The AFC North Division Odds for the approaching 2022-23 NFL Regular Season show the Ravens (9½) and Bengals (9½) are being respected the most by online oddsmakers with the Browns (8½) lined 1 game behind and the Steelers (7½) 2 games back.
The big story in the AFC North is the Quarterbacks. A retired Quarterback, new Quarterbacks, traded Quarterbacks, a Quarterback with a contract that will be on his mind this season and a Quarterback suspended by the NFL. Drama in the AFC North.
Last season:
Cincinnati finished with 10 Wins, with the Bengals (460 PF-376 PA) winning the AFC North by just ½ a game over Pittsburgh (343 PF-398 PA) who ended 9-7-1 with a Tie being the difference in Ben Roethlisberger’s last NFL season in The Steel City.
The Steelers icon retired and won’t be under Center meaning it will be Mitch Trubisky and Pittsburgh’s 2022 NFL Draft top choice Kenny Pickett (+550 to win 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year, BetUS), competing for the job with Trubisky likely starting the season.
The Browns (349 PF-371 PA) ended up in 3rd place in the AFC North and Cleveland had the worst Road Record (2-6) of the four and has some QB drama with Deshaun Watson and a Suspension and foolishly let QB Baker Mayfield head off to the Carolina Panthers.
Will the Bengals win the AFC North again this year?#Bengals #Browns #Ravens #Steelers pic.twitter.com/T4ahbhQndu
— Bengals Graphics (@BengalsGraphic5) August 10, 2022
Somehow after a nice start and another epic Preseason, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens ended up in the basement in the AFC North, after losing their last 6 to end 8-9 in a sad season in Crab City. Better to be good late when it matters than end up folding in the end.
AFC North Division Betting Odds are pretty accurate at first blush and there don’t seem to be any Season Win Total betting numbers from the four Mideast and Midwest franchises that look off, so the oddsmakers have done a good job in this Futures market.
My AFC North Division predictions have the Bengals finishing in 1st place and getting to 10 Wins with the Ravens in 2nd place with the Browns and Steelers around the .500 mark. And if anyone surprises, it may be Pittsburgh and if anyone disappoints, maybe Cleveland. Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals won 10 games last season, and oddsmakers show in the 2022 AFC North Division Win Totals that they expect some regression from the two Ohio teams so this Division will likely change hands all season and be determined in Week 18.
And there could be a tie again atop of the AFC North. Check out the top NFL Betting Sites now to wager on NFL Team Season Win Totals, which shows no team expected to reach 10 Wins.
Still, top-to-bottom, like the AFC West, the AFC North has four very talented teams who could all finish above .500 and who Non-Conference opponents won’t envy facing.
AFC North Division Season Win Totals
Team
Last Season
Baltimore Ravens 9½
8 Wins
Cincinnati Bengals 9½
10 Wins
Cleveland Browns 8½
8 Wins
Pittsburgh Steelers 7½
9 Wins
Odds courtesy of Bet365
Baltimore Ravens 9½ Wins
The Ravens (16/1 to win Super Bowl LVII) won only 8 games last season, and this is a team with some QB anxiety with Lamar Jackson saying that he will be cutting off all Contract talks by Week 1 of the Regular Season, for Baltimore on Sunday, September 11.
“We’re coming up to it. It’s coming up,” the 25-year-old Louisville product Jackson commented about his negotiations and desire not to have them be a distraction “The season’s coming up. We’re going to be good for the season.”
The AFC North Division Betting Odds Season Win Total for the Tackling Edgar Allan Poes is at 9½ and, like they have in recent years, Baltimore (387 PF-392 PA) has been tremendous in the NFL Preseason, winning their 22nd in a row in Week 2 (19-2 ATS).
On the heels of a great 2021 Preseason, Baltimore (+120 to Win AFC West, SportsBetting.ag) stormed out to an 8-3 Record before the Ravens (9/1 to win AFC) lost their last 6 games to finish below .500 and at 8-9 under Head Coach John Harbaugh. Like many teams in the NFL, the Ravens (5-4 at Home) will have to be much better at Home at M&T Bank Stadium (Tifway 419 Bermuda Grass) and create a Homefield Advantage. Baltimore went just 3-5 on the Road last season and were outscored by 5.
Besides speedy QB Jackson, the Skill Position guys on Baltimore are RB JK Dobbins (13/805/9, 6.0 ypc), WR Rashod Bateman, and TE Mark Andrews, but gone is talented WR Marquise Brown (1,008 yards, 11.1 ypc) who signed with the Cardinals as a Free Agent.
