NFL Futures: Best Bet to Win the AFC North (2020)

by Mike Spector |
May 09, 2020

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The AFC North race was a complete runaway last year, with the Baltimore Ravens winning the division by six games. The gap between the Ravens and the last-place Cincinnati Bengals was about as wide as it could be, considering the Ravens had the best record in the league, and the Bengals selected first overall in the draft.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are the clear frontrunners to win the division for the third consecutive year. However, can the Steelers take the division if Ben Roethlisberger stays healthy all year? Will the Cleveland Browns finally play up to their expectations after a second consecutive aggressive offseason? Can rookie quarterback Joe Burrow take the Bengals from worst to first in just one short year?

We take a look at FanDuel Sportsbookâ€™s odds to figure out each teamâ€™s chances of winning the AFC North in 2020-21, and weâ€™ll offer our best bet to take home the division title.

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Baltimore Ravens (-200)

The Ravens are the second-biggest favorite in the NFL to win their division. Given that the Chiefs are a whopping -390 to win the AFC West, Baltimoreâ€™s odds of -200 seem like a steal in comparison.

The narrative heading into this season is that the Chiefs and Ravens have separated themselves from the rest of the pack in the AFC. Many people believe that the Ravens, who were the best team in the league in the regular season, got even better this offseason. They had an excellent draft, adding perhaps the best inside linebacker of the whole class in Patrick Queen. In addition, they added five-time Pro Bowler Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe in free agency to bolster their defensive line.

Though another 14-2 record will be very difficult to match, the Ravens are clearly the class of the division once again.

The Ravens are coming off a season where they finished in the top four in both total offense and total defense. Their top-ranked rushing offense finished 62 yards per game better than the next best team.

The only thing I see thatâ€™s preventing the Ravens from winning the division again is a Lamar Jackson Madden Curse. Outside of that, their offense returns mostly intact, with the exception of guard Marshall Yandaâ€™s retirement. John Harbaugh is one of the leagueâ€™s best coaches, and the continuity among the Ravens roster will bode well for them in what will likely be a compromised offseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers (+340)

There are many bettors who think the Steelers represent good value at +340 odds. Pittsburgh went 8-8, and the Steelers were in the hunt for the last Wild Card spot until the last week of the season without Big Ben. The Steelers were able to overcome the many shortcomings of backup quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges in large part because of a defense that finished fifth-best in the league.

There is no doubting the depth and talent of the Steelersâ€™ roster after going .500 in a year where they suffered many key injuries. However, there is a major factor that should concern bettors about the Steelers heading into 2020-21. Pittsburgh has a decision to face with running back James Connerâ€™s contract at the end of the season. In addition, it has been reported that the Steelers are not likely to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster after this year.

With so many questions surrounding the direction of the franchise at seasonâ€™s end, I cannot help but think these distractions will have an impact on Pittsburghâ€™s play this season. The Ravens are not likely to be six games better than Pittsburgh, but the Steelers are also not likely to make up that much ground this year.

Cleveland Browns (+480)

For the second year in a row, the Browns were active in the offseason, aiming to address their biggest needs. Clevelandâ€™s offensive line figures to be a lot better this season with the drafting of Jedrick Wills Jr. and the signing of offensive tackle Jack Conklin. They also added a playmaker at tight end in Austin Hooper. They will look for Hooper to patrol the middle of the field and take defensesâ€™ attention away from Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.

However, Clevelandâ€™s most important move was the hiring of first-time head coach Kevin Stefanski. Stefanski has spent time as the Vikingsâ€™ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. He will be responsible for energizing an offense that finished 22nd in the league last year.

Defensively, the Browns also had their issues last year. They finished 22nd in total defense and 20th in points per game allowed.

Cleveland had one of the most bizarre wins last year, blitzing the Ravens in Baltimore 40-25, which was Baltimoreâ€™s second of two regular-season losses. However, the Browns were inconsistent and ended the year losing four of their last five games, including their last game of the season, which was against the lowly Bengals.

On paper, the Browns have one of the most talented rosters in the conference, but they always seem to find a way to let dysfunction creep into their locker rooms. If the Browns had hired a coach with more of a disciplinary track record, I would buy them as legit value to win the division. However, I cannot see new coach Kevin Stefanski being able to bring cohesion to that locker room in his first year.

Cincinnati Bengals (+2600)

The Bengals went just 2-14 last season, which was their worst record since 2002. Cincinnatiâ€™s problems ran much deeper than missing Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green for the entire year.

Cincinnati ranked 26th in total offense and 29th in total defense. It will be up to rookie quarterback Joe Burrow to lead this franchise back to prominence. Burrow is the most pro-ready quarterback that came out of this draft, but this roster is still too thin and the rest of the division still too deep to envision anything but another last-place finish for the Bengals.

Best Bet: Baltimore Ravens (-200)