb, but that should change by Thursday night. The Packers have a pair of first-round picks, and they could move up to select a top-tier wide receiver.

Green Bay’s defense doesn’t receive much attention, but they’ve been strong in the last two seasons. I expect that to continue in 2022.

I almost picked the Detroit Lions as a longshot, but I couldn’t pass on the Minnesota Vikings. I’ve long thought the Vikings were among the most underrated teams in the NFL.

Minnesota’s offense includes Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen. Cook and Jefferson have a strong argument for being top five players at their position. Cousins receives much criticism, but he always has substantial numbers.

The Vikings signed Za’Darius Smith to an already impressive defense. Green Bay’s offense is strong, but I wouldn’t mind making the Vikings an NFL division winner prediction.

The NFC South odds have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a clear favorite. Tampa Bay has the best odds to win their division in the NFL.

It’s hard to have much excitement about the other NFC South teams. The New Orleans Saints nearly made the playoffs last season, so perhaps they’ll make a run.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in a tough spot after Tom Brady’s retirement. However, his return vaulted the Buccaneers to Super Bowl 57 favorites. After leading the league with 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns, he nearly won MVP.

Brady’s return was key, but the Buccaneers have plenty of offensive pieces with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage, and Leonard Fournette. Factor in an elite offensive line, and it’s hard to beat the Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay’s defense struggled at times, but they have a ton of talent. They need to stay afloat and let Brady do his thing.

The Carolina Panthers made a big move last offseason, acquiring Sam Darnold. Ultimately, that move didn’t pan out, and the Panthers should be in contention for a new quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo to the Panthers could make them an intriguing 2022 NFL division prediction.

Aside from the quarterback, the Panthers have the pieces in place. Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, and Robby Anderson are the main contributors on offense.

It’s easy to forget the Panthers allowed the second-fewest yards in 2022. If they upgrade the quarterback position, we could see a surprise contender in the NFC South.

Last season, the NFC West was the most competitive division in football. It still has multiple good teams, but the Seattle Seahawks are well behind the other three teams.

The Los Angeles Rams are coming off a Super Bowl title, while the other three teams could potentially have a new quarterback.

The Los Angeles Rams head into the 2022 season looking to defend their Super Bowl title. They did lose Robert Woods and Von Miller, but they signed Allen Robinson and Bobby Wager to upgrade both units.

Then, you factor in all the Rams players that return from their Super Bowl team. Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, and many more are back to lead the Rams to another title.

For a while, Donald has been the best defensive player in the NFL, and the Rams might have the best wide receiver in Cooper Kupp.

The Arizona Cardinals were the team to beat in the first half of the 2021 season. Injuries to Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins led to their second-half downfall, as they suffered a blowout loss in the postseason.

Speaking of Murray, his status is the determining factor in the Cardinals’ NFC West hopes.

As Kyler Murray continues to pursue a new contract, the two-time Pro Bowler won't be with the Arizona Cardinals for voluntary offseason workouts.
Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Murray is one of "many" veteran players who won't take part.

— Eric?Schefter (@EKaplan15) April 20, 2022

Murray wants to remain with Arizona, but he also wants a new contract before the 2022 season. Arizona has the best chance to take down the Los Angeles Rams if he returns.

Betting on NFL division winners is much easier than predicting the Super Bowl winner or winner of the AFC/NFC. There are only four options, and the 2022 NFL division odds give us a good indication of the top teams.

I took a few value selections with my predictions, but I feel good about my selections. We may see things change, but this is where I stand ahead of the NFL draft.

Feel free to check out our betting strategy for NFL futures before betting on division winners in 2022. Bettors can place their bets at BetOnline.