The NFL’s Hall-of-Fame Game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers is less than two weeks away! The NFL season is upon us. One of the more fun ways to bet on NFL futures is to parlay them together and get yourself a bigger number. Luckily for us, some books have made it easy, offering division exacta bets for first and second place in each division. Let’s focus on that today, particularly in the AFC’s four divisions.
AFC South
Last season the AFC South went to the Jacksonville Jaguars at 13-4. The Houston Texans were just behind them at 12-5. After an 8-2 start to the year, the Colts finished 8-9. While the Tennessee Titans landed at the bottom of the AFC South at 3-14. For 2025, this division feels pretty clear-cut to me. I have the Houston Texans as a potential Super Bowl contender, and their defense is going to carry them to a strong season. At +135, I love the Texans to win this division outright.
The only team I think will give them a run for their money is the Jaguars. That makes this one very easy for me. Texans-Jaguars is the easiest AFC division exacta for me. At +350, you can play it the other way with Jaguars-Texans as well. Looking at the exact division order, the chalk is the best bet for me, Texans/Jaguars/Colts/Titans at +500. I also like Texans/Jaguars/Titans/Colts at +900.
Pick: Texans-Jaguars +300
AFC West
The AFC West was thrown into a tizzy last year with the Kansas City Chiefs having a down season. In 2026, it’s one of the hardest divisions in all of football to predict the outcome in. Denver ended up winning the West in 2025 after going 14-3 and making an appearance in the AFC Championship Game. The Chargers went 11-6 and snagged second place. Kansas City’s disappointing season ended at 6-11. The Las Vegas Raiders were the worst team in the NFL, going 3-14 and finishing dead last. This season, the Chiefs and Chargers are tied at +180 odds to win the West. Last year’s winners, the Broncos, aren’t far behind at +210. Vegas is the consensus last-place finisher across the board.
Similar to the Houston Texans, I have the Los Angeles Chargers as a team that is going to establish themselves as one of the teams to beat. Justin Herbert will be in the mix as an MVP candidate. There is a good case to be made for all three of the top teams in this division to win it. It’s going to be hard for Denver to repeat the season they had with this schedule and Bo Nix’s postseason injury. There appear to be some cracks in the Chiefs’ armor as well. Every combination of these two teams is about the same price, so it’s really a pick your poison. Give me the Chargers to get it done, and the Chiefs to be down, but still second best!
Pick: Chargers-Chiefs +425
AFC East
The New England Patriots pulled off a somewhat shocking divisional win last year, going 14-3 overall. Buffalo went 12-5. While Miami went 7-10, and the Jets went just 3-14. The top of this division has been predictable for years. The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills have won every division title since 2009. This year, the odds say that’ll happen yet again. Buffalo is a -150 favorite to win the East, while the Patriots are at+150. The Jets are 15/1, while the Dolphins are at 30/1.
It makes the AFC East one of the easier divisions to predict, but one of the more boring ones to bet at the same time. The expected outcome of Buffalo/New England is -135. For that reason, I’ll roll with the Patriots/Bills. The Patriots proved last year they are for real, and it’ll be a runaway battle between these teams that could go either way. You can parlay these bets on Caesars, making Bills/Patriots a good parlay piece.
Pick: Patriots-Bills +160
AFC North
The AFC North could certainly battle for one of the hardest divisions to predict every year. These teams always play each other tough, often seem to be near each other, and you never know what you’ll get out of them in any given season. Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers took the division win with a 10-7 record under Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers returns, but Mike Tomlin is out. The Ravens finished 8-9; they also got a new coach for 2026. Cincinnati struggled with injuries again, going 6-11. The Browns went 5-12, and also fired their coach. Leaving three of the four teams in the North with new head coaches.
Baltimore is the favorite in the North in 2026 at -105. Cincinnati checks in just behind them at +170. The Steelers are +525, and Cleveland is the clear worst team, checking in at 22/1 odds to win the AFC North. I love the consistency with Coach and quarterback that the Bengals have, and their defense is continuing to improve. My best bet is Bengals over Ravens. But, of these four divisions, this is definitely the one where you can bet multiple scenarios that have a legit shot and good betting numbers. I’ll be taking Bengals/Steelers at 10/1, and Steelers/Bengals at 14/1 as well.
Pick: Bengals-Ravens +165
