The 2019-20 NFL season officially gets underway this weekend! It’s set to be an exciting season with plenty of strong chances for the Super Bowl!
As usual, Before You Bet will be bringing you weekly betting tips for the key games of the round including the Friday, Monday and Tuesday morning games (AEST). Today, however, we will be taking a look at the season as a whole and giving some future tips below.
2019 NFL Season Preview & Betting Tips
Divisions
AFC East
No playing around in the AFC East. The New England Patriots have won the division 15 of the past 16 years and the last 10 years in a row. They are strong favourites to do so again as the division is once again, pretty weak. The Miami Dolphins are predicted to be one of the worst teams in the league and while Buffalo and New York should both improve, it’s hard to see them toppling the reigning Super Bowl Champions. Not much value here but the $1.14 price tag could be an anchor for every one of your multis.
New England AFC East
$1.14
AFC North
If it’s value you’re after, look no further than the AFC North. There are three realistic chances in this division. We are happy to rule out Cincinnati straight away, leaving the Browns, Steelers and Ravens fighting it out for the division. The Browns made some key moves in the offseason and should improve with natural progression from young QB Baker Mayfield, however, we struggle to think they are a full four wins better than last season, which is what it will likely take to win the division. The Steelers have dropped their baggage through the offseason and look like a fantastic chance to take the division for the fourth time in six years.
Pittsburgh AFC North
$2.50
AFC South
The AFC South is another division that contains some value. The Indianapolis Colts were strong favourites to take the division before QB Andrew Luck announced his shock retirement, resulting in the Colts sliding to the bottom of the market. The Houston Texans are now slight favourites and we have to side with them, their defence should still be quite strong despite losing star defensive end Jadaveon Clowney and they should get some natural progression out of young QB Deshaun Watson, who is by far the best player at his position in the division now.
AFC West
Many are tipping the Kansas City Chiefs to make the Super Bowl after barely missing out last season and they start as strong favourites to take out the AFC West. There’s no doubt that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offence will be a force to be reckoned with again this year but we are hunting big value in this division. The Broncos secured the services of Joe Flacco throughout the offseason and while the veteran QB is approaching 35, he will give some stability to the Broncos offence. The Broncos have a strong defence and always win at home, we think they are a massive chance to pinch the division and great value at $12.
NFC East
Arguably the most talked about division in the NFL media is the NFC East. With massive clubs in Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington and the New York Giants in the mix, we think this ends up being a two horse race. The Eagles made a bold decision in the offseason, parting ways with Super Bowl winning QB Nick Foles in favour of Carson Wentz. Wentz has had some real issues with injuries over the past few seasons and seems a real risk to reinjure. Dallas seem great value in the NFC East.
NFC North
We feel comfortable ruling out the Detroit Lions from this race immediately. Picking a winner from the Packers, Bears and Vikings is a really tough test though. The Packers added a few key pieces on offence to assist Aaron Rogers and the 35 year old looks like he’s coming into a season free of injuries for the first time in a while. The Vikings and Bears both have dominant defences that should help them pick up wins but are they good enough to stop a Rodgers led offence twice this year?
Green Bay NFC North
$2.80
NFC South
The New Orleans Saints are another strong contender for the Super Bowl after two heartbreaking playoff exits in the last two seasons. While many think that they will come back bigger and better after the disappointment of last season, we think it has the ability to break them. The Falcons finished last season in a flurry, winning their last three games on the trot and are just 2 years removed from making the Super Bowl. We think they are great value in this division.
NFC West
It’s hard to make a case for anyone other than the Rams in this division. The 49ers will get starting QB Jimmy Garappolo back from injury but we can’t see that making a 7 game difference. The Rams were arguably the best team in the league last season and haven’t done anything to stop us from thinking they won’t be once again in 2019-20. Should top the division and will likely be fighting it out the Super Bowl again.
Los Angeles NFC West
$1.57
Super Bowl
Picking the winner of the Super Bowl should be a pretty easy task, considering the same team has won it three of the past five years in the New England Patriots. They start as slight favourites to go back-to-back for the first time since the 2003-2004 seasons and will likely have an armchair ride into the No.1 seed with an incredibly easy schedule this season.
With six games against Buffalo, Miami and New York, the Patriots are likely to go at least 5-1 in the division, while the rest of their schedule is also pretty easy. They will play inter-conference matches against the NFC East this year, which is arguably the easiest division in the NFC while they’ll also play key games against Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Kansas at Gillette Stadium, where they rarely lose.
We tipped the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl last year and they didn’t disappoint, so we are sticking with them again in 2019-20.
New England to win SBLIV
$7.50
