The Washington Football Team had one of the most surprising seasons in the NFL in 2020. In coach Ron Rivera's first season with the team, they made the playoffs and hosted a Wild-Card round game. They did so despite having three different quarterbacks start at least four games -- one of whom, 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins, was released late in the year.
However, its first playoff berth since 2015 wasn’t necessarily a convincing one. Washington finished the season at 7-9 in one of the worst divisions from top-to-bottom in NFL history. While Washington had a top-5 scoring defense, the offense held them back all season. Washington finished the season averaging just under 21 points per game, 25th in the NFL.
Washington started QB Taylor Heinicke against the eventual-Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs; he did not start a game during the regular season.
Despite the team's four-win improvement from 2019 to 2020, Virginia sports betting sites aren't convinced that Washington is a legitimate contender in the NFC. However, the defense appears ready to go and if they can fix some of their offensive issues, the team could be a sleeper again next season. Let's look at Washington's early 2021 odds for the NFC Championship and Super Bowl 2021.
Washington 2022 NFC Championship Odds
Washington’s NFC East crown in 2020 was a surprise, and they remain an underdog even within their own division. Their odds to come out of the NFC sit at +2500; only three other teams have worse odds. The good news is that two of those teams, the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, happen to be in the same division.
However, the Cowboys are still in the division and have the highest NFC Championship odds of the group at +1400 (but seven teams rank ahead of them). With Dallas expected to get back several high-end starters from injury and sporting a top-10 NFL Draft pick, they should be back in the NFC East driver's seat. That puts Washington in a position where they have to battle for a wild-card with several high-quality teams in the conference.
Washington's odds to win the conference could shift depending on what they do at quarterback this season. If they can find even adequate quarterback play, it wouldn't be a surprise if they saw their odds rise significantly over the next few months as they already have a defense that can compete with the best teams in the conference.
Washington 2022 Super Bowl Odds
As for Washington's Super Bowl odds, they are low, as you would expect. Without a proven franchise quarterback, sportsbooks and bettors alike aren't that optimistic that they can consistently beat good teams.
At DraftKings Sportsbook Virginia, their 2022 Super Bowl odds are +6000. Twenty-one teams have better odds than Washington to take home the Lombardi Trophy and two other teams (Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears) are listed as 60-1 underdogs to win the Super Bowl as well.
With the Cowboys getting back Dak Prescott from injury, it will be an uphill climb for Washington to win the division again and get back to the playoffs. That makes them a longshot to win the Super Bowl. Washington's 2020 season was a fun storyline, but this team has a long way to go before it is ready to contend.
