Who Will Be the NFL's Last Remaining Winless Team in 2023?

Our wait is almost over.

Nearly seven months have passed since our last taste of consequential NFL action. Very thankfully, that drought will come to an end in less than two weeks time when the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Detroit Lions on Thursday, September 7.

That means you can still find various enticing NFL futures before being subjected to early season odds movement. But as everyone rushes over to play win totals and title winners, why not try something a little more creative?

With the NFL regular season looming just over the horizon, let us dive into one of FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL season special odds market. Who will be the last remaining winless team in 2023-24**?

It's worth mentioning that three of the franchises covered here have cashed this market in the past 10 years: the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders.

** **Dead Heat Rules apply. Settled based on NFL scheduling week. All NFL odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

*Denotes last winless team in 2022

Arizona Cardinals

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +460

With preseason now finished, the Cardinals have been the overwhelming leader for both tickets and total handle in this market at FanDuel Sportsbook. Naturally, it makes sense that Arizona enters 2023 as the frontrunner (+460 odds) to be the final team to record a win.

2018 was the last season in which the Cardinals were the lone winless squad. In that campaign, they started 0-4 behind poor play from both Sam Bradford and Josh Rosen. Fast-forward to now, and they still have an issue at quarterback, being that Kyler Murray has not indicated a specific target return date. Remember that Murray's ACL injury was suffered late in 2022 on December 12th in Week 14.

The lack of information surrounding Murray's rehabilitation and current status is a bit concerning. Keep in mind that this is coupled with the arrival of a new head coach in the Grand Canyon State: Jonathan Gannon. Still, Gannon is a defensive coach, showing considerable prowess by leading Philadelphia's explosive defense last year.

To commence the 2023 regular season, Arizona has tour of the NFC East, opening at the Washington Commanders before hosting the New York Giants followed by the Dallas Cowboys. Then in Week 4, they travel up to Santa Clara to open divisional play against the San Francisco 49ers. Transparently, if the Cardinals can't beat Washington in the opener (with FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL Week 1 lines currently showing the Commanders as seven-point favorites), I do not see another possible win for Arizona until Week 7 at the Los Angeles Rams.

Houston Texans

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +900

Earning the 2022 honors as the last remaining team without a win (not logging a victory until Week 5 at the Jacksonville Jaguars), the Texans appear to be headed for higher pastures in the upcoming campaign. The Deshaun Watson debacle seems to be no longer hanging over Houston's head, and the franchise has been both confident and active under first-year NFL head coach (and former star linebacker) DeMeco Ryans.

Unlike Arizona, Houston will be going forward with a rookie under center in addition to a rookie head coach. As announced during the final weekend of preseason, reigning second-overall pick C.J. Stroud will start the season as QB1 over Davis Mills. Offensive skill veterans Robert Woods, Dalton Schultz and Dameon Pierce will look to ease the transition for Stroud.

The Texans also notably drafted a hyper-talented player on defense: Will Anderson Jr. He joins Maliek Collins and Denzel Perryman in a rebuilt defensive front for a team that allowed the most rushing yards in the league last season (2,894). Houston should almost certainly improve there under Ryans, who thrived in his last role as defensive coordinator of the 49ers.

H-town enters the 2023 regular season as 10-point underdogs at FanDuel Sportsbook when visiting the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1. For Week 2, the Texans have a winnable divisional game against the Indianapolis Colts. From there, they will see Jacksonville, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons. There is an authentic chance that Houston cashes this market for the second consecutive year by not winning until Week 5, so a payout of nine-to-one on FanDuel seems fair.

Los Angeles Rams

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +900

Currently showing the same price as Houston to be the last remaining winless side in 2023, Los Angeles' NFC franchise is in quite a predicament from a roster standpoint.

Matthew Stafford -- the signal-caller who won a Super Bowl for the Rams less than two years ago -- is still around, but after 14 seasons in the league, Stafford seems to be heading toward his final playing days. He missed most of 2022 with injuries, and L.A.'s offense fell to dead-last in yardage production. Additionally, his wife recently made comments via her own podcast that suggests a lack of cohesion between the quarterback and his younger teammates -- for whatever that is worth.

On defense, the Rams still employ the talents of future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Aaron Donald. So long as he remains healthy in Year 10, Donald will still serve as a solid anchor for the D, but he will absolutely need more help; the Rams were 21st out of 32 teams in points allowed last season.

For L.A., they have three tough matchups immediately out of the gate. After starting the 2023 regular season with divisional tilts against the 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, the Rams visit the Cincinnati Bengals. Then in Week 4, they have a game they can potentially win at Indy. Further out, the Rams show the fourth-toughest strength of schedule through the first 10 weeks of the coming year.

Showing +900 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook, L.A. is worth a look or two in this market.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +1000

The post-Tom Brady era has dawned on West Central Florida. Coming into 2023, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially committed the offense to former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Baker Mayfield. However, playing in the current NFC South, it can be tough to predict precisely what's in store for them.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Bucs are currently yielding a top-four ticket total in this market. That presents a lack of public faith, which completely makes sense since they named their starting signal-caller less than a week ago. However, there is a chance that Tampa Bay's defense returns to form now that they are healthy again. They still showcase many key contributors from their 2021 defense that allowed elite-level figures in stopping the run.

Through the first seven weeks of 2023, Tampa shows two winnable contests by my personal estimation: Week 2 against the Chicago Bears and Week 7 versus Atlanta. If the Bucs can't beat the Bears at home early on in the year, then they will be in serious jeopardy of cashing this market. Other teams they will see in that stretch are the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions.

There's a remotely possible scenario of both the Bucs and Texans remaining winless until their head-to-head meeting in Week 9 at Houston. Should it play out as such (assuming everyone else to have won a game entering Week 9), Tampa Bay and Houston would directly battle to settle this wager with the game's loser serving as winner in the market. Wouldn't that be fun? Let's just hope for no ties...

Las Vegas Raiders

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +1800

The Raiders are a team that has produced only two playoff appearances in the past 20 years with one of those postseason bids occurring while the franchise was still based in Oakland. Having notably moved on from quarterback Derek Carr at 2022's end, Raider Nation is still attempting to figure things out under head coach Josh McDaniels.

Looking to improve off a tortuous 6-11 record in 2022 (losing nine games by a single-score), the Raiders have elected to go with veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo. Regardless, the public does not seem too keen on Las Vegas being a quality football side. In the final week of August, "Da Raiduhs" are yielding the second-largest handle share at FanDuel Sportsbook in the last remaining winless team market.

At 18-to-1 odds, are the Raiders worth a play here? Keep in mind: they commence the 2023-24 season against the Denver Broncos -- a rival that Las Vegas has defeated in six consecutive meetings. On the other side, the most recent season in which the Raiders were the final team to record a win came in 2014.

Looking for more NFL betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook to check out all of the upcoming NFL odds.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.