September 8 is starting to not seem so far away anymore. The 2022 NFL season is slowly approaching and that means it’s time to start analyzing futures bets and even some season-long prop bets. An exciting prop bet is predicting which team will have the best regular-season record, as all you need to do is root for them to win. Of the 32 teams, usually only about 6 of the squads have a realistic chance to post the best record, so your chances of picking the right team for this prop bet obviously isn’t really 1-in-32.
With that being said, let’s dive into my best bet and my best longshot bet for which team will have the best regular-season record in the 2022 NFL season.
2022 NFL best regular-season record odds
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Buffalo Bills (+450)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+500)
Green Bay Packers (+650)
Los Angeles Rams (+750)
Los Angeles Chargers (+800)
Kansas City Chiefs (+800)
San Francisco 49ers (+1600)
Dallas Cowboys (+1600)
Indianapolis Colts (+1600)
Denver Broncos (+1600)
Baltimore Ravens (+1600)
Cleveland Browns (+1600)
Philadelphia Eagles (+1800)
Cincinnati Bengals (+2000)
Read our best bets and analysis for the Super Bowl
2022 NFL best regular-season record best bet: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+500)
Tom Brady continues to age like fine wine. The 44-year-old threw for 5,316 yards, 43 touchdowns and had a 67.5% completion rate in 2021 as the Bucs once again advanced to the playoffs. Besides having arguably the best player of all time as quarterback, the Buccaneers play in the NFC South — which is expected to be terrible in 2022. The Panthers, Saints and Falcons all made major changes at quarterback as Brady will compete against Baker Mayfield, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. That means Brady and company will face those three quarterbacks a total of six times, and I would be surprised if the Buccaneers were anything worse than 5-1 in those games.
Outside of their division, Tampa Bay will play against the Seahawks, Steelers, Browns, Cardinals and 49ers, among a few other teams. Between those five teams mentioned, the Buccaneers are more than capable of winning 3 of those games, at minimum. The Seahawks and Steelers will offer little resistance this season, the Browns still don’t know if Deshaun Watson will be allowed to play, and I believe the Cardinals and 49ers won’t be as strong as most anticipate them to be.
The majority of the Buccaneers’ core is returning in 2022, but they also added some big names. The biggest of all was Julio Jones, who was announced to be joining the team in late July. Other notable additions include DE Shaq Mason, WR Russell Gage, DT Akiem Hicks, DB Logan Ryan and TE Kyle Rudolph — which are detailed in our NFL free agent and offseason moves tracker. Who knows, this might finally be Brady’s finale so I expect a big season for him and the Buccaneers.
Check out our advice for the AFC Championship and NFC Championship
2022 NFL best regular-season record best longshot bet: Philadelphia Eagles (+1800)
The Eagles could be the team that surprises everyone this season. Jalen Hurts demonstrated his potential in 2021, and although he had his flaws, I expect him to be much better this year. Hurts made a connection with DeVonta Smith last season and their chemistry only grew as the season went on, but the Philadelphia front office knew they needed more. They traded for A.J. Brown, who will be an excellent addition down the field for Hurts. Brown rounds out an incredibly dynamic Eagles offense, as Hurts has two speedy receivers downfield and can also use his legs and scramble himself.
It also helps that Philadelphia’s strength of schedule was ranked one of the easiest in football in 2022. They will play the Giants, Commanders and Cowboys twice, and I expect the Eagles to win 4 or 5 of those games. In addition to their division, they play the Lions, Jaguars, Steelers, Texans, Bears and more. That should be 5 wins if the Eagles don’t choke, so that’s already 9-10 wins in about 11 games. With a few big wins against the tougher teams, the Eagles are primed to have a great season with a lot of victories.
What are the odds on any NFL team going 17-0 this season?
The last team that had an undefeated season was the New England Patriots in 2007. Tom Brady led New England to an 18-0 record before losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Prior to the Patriots, it was the Miami Dolphins who completed the last perfect season, capped off by winning the Super Bowl that year. If you believe a team will go 17-0 in the regular season, it could be worth the bet on DraftKings at +1400. The Bills and Buccaneers are tied as favorites to go 17-0 at +3500 odds, while most other teams’ odds can be found in the +10000 range.
If you’re so confident in a team to go 17-0 AND win the Super Bowl, you can find that bet at +4000 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. But remember, no team has done that since 1972, and the game has changed a lot since then. From a value standpoint, it’s not worth the bet on any team this year in my opinion.
Could this +7500 bet on Defensive Player of the Year have value?
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