Vegas Sportsbook: Steelers early favorites among AFC

by Joe Kuzma (joe_kuzma) on May 6, 2017

Las Vegas’ South Point Casino released their over/under for the entire 2017 NFL regular season. The sportsbook set the number of wins for each of the league’s 32 teams and didn’t have a favorable amount of double-digit victories for all but two of the AFC’s franchises.

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As expected, defending Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots, were the most-favored of the 16 teams in this half of the league with an over/under of 11 wins.

Opponents within the Patriots’ division didn’t fare so well in the sportsbook’s prediction. The Miami Dolphins came in second with 7.5 as their over/under, while the Buffalo Bills are projected at 6 wins and the New York Jets at 5.5. (Now you can see why the Patriots are favored!)

The only other team projected to have double-digit wins aside from the Patriots were their opponents in the AFC Championship game last season: the Pittsburgh Steelers.

South Point Casino has Pittsburgh a half game behind New England for conference supremacy. The Steelers rank a full game ahead of their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, and two in front of the Bengals.

The Cleveland Browns, following a one-win season, have the lowest over/under projection in the league with four even.

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The NFC is led by the Seahawks with an over/under of 10.5, while Super Bowl runner-up Atlanta and NFC Championship participant Green Bay both come in with a guess of 10 wins in 2017.

Five teams are projected to finish with double-digit wins, close to a realistic five or six of the eight divisions’ leaders who should do so. The pecking order leaves the league’s top teams as follows: