New York Giants now betting favorites to win NFC East - Giants Wire
It took nine weeks, but oddsmakers are finally realizing that John Harbaugh's New York Giants have a legit chance to win the NFC East.
The division is having a down season overall. The Giants, at 4-2-1, are in first place, the only team in the division with a winning record after eight weeks of play.
They are now listed as the NFC East favorites across many major betting platforms.
Big Blue began the season (+600), long shots behind Dallas (+235) and Philadelphia (+140) to win the division. Washington was listed at +650.
Even though the Giants are currently the No. 3 seed in the NFC, their Super Bowl odds have dropped since the start of the season, from +6600 to +10000. They are ranked 10th out of 16 teams to win the NFC at +4100.
Why the lack of confidence? Simple. The Giants have been the worst team in the NFC over the past decade. They haven't won the NFC East since 2011. General public bettors need to see more before they begin to trust them again.
“Even after the win (in Week 7 over Houston), the Giants would still only be favored over roughly five or six teams on a neutral field,” Joey Feazel, head of football at Caesars Sportsbook, told The Athletic. “There is a reasonable chance the market remains somewhat skeptical [all season].”
“It has something to do with recency bias of the perspective — confidence in the organization and how it’s run and not being convinced yet, considering the fluidity of the injuries and their roster,” said Zach Schlouch, senior director of BetRivers’ sportsbook operations. “Reluctance that it’s not yet their time.”
Understandable. Even though it looks like Harbaugh has rejuvenated this franchise and put them on the right path, it's not enough. The stigma of losing, that unwashable stink of 10 double-digit loss seasons over 12 years, is still lingering.
What bettors may be overlooking is that the other three teams in the division are crapping out. All three could be looking at coaching changes either during or after this season.
Philadelphia is 2-6 after getting bounced around by Washington on Sunday night and has so many injuries that they'll likely be sellers come the deadline, rendering them nothing more than spoilers the rest of the way. The Giants still haven't faced the Eagles this year. They play them at home this week and again in Philadelphia in the season finale.
Washington, 2-4-1, can make a run at the Giants, but they have been wildly inconsistent and are not a very deep team. Injuries could ruin any chance at contention. The Giants tied the Commanders in Week 5 at Washington.
Dallas is 3-5 after collapsing at home against Arizona on Sunday. The Giants already have a win against them and can pretty much knock them out side tiebreaker-wise by beating them again in the next meeting in Week 17.
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