The 2021 NFL standings as predicted by oddsmakers

Sep 9 2021, 6:37 pm

The 2021 NFL season kicks off tonight, and that has football fans on both sides of the border excited.

This season will begin where last season ended, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, as Tom Brady, the defending Super Bowl champion, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys.

All 32 teams will be in action this week, with 14 games on Sunday. The first Monday Night Football game of the season will be held in Las Vegas, with fans in attendance in Sin City for the first time, between the Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens.

The NFL has expanded its schedule for the first time in 43 years, as teams will now play 17 games each. Last year’s expanded playoff format will once again be in place, as seven teams from each conference will make the postseason.

So who will come out on top? We’ve taken the NFL win totals odds for every team from VegasInsider.com to make some predictions.

If the oddsmakers are correct, here’s how the 2021 season will play out.

Predicting the 2021 NFL standings

Standings have been ordered by win totals odds (shown in parentheses). In instances where teams are tied in win totals, we’ve placed the team that had the better record last season ahead.

AFC East

  • Buffalo Bills (11)
  • Miami Dolphins (9.5)
  • New England Patriots (9.5)
  • New York Jets (6)

AFC North

  • Baltimore Ravens (11)
  • Cleveland Browns (10.5)
  • Pittsburgh Steelers (8.5)
  • Cincinnati Bengals (6.5)

AFC South

  • Tennessee Titans (9)
  • Indianapolis Colts (9)
  • Jacksonville Jaguars (6.5)
  • Houston Texans (4)

AFC West

  • Kansas City Chiefs (12.5)
  • Los Angeles Chargers (9.5)
  • Denver Broncos (8.5)
  • Las Vegas Raiders (7)

NFC East

  • Dallas Cowboys (9)
  • Washington Football Team (8.5)
  • New York Giants (7)
  • Philadelphia Eagles (6.5)

NFC North

  • Green Bay Packers (10)
  • Minnesota Vikings (9)
  • Chicago Bears (7.5)
  • Detroit Lions (4.5)

NFC South

  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12)
  • New Orleans Saints (9)
  • Carolina Panthers (7.5)
  • Atlanta Falcons (7.5)

NFC West

  • Los Angeles Rams (10.5)
  • San Francisco 49ers (10.5)
  • Seattle Seahawks (10)
  • Arizona Cardinals (8.5)

Who will make the playoffs?

The two teams that played in last year’s Super Bowl are expected to win their respective conferences, with the Kansas City Chiefs (12.5 wins) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12 wins) getting first-round byes.

Many of last year’s playoff teams are expected to return to the postseason again. Two newcomers are expected in the AFC playoffs, in the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. New NFC playoff teams include the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.

Division winners take up the top four seeds in each conference, while wild card teams occupy spots five, six, and seven.

AFC playoff seeding

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (12.5)
  2. Buffalo Bills (11)
  3. Baltimore Ravens (11)
  4. Tennessee Titans (9)
  5. Cleveland Browns (10.5)
  6. Miami Dolphins (9.5)
  7. New England Patriots (9.5)

NFC playoff seeding

  1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12)
  2. Los Angeles Rams (10.5)
  3. Green Bay Packers (10)
  4. Dallas Cowboys (9)
  5. San Francisco 49ers (10.5)
  6. Seattle Seahawks (10)
  7. New Orleans Saints (9)
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