The Seattle Seahawks are still celebrating their Super Bowl LX championship, but even they, along with the 31 other teams, are looking ahead to Super Bowl LXI. The New England Patriots shocked the AFC side of things and made yet another run to the AFC Championship game. As we look ahead to the 2026 NFL season, will it be a favorite? Or does another long shot pop up and find its way to the Super Bowl, just like that upstart Patriots team? Let’s focus on the AFC as we look at the 2026 AFC Conference Championship odds and NFL best bets.
The AFC has seen a lot of change over the last few years after a dominant run by the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots before that. Young quarterbacks like Drake Maye, Bo Nix, and CJ Stroud have lifted their teams to the top of the conference. Trevor Lawrence had his team looking good under a new head coach, and Josh Allen gets a new head coach. Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow all look to be back and healthy for another run. It’s a loaded AFC field, but seemingly wide open.
Odds to Win 2026 AFC Championship
Baltimore Ravens +550
Buffalo Bills +550
Los Angeles Chargers +700
New England Patriots +750
Kansas City Chiefs +750
Denver Broncos +900
Houston Texans +1000
Jacksonville Jaguars +1000
Cincinnati Bengals +1300
Indianapolis Colts +2000
Pittsburgh Steelers +4000
Cleveland Browns +5000
Tennessee Titans +6500
Las Vegas Raiders +8000
New York Jets +12500
Miami Dolphins +12500
2026 AFC Conference Championship Odds and NFL Best Bets
Houston Texans (+1000)
Picking from the favorites in the AFC is not an easy task. We’re betting on this 11 months before it’s going to cash, so let’s get some value while we have it. The Houston Texans are a great team. Yes, CJ Stroud didn’t look good in their playoff loss to the Patriots. Just two years ago, we were all anointing him the next coming. Let’s not overreact too much.
Houston’s defense is absolutely elite. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans is a great head coach, and he’s proven to be a solid coach in the playoffs, coming up just short each year. The combination of the possibilities of this offense, added to this elite defense, should have Houston fans excited. It also makes them worth betting at 10/1.
Jacksonville Jaguars (+1000)
I was on the Jaguars train ahead of last season, and while that train had an early exit in the playoffs, it sure was a fun train to be on. Trevor Lawrence was anointed as the next coming and had to struggle through some really bad coaching. Suddenly, he’s given a great offensive coach, and he looks like what he was hyped up to be. Liam Coen came in and immediately turned things around for this offense.
They took Josh Allen and company to the wire in the AFC Wild Card round ,gaining some valuable playoff experience. Year two for Trevor in this offense should be rewarding, and they’ve locked down Jakobi Meyers and have Travis Hunter returning. Brian Thomas remains up in the air, but if he comes back, he could be a key cog for this team. As another 10/1 team, we are getting good value on returning playoff teams with solid young coaches and quarterbacks. I feel good about that.
Miami Dolphins (+12500)
Laugh if you will, but last year saw both the AFC with the Patriots, as well as the NFC with the Seahawks, have long-shot champions that most did not see coming. So, as I look down the board at who could be that team in the AFC in 2026, the Dolphins catch my eye. This team fell apart over the last few years, but they weren’t that far away from being a contender. There are massive question marks here. Does Tua come back? Is Waddle traded? Tyreek has been released.
Let’s say, they work things out with Tua and the new coaching staff. Tua’s dead cap number is crazy. Now you possibly have an offense with Tua, Waddle, and Achane as the key cogs. It’s an offense that was one of the best in the league a few years ago. If Jeff Hafley can fix the defense, with an easy schedule, this team could be a surprise in 2026. It would be a big shock, but I’ve made worse bets than a sprinkle on a 125/1.
