Cowboys the Betting Favorite to Repeat as NFC East Champions

Dallas is trying to become the first team to win the NFC East in back-to-back years since 2004.

Three different teams have won the NFC East over the previous four years, the latest being the Dallas Cowboys last season. The Cowboys went 13–3 and were one of the big surprises a year ago with a pair of rookies leading the offense in quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.

This season, Dallas will try to accomplish something that has not happened since 2004, repeating as the division champion, as the +115 favorite (bet $100 to win $115) on the odds to win the NFC East at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

However, the Cowboys will likely face some stiff competition in the NFC East this year with the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins all seemingly improved. The same cannot really be said of Dallas, third at +1200 on the Super Bowl 52 odds, as the team lost some key members of its defense through free agency, most notably in the secondary.

Kirk Cousins Sets Out to Prove It Again

The Giants made the playoffs last season as well with an 11–5 mark in head coach Ben McAdoo’s first year at the helm. McAdoo replaced Tom Coughlin, who beat the New England Patriots twice in the Super Bowl over the previous decade. New York is listed as the +250 second choice to win the division after adding wide receiver Brandon Marshall in the offseason to take some pressure off Odell Beckham Jr.

The Eagles are the last team to repeat as NFC East champs, and they got off to a hot 3–0 start a year ago. Philly routed the Pittsburgh Steelers 34–3 in Week 3 behind rookie quarterback Carson Wentz but then dropped four of five along with nine of 11 following the bye week before winning its last two games of the regular season. Philadelphia is tied with Washington as the +400 third choice to win the division in 2017.

In Love with Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles Fans Are Losing Their Mean Streak

The Redskins kept quarterback Kirk Cousins around for another year, as he came to an agreement with them after receiving an exclusive franchise tag. Cousins is the first quarterback in NFL history to get slapped with the tag in back-to-back seasons. He led Washington to an 8-7-1 record in 2016, throwing for a career-high 4,917 yards with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while also rushing for 96 yards and four scores.

Washington has the lowest OVER/UNDER win total in the NFC East at 7.5 for this year.