The Steelers and Bengals are in a three-horse race with Baltimore to win the AFC North this season. (Photo credit: SteelCityHobbies / Foter / CC BY)
The battle for the AFC North is always a hotly-contested one, and it appears nothing will change in 2015.
The Ravens, Steelers and Bengals all have similar AFC North betting odds, with the only also-ran being the poor Brownies once again.
Let’s dive into the 2015 AFC North betting odds to see where the value lies:
Baltimore
The Ravens don’t always look glamorous, but they consistently get the job done. That happened again in 2014 as Baltimore snuck into the playoffs as a wild card, then upset the Steelers before bowing out against the Patriots.
This year’s Ravens squad seems capable of the same, even if there were quite a few big names going out the door during the offseason (Torrey Smith, Haloti Ngata, Owen Daniels). Baltimore addressed those holes in the draft and also has good organizational depth, so their offence and defence shouldn’t suffer much of a drop off.
The bigger concern in Baltimore this year is the team’s hellish schedule. The Ravens will play five of their first seven games on the road (four of them on the west coast) and they also draw a motivated Peyton Manning in the season opener. Only four of Baltimore’s opponents this season finished under .500 in 2014.
We’re not sure Baltimore should be the favourite to win the AFC North, but we’re sure we’ll see them in the playoffs, one way or another.
Cincinnati
Despite being without a playoff win since 2000, the Bengals have consistently been one of the best regular-season teams in the NFL in recent years. Cincinnati has made the playoffs four straight seasons, and a return to the post-season seems a strong possibility once again this year.
QB Andy Dalton may run hot and cold, but he’s still got stud WR A.J. Green to throw too as well as two young, fresh running backs behind a strong offensive line. Defensively, Cincinnati has improved its pass rush and its depth at linebacker.
Like the Ravens, however, Cincinnati has a very tough schedule. The Bengals have to play the two-time Super Bowl finalists Seahawks, the Broncos and the Cardinals, in addition to a tough slate of divisional games. Still, Cincy’s second-half schedule is favourable, and we can see this veteran Bengals squad closing the season with a strong run and another AFC North division title.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is always a popular pick on the AFC North betting odds, and for good reason. The Steelers have made the playoffs 15 of the last 23 years, including an AFC North title win last season.
There are a littany of issues in Steeltown to start the 2015 NFL season, however. Star running back Le’Veon Bell will miss up to the first three games of the year due to suspension, and stud WR Antonio Brown is supposedly unhappy with his contract. Pittsburgh also has some serious question marks at linebacker and in its secondary.
The schedule isn’t Pittsburgh’s friend, either. They’ll open at the Patriots (though if Tom Brady isn’t playing, that might not be so bad) and five of their last six games will be against teams that made the playoffs last season. With so much that can go wrong with the Steelers, both early and late, we’re not in a hurry to bet on Pittsburgh to repeat as AFC North champions.
Cleveland
You most likely remember the Cleveland Browns that lost their last five games in 2014, but don’t forget this team was 7-4 at one point and appearing on its way to the playoffs.
The Browns are decent on the offensive and defensive lines, have a good set of receivers (even with Josh Gordon suspended for the year) and feature a stable of running backs capable of carrying the load. But the problem in Cleveland is a familiar one — at QB — as Johnny Manziel doesn’t look capable of being the Browns’ saviour. Josh McCown, who can be either really good or really bad, is penciled in as Cleveland’s opening-day starter.
The Browns do benefit from an easier schedule than their AFC North division rivals (Cleveland will play the Jets, Titans and Raiders in the first three weeks), but things get difficult down the stretch. We won’t be surprised to see things fall apart on the shores of Lake Erie once again this season.
2015 AFC North Betting Odds At Pinnacle Sports
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