NFC East Betting Preview 2023: Futures Picks & Predictions for All Teams
This NFC East betting preview will cover one of the most fascinating and complex divisions in the NFL this season – but the most important question is a straightforward one. Can the Philadelphia Eagles repeat as division champions, or will the rival Dallas Cowboys take the step forward they need to reign supreme? James Bisson covers it all here.
In the now-immortal words of Samuel L. Jackson in "Jurassic Park" ... hold onto your butts.
As great as the battle atop the NFC East was in 2022, this year's tete-a-tete between the NFC-champion Philadelphia Eagles and the ever-dangerous Dallas Cowboys might reach a whole other level this season.
Both teams return the majority of their respective cores, while making deft adjustments through free agency and the draft to fill holes and add depth. The Cowboys won 12 games a season ago despite being riddled with injuries, while the Eagles were historically dominant in the first half of the 2022 campaign en route to a Super Bowl appearance.
And let's not forget the New York Giants and Washington Commanders ... actually, you can probably go ahead and forget the New York Giants and Washington Commanders. At least, where NFC East supremacy is concerned.
Check out our 2023 NFC East betting preview as part of our 2023 NFL betting guide based on the odds from our best sports betting apps (pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Visit our Google News page and click "Follow" (⭐) for the latest odds, picks and news!
NFC East betting preview 2023
Cowboys to win NFC East (+190 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Team to win division | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagles | -135 ❄️ | -115 | -110 | -110 | -120 |
Cowboys | +190 🔥 | +175 | +170 | +165 ❄️ | +180 |
Giants | +850 🔥 | +700 | +750 | +700 | +700 |
Commanders | +1600 🔥 | +1300 | +1000 ❄️ | +1300 | +1200 |
As I suggest in my Cowboys betting preview, Philadelphia and Dallas are neck-and-neck in my overall power rankings. Forget one key injury or cold stretch deciding the division – it could be something as minor as a missed field goal in Week 5 or a botched tackle in Week 11 that could ultimately determine which of these two teams finishes on top.
My team previews go into more detail, but I ultimately settle on the Cowboys as the superior play because I believe them to be the most complete team in the conference. And I certainly don't see enough of a gap between Dallas and Philly to favor the Eagles at -110 or shorter at just about every one of our best NFL betting sites.
This is likely going to be a two-team race – and I love the value I'm getting on the Cowboys.
Jalen Hurts to throw 30+ passing touchdowns in the regular season (+360 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I've shared an over on a Hurts rushing prop in my Eagles betting preview – and given that Hurts has increased his full-season passing TD totals from six to 16 to 22 over his first three NFL seasons, I also like his chances of throwing for more than 30 scores, at least at this price point:
- The Eagles have Pro Football Focus's No. 1-ranked offensive line for the second year in a row, and will almost certainly cut down on the stunning 44 penalties it incurred last season – giving Hurts plenty of extra time while keeping him in more positive down-and-distance situations.
- The addition of Olamide Zaccheaus to an impressive receiving corps that features superstar A.J. Brown, emergent stud DeVonta Smith and steady tight end Dallas Goedert provides Hurts with one of the best pass-catching quartets in the NFC, if not the entire league.
- One look at Hurts' six passing touchdowns through the opening six games of 2022 might scare off the Over crowd – but in fairness, the Eagles were a ridiculous plus-78 in the first half of those six contests. Expect Philly to be involved in a few more close games in 2023.
- In the eight-game stretch following the Eagles' Week 7 bye (up until Hurts missed two games due to a shoulder injury), he threw 18 TD passes. Some say that extrapolation is the devil's protractor, but it's hard not to like what that trend might portend for 2023.
New York Giants Under 370 regular-season points (+100 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Giants betting preview doesn't offer much reason for optimism. I have last year's surprise NFC playoff participants missing the postseason altogether in 2023, and finishing with double-digit losses in the process.
I like Daniel Jones, and even have him surpassing his 16.5 passing touchdowns prop at FanDuel. And I expect Saquon Barkley to be sufficiently motivated following a tumultuous offseason that ultimately saw him sign a one-year contract in hopes of getting the bag next offseason.
I just don't see the Giants scoring a lot of points. They have the 29th-ranked offensive line at PFF, and even that might be generous. New York also has one of the most brutal schedules of any team in the league, with seven of its first 11 games on the road and six total games against teams that finished in the top five in point differential last year. Yikes.
bet365 is doing wonderful things with its team point total props, offering a 20-point middle between its Over and Under (for example, the Giants' point total markets are "Under 370", "370-389 Inclusive" and "Over 389".) This allows bet365 to offer both the Over and Under at even-money odds – and that makes it the best destination for this particular Giants play.
Sam Howell to score 5+ rushing touchdowns in the regular season (+1900 at FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
We know that Ron Rivera loves to run the football: Washington had the 10th-highest rush rate in the league last year, despite producing the eighth-fewest expected points from their run game (according to Pro Football Reference).
Bettors should expect to see plenty of Brian Robinson Jr. in 2023 (I'm banking on it, based on the final pick of my Commanders betting preview), and Antonio Gibson isn't going away anytime soon. And let's also consider that Washington had just nine rushing scores in 2022 – fourth-fewest in the NFL, and an absurd number for a team that ran it 538 times overall.
Positive touchdown regression is coming – and I believe some of that will come from Howell, who erupted for 828 rushing scores and 11 TDs in his final NCAA season with North Carolina. Howell made one start for Washington last season and ran five times for 35 yards and a score.
This is by no means a slam dunk, but Howell is going to have the opportunity to put his stamp on this team as the unquestioned No. 1 QB option – and he'll probably be running a lot behind the Commanders' 27th-ranked O-line.
At this price, I'm taking a shot.
Here are our best NFL betting sites:
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUSDYW | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- BetRivers Promo Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetRivers Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Related pages
- Best Sports Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)