by Darren Moore
The 2021-22 NFL season is scheduled to start on September 9, 2021, with Tampa Bay Buccaneers (the defending Super Bowl LV champion) hosting the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Kickoff Game.
The most popular NFL Futures bet among many football fans will be to bet on the winner of Super Bowl LVI, with the Kansas City Chiefs the current favorites to be crowned champions at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on February 13, 2022.
There are many other Futures betting options available though, with selecting the outright winners of the AFC and NFC conferences being another popular market. Let’s take a look at the latest NFL Conference betting odds…
AFC Conference Odds
As Super Bowl LVI favorites, the Kansas City Chiefs are naturally also the favorites to win the AFC Conference at odds of +260 with Bovada. The other major contenders in the betting with the popular sportsbook are Buffalo Bills at +600, Baltimore Ravens at +650 and Cleveland Browns at +800.
There will also be plenty of bettors putting their dollars on Denver Broncos at +1200, Indianapolis Colts at +1400 and Tennessee Titans at +1400.
The Chiefs are understandably the favorites for the AFC, having won the conference in each of the last two Super Bowls. In addition, they are by some distance the best team in the AFC West and it’s difficult to make the argument for any team in the AFC conference being superior to Kansas City.
They also happen to have the best quarterback in the business in Patrick Mahomes and they’ve rebuilt and strengthened their offensive line with the additions of Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Austin Blythe and rookie Creed Humphrey during the offseason.
Other AFC Contenders
Buffalo could be the main rivals to Kansas City. They have a number of talented young players who could make further progress this season.
They also have a great offense, with Josh Allen having 45 touchdowns last season. Whether he can maintain that level of performance is open to question and there are also doubts as to the defense of the Bills.
The Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns should battle it out in the AFC North. The Ravens have the dangerous Lamar Jackson at QB, while the Browns have the promising Baker Mayfield at quarterback.
The Browns have a strong team on paper and have strengthened their defense during the offseason, so much could depend on how Mayfield continues to develop.
NFC Conference Odds
In the NFC conference, Super Bowl LV champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the favorites with Bovada at odds of +300. The other top contenders in the market are Los Angeles Rams at +575, San Francisco 49ers at +575, Green Bay Packers at +600, Seattle Seahawks at +1100 and Dallas Cowboys at +1200.
The Buccaneers are the defending Super Bowl champions and have brought back all 22 starters from that game, including the soon-to-be 44-year-old Tom Brady.
Winning Super Bowl LV was a remarkable turnaround for the Bucs, a team that had missed the previous 12 playoffs, and some will question whether they can achieve those heights again.
Watch out for the Rams
The Rams are the second favorites with Bovada for the NFC conference. The NFC West is very competitive, with San Francisco, Seattle and the Arizona Cardinals all capable of winning the division ahead of the LA Rams.
The Rams have one of the best defenses in the NFL and have upgraded at quarterback over the offseason, when they traded a pair of first-round picks, a third-rounder and Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford.
Rodgers Unhappy at Green Bay
The big question mark at Green Bay is the future of Aaron Rodgers, with the 37-year-old quarterback seemingly not wanting to return to the team because of issues he has with management.
Rodgers’ biggest gripe appears to be that general manager Brian Gutekunst failed to give him advance notice that the team would trade up to draft quarterback Jordan Love in 2020. Should the reigning MVP settle his differences and stay with the Packers, they could be legitimate contenders to win the Super Bowl. If they have to go with Love, that puts them in a very different position.
The Chiefs look the obvious pick to win the AFC conference, but the NFC looks a lot harder to call. Should they survive the NFC West unscathed, the LA Rams could have the squad to take the conference.
The Rodgers situation at Green Bay has to be taken into consideration though, as should he stay and be fully committed to the cause, the Packers could quickly build momentum.
NFL Conferences Odds Picks:
- AFC Championship 2022: Kansas City Chiefs to win @ +260 with Bovada
- NFC Championship 2022: Los Angeles Rams to win @ +575 with Bovada
* Conference betting odds correct at the time of writing. All betting odds are subject to fluctuations.
Darren lives & breathes sports betting and is always sniffing out his next value bet. His favourite sports to bet on are the NFL, horse racing and UFC but he will bet on anything if he thinks the odds are favourable.
