NFL Conferences can become challenging to wager on when doing so before the NFL season begins.
The Vegas NFL odds on teams in each conference will have plus odds, making it challenging to find which team will win their NFL Conference.
However, an excellent strategy can help gamblers with making their choice on teams with the NFL Conference wager.
Factors to Examine When Betting on NFL Conferences
One of the first things to examine is each team in the conference you’re betting money on. Examining these teams can help with your wager on the NFL Conference odds.
When examining a team, look for these things:
- Has the team won their conference in the past five years?
- Has the team made any improvements through the NFL Draft or free agency?
- Does the team have the same coaching staff or new staff?
- Have any players retired or left the team that played the previous season?
- What does the team’s schedule look like?
- Are there any players set to regress in this season?
- Are there any players set to have a breakout season?
- Are there any players coming off an injury from last season?
- Are there any players who might hold out from playing?
These things can affect a team and its chances of winning the NFL Conference Championship. When you look at some of the elite NFL teams, teams like the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Kansas City Chiefs are always in the running to win their conference.
However, the Packers and Chiefs might struggle this season without their star receivers on the team.
The Buccaneers have Tom Brady and most of their roster from 2021. Teams like the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, and Denver Broncos have made improvements to help their chances of winning the NFL Conference Championship.
While these teams have improved NFL odds versus their odds from last season, that doesn’t mean they will win.
Examining Teams’ History and Potential Opponents
For gamblers who want to wait on waging on NFL Conferences, there are different strategies to use. Here’s what to examine when wagering later in the NFL season on NFL Conferences:
- How many games are remaining for the teams?
- Are there any injuries to key players?
- Are they set to get a first-round bye in the NFL playoffs?
- Are they set to win their division?
- Are they playing well down the stretch?
- How is the team performing in all areas?
These things can help gamblers get a better feel for the NFL odds for each team. While getting a first-round bye or winning the division doesn’t ensure a team will win their NFL Conference, it gives them an added edge.
Since 2002, 20 of 40 number-one seeds in the NFL playoffs have won the NFL Conference Championship.
That means 50% of the number one teams were their NFL Conference winner. That gives them the best edge over the other six teams in the NFL playoffs.
While the chances are better with a number one seed, it doesn’t guarantee they will win the NFL Conferences.
While averages and percentages can show the likely chances a team has, it doesn’t give gamblers a guarantee on their wager.
That’s why examining teams and their history against opponents and potential opponents can help show gamblers their chances against the NFL odds.
A perfect example is how the Green Bay Packers always struggle against the San Francisco 49ers. They have yet to beat the 49ers in the NFL playoffs in their last four appearances.
While the overall playoff record against the Packers has the 49ers leading 5-4, they only recently started getting those wins against Green Bay.
In the end, it comes down to weighing the risk and value of your wager. Each wager has a risk involved with it, along with the value of the return.
Making sure the return and risk are reasonable can give gamblers the best chances of their wager winning.