And WR Sammy Watkins (Packers) also left in the Offseason, so with Jackson possibly having that Contract on his mind, Brown and Watkins gone and a Defense that has seen better days, this is a team that will need to play perfect to get to 10 Wins and go Over.
Please Note:
One area that will need improvement is TO Margin, where the Ravens registered a worrisome -11 last season (15 Takeaways, 26 Giveaways) and the 2022-23 Regular Season won’t be fun with the Bengals, Browns, and Steelers twice in Divisional play. Toss in Non-Conference dates against Buffalo, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Denver and it may be hard but the Ravens and bettors can take some solace in scheduled games against the lowly Jets (Week 1), the Giants (Week 6), and the Falcons (Week 16).
Baltimore could finish anywhere from 11-7 to 7-11 depending on how the ball bounces, that TO Margin, how well their AFC North opponents play, but losing Brown was a serious thing and he can’t be replaced now so a deep threat and YAC guy being gone may matter.
Baltimore does boast the best Kicker in NFL history in its future NFL Hall of Famer, 32-year-old Justin Tucker, who connected on an NFL-record 66-yarder (almost 200 Feet) as time ran out against the Lions last season, giving Baltimore an historic 19-17 victory.
Pancake Pat flexin on ’em [email protected] pic.twitter.com/1uwg7SXo4Q
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 17, 2022
Cincinnati Bengals 9½ Wins
The Bengals (16/1 to win Super Bowl LVII) won 10 games last season, and Cincinnati (460 PF-376 PA) has two very good Skill Position players in QB Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase and less confusion at the QB unlike the other three AFC North teams this year.
Toss in emerging stars RB Joe Mixon (292/1,205/13, 4.1 ypc) and WR Tee Higgins (74/1,091/6, 14.7 ypc) and you can see why the Bengals (+850 to win the AFC) are my team to beat and may be to bet on in these AFC North Division Odds for the season. The schedule for the Bengals also starts with the Steelers at Home in Week 1 followed by a trip to Jerryworld to face the Cowboys in week 2 in a big Non-Conference game, followed by a game at the Jets and a likely Win at the Meadowlands (CBS, 1ET/10 PT).
Like all of the teams in the AFC North, Cincinnati (+165 to win AFC North) will end up feeding off each other, pulling all four closer to the .500 mark, but Cincinnati seems to have the edge in roster, confidence, direction, and has memories of last season fueling.
Please Note:
The Bengals will have to improve their TO Margin (Even in 2021) as well as at Home as Cincinnati went just 5-4 at Paycor Stadium (Shaw Sports Momentum Pro) in the Queen City last 2021-22 NFL Regular Season in the AFC North (AFC Team to WIn SB +550). In the SportsBetting.ag Props bet “Will Baltimore Win the AFC West?” with the “Yes” at +140 with “No” at -180, getting this Bengals team along with Browns and Steelers to win it over the Ravens seems worth consideration in the AFC North Division Betting Odds.
The Bengals swept Baltimore and Pittsburgh last season but were swept by the Browns to end 4-2, so another 4-2 or 5-1 season is possible. Cincinnati was never under .500 (1-1) last Regular Season and with Burrow, Chase, Mixon, and Higgins are very dangerous.
#Jackpotjoey vs the AFC North!! He owns them !!! pic.twitter.com/GLgsbtFsyS
— Cincinnati Sports with Strawberry Ice (@JeffATrennepohl) August 20, 2022
Cleveland Browns 8½ Wins
The Browns (16/1 to win Super Bowl LVII) won 8 games last season, and were very good at Home (6-2) but weak on the Road (2-6) and were outscored by 22 points (349 PF-372 PA) and finished with a -3 TO Margin, so Cleveland really left a lot to be desired.
And, with a record 11-game Suspension to new QB Deshaun Watson, it will be Jacoby Brissett saddling up for this team with the AFC North Division Betting Odds seeing them set at 8½ Wins, ½ game higher than the number won last season. Getting to 9 will be hard.
With backup Baker Mayfield traded to the Panthers, it’s all on Brissett (Joshua Dobbs is the No. 3 WB), so Cleveland (+425 to win the AFC North) may also be a team to fade ATS this year, with so much swirling at the crucial QB position where teams need to be calm.
