Football is almost here, folks. Well, if you are in the business of watching preseason action then it has already arrived. The real thing, though, kicks off on September 5 with Thursday Night Football between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. Here at Pickswise, we are building up to the new season and you can check out our NFL futures guide, which has our Super Bowl winner picks, MVP best bets, player award predictions and much more.
For now, we are breaking down every division with in-depth team analysis and best bets. Let’s dive into the AFC North, a quartet that always seems to be among the most competitive in football. Here are the NFL odds and our expert NFL picks for the division.
AFC North Odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook and available at time of publishing.
- Cincinnati Bengals +140
- Baltimore Ravens +145
- Cleveland Browns +600
- Pittsburgh Steelers +800
Cincinnati Bengals (+140)
The 2023 campaign was a borderline disaster for the Bengals – even though they posted a winning record at 9-8. Coming off a Super Bowl appearance in 2021 and a 12-4 record in 2022, expectations were sky-high. However, Joe Burrow was reduced to just 10 games because of injury for the second time in his four-year career and Cincinnati was unable to punch a playoff ticket. In fact, its 9-8 mark was good for last place in the AFC North. The Burrow-to-Ja’Marr Chase connection will undoubtedly be incredible, but will Burrow staying healthy for a full 17 games completely turn this squad around? Maybe; maybe not. Running back Joe Mixon and defensive tackle D.J. Reader are gone, so both sides of the ball took a bit of a hit in the offseason. The Bengals will be good; but will they be great?
Cincinnati Bengals best bet: Bengals Under 10.5 wins (+100)
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Baltimore Ravens (+145)
When you have Lamar Jackson under center, you’re always going to have a chance. Jackson has earned NFL MVP honors twice in the last 5 seasons, which means that in 2 of the last 3 years in which he has stayed healthy the whole time, he has been the best player in the league. At 27 years old, there is no reason to think Jackson is slowing down – not now and not any time soon. Even with tight end Mark Andrews coming back from injury, however, it remains to be seen if the star has enough around him to take this team from good to elite. Baltimore went 13-4 last year, but that marked considerable overachieving and an AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs brought John Harbaugh and company back to Earth. Also, because the AFC North is so formidable, the value on the Ravens at longer odds to be a wild card than at shorter odds to win the division is a more enticing play.
Baltimore Ravens best bet: Ravens to be a wild card (+220)
Cleveland Browns (+600)
The Browns compiled an 11-6 record last season and racked up all kinds of awards in the process: Coach of the Year (Kevin Stefanski), Defensive Player of the Year (Myles Garrett) and Comeback Player of the Year (Joe Flacco). They could have another CPOY on their hands in 2024, too, because Deshaun Watson will be back under center. Nick Chubb is still out for the foreseeable future, but Watson still has plenty of weapons at his disposal – such as Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku. Of course, it’s the other side of the ball that will once again be the identity of this team. The Browns finished with the #1 overall defense by a country mile in 2023. If more of the same continues this season, a division title is not out of the question.
Pittsburgh Steelers (+800)
All Mike Tomlin does is win. Unfortunately for Steelers fans, such winning has come in moderation over the last 13 years. Since winning the Super Bowl at the end of the 2010 season, Pittsburgh has won a grand total of 2 playoff games. It last won the AFC North in 2020 and has placed third in the division twice in a row – despite compiling records of 9-8 and 10-7. The Steelers always win; they just don’t win a lot. Tomlin has flirted with a losing record on several occasions, 3 times going 8-8 during his tenure. It feels like only a matter of time before the Steelers delve into the realm of losing teams; that time could be now. They have Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback now, but neither player inspires much confidence. T.J. Watt is great, but he can’t carry the entire defense. In a division that is always difficult from top to bottom, look for this club to struggle throughout the 2024 campaign.
Pittsburgh Steelers best bet: Steelers Under 8.5 wins (-145)
AFC North division predictions
- Cleveland Browns
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC North Best Bet: Cleveland Browns to win AFC North (+600)
As it has been many times throughout its existence, the AFC North could be a bloodbath. Baltimore and Cincinnati are good teams, but there just isn’t any value on them as considerable division favorites (barely into plus-money odds). Instead, the best bet is on Cleveland at much longer odds. Defense and running the football can still win you championships, and – even without Chubb – the Browns can do both.