The Baltimore Ravens are favorites to claim the title in arguably the NFL’s toughest division, the AFC North.
Last season, the Ravens won the division for the first time since 2019, but the remainder of the division wasn’t far behind.
Three teams from the AFC North earned a spot in the playoffs, the most of any division in the NFL.
In addition, the Bengals just missed the postseason, ending the season as the eighth-seed in the AFC, with Joe Burrow missing seven games due to a wrist injury.
RELATED: Browns facing quarterback dilemma with Watson, Flacco?
Will the Ravens be able to hold off their division rivals for a second year in a row?
Let’s take a look at the current oddsboard at DraftKings Sportsbook.
AFC NORTH DIVISION WINNER ODDS: *
Baltimore Ravens: +110 (bet $10 to win $21 total)
Cincinnati Bengals: +160 (bet $10 to win $26 total)
Cleveland Browns: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Pittsburgh Steelers: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
* odds as of 3/8/24
The Ravens won the division, but did not have the best division record — they had the best overall record.
The Steelers topped the division with a record of 5-1, including sweeping the Ravens.
Let’s take a look at the key points to know regarding each AFC North squad next season.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
2023-24 division finish: 1st (3-3)
Bottom line: The Ravens actually struggled in the division, going .500 on the season. Still, they lost three division games by a combined 16 points, and won their three division games by a combined 42 points. Quite the up and down AFC North campaign. Baltimore will have to put aside a disappointing AFC Championship loss and prepare to deal with (presumably) a healthy Bengals squad, as well as a healthy Browns team, if it hopes to repeat as division champ.
Where do the Baltimore Ravens go after Mike Macdonald’s departure?
CINCINNATI BENGALS
2023-24 division finish: 4th (1-5)
Bottom line: Cincy went 0-3 in the division with Burrow as the starter, and 1-2 once he was sidelined for the season, starting 0-5 in the AFC North before defeating Cleveland in a meaningless Week 18 game. The Bengals entered last season as one of the favorites in the division and to win the Super Bowl, before starting 0-2 overall and their season crashing down with Burrow’s injury.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
2023-24 division finish: 2nd (3-3)
Bottom line: Could a quarterback conundrum exist in Cleveland? After Deshaun Watson’s shoulder injury last season, Joe Flacco came in and carried the Browns to the playoffs, winning Comeback Player of the Year in the process. Watson is figured to be the starter, but how short will his leash be? He was 5-1 as a starter, while Flacco went 4-1. Something to keep an eye on.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
2023-24 division finish: 3rd (5-1)
Bottom line: The Steelers were the best team in the division last year, sweeping both the Ravens and Bengals, and splitting with the Browns. However, overall, they were only 10-7, trailing 13-4 Baltimore and 11-6 Cleveland. Pittsburgh also has issues at quarterback. Could it consider bringing Russell Wilson into the fold?
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