Which NFL Franchises Look a Good Bet for Long-Term Success?
Betting on the NFL on a game-by-game basis is exciting, but what if you want to look further ahead and see who has built the most solid foundations for long-term football success? A lot can happen in sports from one day to the next, but let’s take a look at a few of the biggest franchises to see what they’ve been building and what to expect from them.
A lot of fans choose to spice up the games and increase their engagement by making bets on who’s going to come out on top. There’s an art to this sort of thing; you need to spend time looking at the players’ strengths, which teams are currently ahead, and what the most likely outcomes are. There’s a lot of overlap between sports betting and casinos, and both give you the chance to win some significant prizes if you approach them intelligently. With that in mind, let’s check out the current NFL franchises that you might want to wager on.
The Kansas City Chiefs
Many people’s favorites to win Super Bowl LVIII to be played at the start of 2024, the Chiefs have started this season 6-2 after winning last year’s Super Bowl. Can they become the first franchise in two decades to win two consecutive Super Bowls? A look at the list of the top NFL players for 2023 shows us that their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, sits at the summit.
At 28, this dual-threat QB is their greatest weapon. He signed a massive new ten-year contract in 2020 that is worth over $470 million and is one of the biggest sporting contracts in history. He was joined on the list of the top 100 players by tight end Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones. Unless they mess things up spectacularly, Kansas City appears to have the solid foundations in place for a period of stability and sustained success.
The Philadelphia Eagles
The current NFC Champions are also at the top of the betting odds for the next Super Bowl, and it’s easy to see why. The Eagles lost 35–38 to the Chiefs in the nail-biting end to Super Bowl LVII, and hopes are high among their fans that they’ll go one better this time around.
Their 2023 season has started with a 7-1 sequence and keeping Jalen Hurts fit and ready to play is key to their success. The QB has been struggling with an injured knee, but at 25 years old he should be around to help Philadelphia get success for the next few years. Their roster is strong and it’s a well-run franchise, although Hurt’s big contract means that they need to be smart if they want to bring in new players without going over the salary cap.
The Buffalo Bills
With a strong record over the last few seasons, the Bills are again in a good position for another winning year. They’ve started 5-3, having set a new franchise record of 13-3 in 2022. Josh Allen is their star QB, having joined Buffalo in the 2018 draft before going on to establish himself as their starter in the position. The latest NFL odds let you see whether the Bills are favorites to win the majority of their upcoming games. You can also bet on subjects such as how many passing yards Allen will complete in a game and how many touchdowns the team will complete. If you feel confident of a successful season, you can also bet on the Bills’ chances of winning the AFC East.
Some analysts believe that the opportunity to win the Super Bowl for the first time has passed, with the Bills unable to win football’s biggest trophy despite some impressive seasons recently. Injuries to their defense this season have left it looking far more vulnerable. How well they cover the gaps – and when their injured stars recover – will determine their short-term fate, while the recent addition of designed runs for Allen has given a glimmer of promise for the longer-term strategy of the team.
The Dallas Cowboys
Take a look at the odds of winning Super Bowl LVIII and you’ll see that the Dallas Cowboys are in the top five of six teams, at odds of around +1000 at the time of writing. They’ve started the 2023 season strongly with a 5-2 record in their first few games, following on from last season’s 12-5.
However, there are some doubts over the direction they’ll take going forward, with the future of QB Dak Prescott as a key issue. He’s now 30 and hasn’t yet helped Dallas get past the divisional season at the playoff stage. In fact, the Cowboys haven’t taken part in a conference championship game since the mid-1990s and they don’t have a lot of wiggle room left in their salary cap if the current roster doesn’t find the winning formula this season.
The Cincinnati Bengals
The new contract for QB Joe Burrow bodes well for the future, with the 26-year-old already showing his promise by ending the Bengals’ drought by taking them to their first playoff wins in three long decades. They made it to Super Bowl LVI but lost to the Los Angeles Rams there. Burrow signed a new contract worth $275 million over five years, making him the best-paid NFL player in history on an annual salary basis.
Cincinnati has started the 2023 NFL season with a disappointing 4-3 run. However, their 31-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in week 8 could prove to be the turning point this season. In the longer term, it’s easy to imagine Burrow leading them to a period of success if they manage to surround him with the right support.
NFL fans will be keen to see whether these teams fulfill their outstanding promise in the next couple of seasons, or whether another team is able to build up a strong roster to challenge them.