Betting the NFC East: Eagles offer more value than Cowboys

Training camp hasn't even started and we're talking about division winners? Why? It's way too early, right? Well, yes. But if you're high on the Philadelphia Eagles, now is the time to bet. 

Wait, though. What about Dallas? How come we're not talking about Jerry Jones' Cowboys? And what about the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants? All fair questions.

Let's talk about the Commanders and Giants first. To be direct, they're just not on the same level as Dallas or Philadelphia. 

But isn't that what pundits said last year about the Cincinnati Bengals? All Cincinnati did was win the competitive AFC North and advance to the Super Bowl. Could that be Washington or the New York Giants this year? I mean, could it? Maybe. What am I saying? The answer is no. Just no. But why? The main reason is you just don't know what you're going to get out of the quarterback position. 

Washington traded for Carson Wentz this offseason and he's going to be given the chance to be the guy. Indianapolis tried that experiment with Wentz last season, and it didn't work out. The year before that, Wentz got benched in Philadelphia and the Eagles have never looked back.

As for the Giants, Daniel Jones hasn't panned out since New York drafted him sixth overall back in 2019. To further validate my point, the Giants declined to pick up his fifth-year option. If that doesn't say enough, I don't know what does. 

Now let's go back and talk about them Cowboys. There's no doubt they could win this division. But based on how much Philadelphia has improved this offseason and where the betting line stands on the Cowboys, betting Dallas isn't the right play right now. Dallas is the consensus favorite to win the division, but with odds no better than +120, the value just isn't there given the unknowns. 

Is CeeDee Lamb ready to replace Amari Cooper as Dallas' No. 1 receiver? We shall wait and see. Will Michael Gallup be ready for Week 1 after tearing his ACL last last year? Again, we shall wait and see. And how does Dallas replace the production of La'el Collins on the offensive line and DeMarcus Lawrence on the defensive line? Or are they even able to? Again, we shall wait and see. Those are just a couple of reasons why betting Dallas right now to win the NFC East isn't worth it.

As for Philadelphia, they made it clear they're going all in after trading and signing A.J. Brown to a four-year, $100 million contract on draft night. With +200 plus odds, now is the time to put money on the Eagles to win the division. 

Last season the Eagles ranked 12th in scoring with 26.1 points per game, and that was without a receiver of Brown's caliber. You think opposing defenses had it bad having to game plan for DeVonta Smith? Now they have to game plan for both Smith and Brown. Don't forget last season was Hurts' first as the full-time starter. He should take an even bigger step forward this year in his development. Remember the Eagles led the NFL in rushing yards per game last season. Talk about scary. This offense should be explosive, and in many ways.

Another reason you should be high on Philadelphia is because of their schedule, especially the beginning portion. Philadelphia has the second-easiest schedule. The Eagles open the season against Detroit, Minnesota, Washington and Jacksonville. Barring any serious injuries, the Eagles should start the season 3-1, if not 4-0. Meanwhile, Dallas opens the year up against Tampa Bay and Cincinnati. They very well could begin the season 0-2, which means the odds are only going to drop on Philadelphia if they get off to a good start and Dallas starts the year 0-2, or even 1-1, which is why if you're taking Philadelphia to win the division. You should bet now.

As for how many wins it will take to win the NFC East, that's tough to say. Dallas won 12 games last season, but the Eagles did make the playoffs as a Wild Card seed at 9-8. I don't see either team winning 12 games this year, but 10 wins should be enough to win this division. Philadelphia has a slightly better chance to get to 10 wins due to their schedule and Dallas's turnover from a year ago. 

The Bet: Philadelphia Eagles to win the NFC East (+200) via FanDuel