The race for the 2019 NFC Championship should once again remain tight according to the recently updated NFL futures at 5Dimes online sportsbook. There are as many as five teams at the top of the list with a chance to win. There is also some substantial value on the board deeper down that list of 16 NFC teams.
NFC Championship Top-Valued Favorites
The Los Angeles Rams controversially won the NFC last season given that an obvious blown call that could have changed the New Orleans Saints’ fortunes in a title game that was decided in overtime. The Rams first opened as favorites to win again coming off a grinding 13-3 loss to New England in Super Bowl LIII.
Heading into the summer months leading up to training camp, the Saints are now set at +435 favorites to make that long-awaited return trip to the Super Bowl finally. New Orleans is coming off back-to-back heartbreaking losses in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. All the right pieces remain in place for a deep run with Drew Brees still under center at quarterback. Logic dictates that this team should take that next step in 2019, but it could also be snake bit as well.
It is hard to find all that much value in the Rams’ +550 odds to repeat. The track record for teams losing the Super Bowl has not been all that good over the years, and there could be some renewed competition within their own division from Seattle and possibly even San Francisco.
The other NFC team listed as a +550 second-favorite is the Chicago Bears. After occupying the basement of the NFC North for four-straight seasons, the Bears made their way to the top of the standings last year with a 12-4 record. Mitch Trubisky proved he can play at a high level in the NFL at quarterback and Chicago’s defense more closely resembled the Monsters of the Midway. The challenge this season is to repeat playing a “first-place” schedule while no longer sneaking up on anyone.
2019 Odds to Win the NFC Title
- New Orleans Saints +435
- Chicago Bears +550
- Los Angeles Rams +550
- Philadelphia Eagles +775
- Green Bay Packers +825
- Dallas Cowboys +1150
- Minnesota Vikings +1225
- Atlanta Falcons +1250
- San Francisco 49ers +1450
- Seattle Seahawks +1575
- Carolina Panthers +1900
- Detroit Lions +2900
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3500
- Washington Redskins +5000
- Arizona Cardinals +5500
- New York Giants +5500
NFC Championship Top-Valued Contenders
Next on the list is the Philadelphia Eagles at +775 betting odds followed by the Green Bay Packers at +825 rounding out those top-five NFC teams.
The Eagles made a run all the way to a Super Bowl title in 2017 before exiting last year’s playoffs in the second round. This team’s fortunes this season rest on fourth-year quarterback Carson Wentz’s ability to stay healthy all season long. If he can start all 16 games and return to the form that had him in strong consideration for league MVP in 2017, Philly would be my top-valued pick on the board.
Aaron Rodgers at quarterback always makes Green Bay a legitimate contender in the NFC, but two losing seasons in a row and a new head coach at the helm raises some serious questions heading into this season. The Packers made a concerted effort to upgrade their defense during the offseason. They are actually slight favorites over Chicago to win the NFC North this to add some more value to their odds to win the conference title as well.
NFC Championship Top-Valued Pick at Longer Odds
The quality of the top five teams on this list is going to make things even tougher for the other 11 teams trying to make a deep run this year. The Dallas Cowboys (+1150) and the Minnesota Vikings (+1125) are the logical choices to break through given each team’s recent success. However, each team also has a quarterback that has yet to prove they can live up to their lofty expectations in the postseason.
The value pick here could be Seattle at +1575. The Seahawks returned to the playoffs last season at 10-6, and they could be poised to rejoin the competition for the NFC title this time around.
