NFC East betting preview: Eagles followed closely by Cowboys
The Baltimore Ravens and back-to-back champion Kansas City Chiefs get the NFL season started Thursday, Sept. 5 from Arrowhead, and Week 1 concludes with the New York Jets visiting the Super Bowl runner-up San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football” (8:20 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+).
It also means fantasy football drafts are in full swing and leagues are ready to get going. Oh, and did we mention the NFL is also pretty popular among the betting community?
It’s a good time to check out odds (if you haven’t already), and we’ve got you covered with everything from over/unders on regular-season win totals to Super Bowl odds. And our group of experts will offer some of their favorite picks as well — and maybe a prop or two.
We’ll kick things off with the NFC East.
The Dallas Cowboys are the defending division champs, but it’s the Philadelphia Eagles who enter as the NFC East favorite in 2024. The Eagles struggled down the stretch last season and were eliminated from the playoffs in the wild-card round, as were the Cowboys.
Led by QB Jalen Hurts (who at 13-1 is the fifth pick to win MVP), the Eagles have the fifth-shortest Super Bowl odds at 11-1. The Cowboys are 18-1 (T9), and the other two teams … well, there’s work to be done.
The Washington Commanders (150-1) are starting a new era with second overall pick Jayden Daniels taking over at quarterback, and the New York Giants (200-1) are ahead of only the New England Patriots in terms of odds to win the Super Bowl.
Here are all the odds for the NFC East teams and our thoughts on potential wagers.
Odds as of publication. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET. 
NFC East Odds
Notable NFC East props
2024 schedules/lines: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Commanders
2023 results: Cowboys (12-5), Eagles (11-6), Giants (6-11), Commanders (4-13)
Coming up: NFC West (Friday) | NFC North (Saturday) | NFC South (Sunday) | AFC East (Monday) | AFC West (Tuesday) | AFC North (Wednesday) | AFC South (Sept. 5)
Did you know?
Courtesy ESPN Stats & Information
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No team has won the NFC East in back-to-back seasons since the Eagles from 2001 to ’04, the longest streak without a repeat champ in a division in NFL history. ESPN Analytics projects that streak to continue this season, giving the Eagles a 49% chance to win the division, slightly ahead of the defending NFC East champion Cowboys.
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ESPN BET favors the Eagles to win the division. Philadelphia’s over/under for win total this season 10.5, trailing only San Francisco and Kansas City (both 11.5).
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The Cowboys have the second-best record (36-15) in the NFL over the past three seasons, behind only the Chiefs (37-14). Dallas has now had 13 straight playoff appearances without making a conference championship game, the longest streak since 1970.
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Despite Washington’s overhaul this offseason, ESPN Analytics does not like its chances to make the playoffs (13%). Only the Carolina Panthers (5%) have a lower chance to make the postseason out of the NFC.
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Jayden Daniels is currently tied for the second-shortest odds (+650) to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, according to ESPN BET. He sits alongside Marvin Harrison Jr. (+650) and just behind Caleb Williams (+135).
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According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Eagles are set to become the first team in NFL history to start a season with a QB with 10 scrimmage TDs, a RB with 10 scrimmage TDs and two 1,000-yard receivers from the previous season.
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Last season, Hurts and Josh Allen both finished the season with 15 rushing TDs, the most in a season for a QB in NFL history. Hurts already has the record for most consecutive seasons with 10 rushing TDs by a QB with three straight and can become the first QB to have four seasons overall with 10 rushing TDs.
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From 2015 to ’20, the MVP was at least 30-1 preseason in five of six seasons. Since then, the winner has been 14-1 or shorter in each of the past three seasons. However, the actual preseason favorite to win MVP has only won one time in those 10 seasons — Tom Brady in 2017.
Erin Dolan’s pick: Eagles to win division (-130), OVER 10.5 wins (-140)
There has not been a repeat winner in the NFC East since the 2003-04 season. The Cowboys won the division last season after Philly (the division winner in 2022) collapsed down the stretch, going 1-6 after a 10-1 start, absolutely crushing bettors that had Eagles over 11.5 wins. The Eagles were fifth in offensive EPA and 23rd in defensive EPA over the first 12 weeks. They were 19th on offense and 30th in defense in the final seven games. I don’t see that happening this season with new OC Kellen Moore and new DC Vig Fangio. The Cowboys will regress, the Commanders are trying to rebuild, and the Giants don’t have a shot at winning the division with their roster.