The Browns (20/1 to win AFC) do have three very good Skill Position players in RBs Nick Chubb and Kareen Hunt and new WR Amari Cooper (Cowboys), so there are Toys in the box and Chubb (Georgia) and Hunt (Toledo) are one of the NFL’s best Rushing tandems.
The Browns Season Team Win Total (8½, bet365) seems close to being good, but that means this team needs to go at least 9-8 and with the Bengals, Ravens and Steelers twice and Watson suspended and Mayfield gone, it might be hard to have a winning season.
Browns games Deshaun Watson will be eligible to play in:
Game 12: @ Houston
Game 13: @ Bengals
Game 14: Ravens
Game 15: Saints
Game 16: @ Commanders
Game 17: Steelers
Jacoby Brissett starts 3 AFC North games.
Deshaun Watson starts 3 AFC North games.
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) August 18, 2022
Pittsburgh Steelers 7½ Wins
The Steelers (80/1 to win Super Bowl LVII) registered 9 Wins last season with 7 Losses and a Tie that cost them a share of the AFC North title, but that was with Ben Roethlisbrger at the helm in The Steel City so is a tilling of the soil season in Pittsburgh.
Former Bears starter Mitch Trubisky will start the season at QB for Pittsburgh (45/1 to win AFC) with top 2022 NFL Draft Pick Kenny Pickett (Pitt) being a great candidate in this Rookie season to supplant Trubisky and step right in if needed for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh (+850 to win AFC North) also got a really good player in Rookie WR George Pickens (Georgia) as he has played well so far this NFL Preseason and is worth some consideration as a longshot in the 2022 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year market (50/1).
RB Najee Harris had over 1,00 Rushing yards last season and WR Diontae Johnson (107/1,161/8, 10.9 ypc) is the real deal and WR Chase Claypool had a good year but Pittsburgh saw WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (Chiefs) leave in Free Agency but life goes on.
The Steelers (+2 TO Margin) are always known for playing good Defense and with DE Cameron Heyward, WLB TJ Watt, RILB Myles Jack, and FS Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh has an emerging 11 on its evolving Defense and drafted DE DeMarvin Leal (Texas A&M).
Pittsburgh will have to hope Trubisky isn’t a flop:
Pickett matures quickly, and that can play better on the Road (3-5 in 2021), but at Home at The Building Formerly Known as Heinz Stadium (Kentucky Bluegrass), the Steelers went 6-2, the best in the AFC North.
In Week 1, the Steelers will be at the Bengals in a huge early season AFC North meeting for both on Sunday, September 11 (CBS, 1 pm ET/10 am PT), and what will be a tough Loss for one side as well as for Over bettors in the Season Win Totals market for the losers.
Online oddsmakers at BetOnline currently have the Bengals as 6½-point Favorites (44½_ with Cincinnati priced at -260 in the Moneyline market (Pittsburgh +222) and with a potential Burrow-Trubisky pitching duel and the Cincinnati Site, edge the Orange Cats.
Pittsburgh does have the best Head Coach in the AFC North with legend Mike Tomlin.
AFC NORTH, BE AFRAID pic.twitter.com/HB60TuaeJg
— Dom Ferro (@domferr0) August 13, 2022
AFC North Division Prediction
The AFC North Division race seems like any of the four teams could win, but Burrow, Chase and the Bengals look to be strongest and calmest heading into the 2022-23 Regular Season and oddsmakers in the AFC North Division Season Win Totals did a good job.
But, count out the Ravens and Steelers at your own risk, as Pittsburgh has looked decent this Preseason and the last time Baltimore lost in the NFL Preseason was when Dinosaurs roamed the Earth and Ukraine was in a peaceful reality, living a normal life in Europe.
Then things change and we see the clock strike Midnight for Big Ben, the Steelers draft Pickett and Pickens, Baker heading to Carolina, and an 11-game Watson Suspension, so who isn’t on the Field this Fall and who is, looks massive in this wide-open AFC division.
The AFC North Division Season Win Totals seem very accurate, and the Browns Under 8½ seems the best bet although Cleveland could go anywhere from 5-12 to 10-7, so tread lightly in the AFC North Division Win Totals markets. All the QB realities will matter.
With Burrow having such a good track record against the AFC North and studs Chase and Mixon, the defending AFC champion Bengals will probably end up being the team to beat in the AFC North in this upcoming 2022-23 NFL Regular Season and they may be better.
Best NFL Bet:
Cleveland Browns Team Win Total
