Every NFL team and their rabid fan bases enter Week 1 with a ton of optimism, but things can always change in a hurry. There are some teams that lived up to expectations in Week 1, while others fell flat on their face.

Betting on division winners ahead of the 2023 NFL season is the best way to make futures bets, and that also shows your expertise when you bet that early. You can still look pretty smart if you pick division winners after Week 1, and you will have some good odds as well.

Even though it’s only been one game, some division races are already over, while others are trending in that direction. Some will say that you can’t make predictions after just one game, but those people are flat-out wrong.

Here is a look at some clear division winners during the 2023 NFL season and other teams that are going to eventually break away from the pack.

No Surprise in the West

The AFC and NFC West Divisions had some pretty clear favorites heading into the 2023 season, and nothing has changed after just one week. In fact, you should probably feel even better after just one week if you went with the big favorites that were in place.

The AFC West was supposed to have some teams challenging the Kansas City Chiefs this season, most notably the Los Angeles Chargers. Los Angeles forgot that they have to assemble a defense if they want to win a division title, but that unit provided little resistance to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.

The Denver Broncos were another team that was supposed to take a big step forward, but they couldn’t even beat the Las Vegas Raiders at their home stadium. Kansas City did lose in Week 1 without Travis Kelce, but you should absolutely hammer them at -130 to win the AFC West.

San Francisco entered the 2023 NFL season as a big favorite to win the NFC West, and they might win that division by about five games. The 49ers absolutely dismantled the Steelers in Pittsburgh in the season opener, and they looked great doing it.

The Los Angeles Rams went into Seattle and upset the Seahawks in Week 1, but that only shows how bad Seattle is as opposed to how competitive Los Angeles might be. Don’t overthink this one, as you should take San Francisco at -500 to win the NFC West Division.

Lions Winning the North

The NFC North didn’t appear to have a clear betting favorite heading into the 2023 season, but that’s no longer the case. The Detroit Lions went into Kansas City and made a statement by beating the Chiefs, and this franchise is ready to win a division title.

You might be fooled into thinking that the Green Bay Packers are legit after they beat the Bears in Week 1, but Chicago was an absolute disaster on offense. Green Bay should have won by a score of 60-7, and the fact that they didn’t should scare some cheeseheads.

You can pretty much write off the Minnesota Vikings after Week 1, as they couldn’t even beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home. In case you hadn’t heard, Tampa Bay didn’t even have Tom Brady at quarterback in that game, and they still beat the lowly Vikings.

Take the Lions at -130, as they are going to be Kings of the NFC North Division.

Plenty of Tight Races

While the first three teams mentioned in this article are pretty easy to predict, you are going to have to work a little bit harder to pick the other division champions. Let’s start in the NFC East Division, which is going to end up being a two-team race.

The Dallas Cowboys embarrassed the New York Giants on Sunday night, coming away with a 40-0 win in that game. That was an impressive performance for Dallas in that matchup, but the Giants couldn’t have been more inept if they tried.

This division title is still going to run through Philadelphia, and the Eagles didn’t have any trouble in Week 1, either. Dallas can make things interesting here, but going with the Eagles at -125 to win the NFC East is still the best bet to make.

The AFC North is the division where the worst overreactions are going to take place, as it can be tempting to write off the Cincinnati Bengals after they were blown out in Cleveland. The Browns were effective in winning that game, but the driving rain had more of an impact on the outcome than anything else.

The Baltimore Ravens struggled at times to get some separation from the Houston Texans, but they ended up coming away with a comfortable win. Baltimore is going to be in the mix as well, but the same can’t be said for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now is the best time to bet on the Cincinnati Bengals, as you aren’t going to get better value than what you currently see. Take Cincinnati at +245 to win the AFC North, as they are going to be on quite the revenge tour the rest of the way.