As we head down the back stretch of the 2023 NFL season, the NFC has essentially turned into a four-horse race.
There are two clear contenders in the NFC East and strong division leaders in the NFC North and West.
The teams currently occupying wild-card spots don’t inspire much confidence, nor will whatever team emerges from the lowly NFC South.
With that being said, let’s dig into the latest NFC Championship odds.
NFC Championship Odds 2023-24
NFL betting odds used for these best bets are current as of Friday, Nov. 17, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- San Francisco 49ers (+240)
- Philadelphia Eagles (+240)
- Detroit Lions (+380)
- Dallas Cowboys (+400)
- Seattle Seahawks (+2000)
- New Orleans Saints (+3000)
- Seattle Seahawks (+3500)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+7500)
- Atlanta Falcons (+11000)
- Los Angeles Rams (+12000)
- Green Bay Packers (+15000)
- Washington Commanders (+20000)
- Chicago Bears (+35000)
- Arizona Cardinals (+40000)
- New York Giants (+50000)
- Carolina Panthers (+50000)
NFC Championship Best Bet
Dallas Cowboys (+400)
The Cowboys have the longest odds of the conference’s top four teams, making this an easy bet to place.
Dallas’ defense, led by NFL DPOY odds favorite Micah Parsons, has remained as dominant as ever, while Dak Prescott and the offense have finally found a downfield passing attack.
Mike McCarthy’s squad has a plus-104 point differential heading into Week 11, the second-best mark in the NFC (San Francisco, plus-109).
Sure, Dallas has fallen short when the lights are the brightest in recent years and hasn’t reached the Super Bowl since 1996, but this team has all the makings of a contender. At this price, the Cowboys are worth a look, even if they have to win a road game or two to reach Las Vegas.
NFC Championship Favorites
San Francisco 49ers (+240)
When healthy, San Francisco has looked like the best team in the conference.
The Niners have one of the league’s top defenses, which somehow improved at the NFL trade deadline with the acquisition of Chase Young from Washington.
The offense features an elite arsenal of weapons, including Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle, making life difficult for opposing defenses.
However, Brock Purdy has shown that he’s not quite ready to carry the team if one or more of those pieces is missing. San Francisco dropped three straight games in October, starting with a home loss to Cleveland in which Samuel and McCaffrey left with injuries.
Injuries crushed this Niners squad last postseason, so there’s a reason to be concerned about San Francisco’s ability to stay healthy and overcome any absences should they arrive.
Philadelphia Eagles (+240)
At 8-1, the Eagles have the best record in the conference and the inside track to home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
We saw how important that was for Philadelphia last year as it romped through the NFC field on the way to Super Bowl 57.
- Get the latest Super Bowl odds.
However, there are some concerning signs that this squad isn’t as good as the one that won the conference last year. Notably, the Eagles’ defense doesn’t have the same bite to it.
Philadelphia ranks 14th in yards allowed (323.3) and 17th in points allowed (21.7) per game this season, well off its marks from a season ago.
If that unit doesn’t improve, the pressure will be on Jalen Hurts and the offense to pick up the slack.
NFC Championship Contenders
Detroit Lions (+380)
With a 7-2 start, the Lions have silenced any doubters who wondered whether this team deserved to enter the season as favorites in the NFC North.
Head coach Dan Campbell deserves a lot of credit for carrying the momentum from last season’s strong finish into 2023, and his aggressive decision-making has paid off in recent games.
Detroit’s offense is one of the NFL’s best, and it looks built for postseason football. The offensive line is elite. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are arguably the best one-two punch in the league. Amon-Ra St. Brown is a legitimate WR1.
However, the defense is still sorting things out and it’s hard to trust an inexperienced group in what will be its first playoff action. Sure, quarterback Jared Goff has played in a Super Bowl, but most of this roster hasn’t.
The Lions will be one of the most interesting teams to watch come playoff time, but I can’t back them to win the conference at this price.
Seattle Seahawks (+2000)
Something isn’t quite clicking for the Seahawks, who are 6-3 on the season but have a minus-one point differential heading into Week 11.
- Wager on AFC futures with our latest AFC Championship odds.
The offensive line has been a concern as Seattle has been forced to start seven different o-line combinations in nine games. Geno Smith has been under pressure a lot, and the rushing attack has fallen off since last season.
Still, the Seahawks have time to figure that out and take advantage of a defense that has improved since its wild-card loss to the 49ers in January.
NFC Championship Sleepers
New Orleans Saints (+3000)
Backing an NFC team outside of the top four on the odds board seems like a mistake. However, if you’re looking for more value, the Saints are an option.
New Orleans has a talented roster, one of the league’s better defenses, and one of the last true home-field advantages in the NFL — something it would get to use as the potential NFC South champion.
The problem is the quarterback play.
Derek Carr (223.1 pass yards per game, 10 touchdowns, four INTs) hasn’t given the Saints the lift at the position that some might’ve thought he would after taking the reins from Andy Dalton.
If he continues to play at this level, especially with elite talent around him in Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara, that offseason contract is going to look worse by the week.
Minnesota Vikings (+3500)
The Vikings aren’t likely to win the NFC without a healthy Kirk Cousins, but backing them with some spare change allows you to root for one of the best stories in the NFL this season: Joshua Dobbs.
That’s worth the tradeoff, right?
At 6-4, Minnesota has a 1.5-game lead in the NFC wild-card standings, and its upcoming schedule (@ DEN, vs CHI, @ LV) makes it seem like Kevin O’Connell’s squad is here to stay.
Brian Flores has remarkably turned this defense into a formidable unit, and Dobbs has kept the offense afloat even without Cousins and star wideout Justin Jefferson.
Another first-round exit is the most likely outcome for the Vikings this season, but even getting to the playoffs would create a hedging opportunity.
Previous NFC Championship Winners
2022: Philadelphia Eagles
2021: Los Angeles Rams
2020: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2019: San Francisco 49ers
2018: Los Angeles Rams
2017: Philadelphia Eagles
2016: Atlanta Falcons
2015: Carolina Panthers
2014: Seattle Seahawks
2013: Seattle Seahawks