AFC North Betting: Will the Bengals Win a Third Straight Division Title?

With the draft completed and training camps a ways away, this is a rare downtime for the NFL, but that doesn't mean we have to take a break from the action.

Via the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, we can dive into the futures market. In addition to having odds for each division winner, FanDuel Sportsbook also has win total over/unders and odds to make or miss the playoffs for all 32 teams.

Let's take a look at the AFC North.

Cincinnati Bengals 2023 Outlook

Projected Win Total: 11.5 (-134 on the under)
Odds to Make the Playoffs: -340
Odds to Win the AFC North: +125
Odds to Win the AFC: +500
Odds to Win the Super Bowl: +1000 (5th-best)

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals are +125 favorites to win the AFC North, something they've done for two consecutive seasons.

Burrow ended 2022 as a top-10 quarterback by all of passing touchdowns (35), passer rating (100.8), passing yards per game (279.7), adjusted yards per attempt (7.6) and QBR (58.7). He's proven to be one of the top signal-callers in the NFL.

In 2022, Cincinnati's point differential of +96 ranked fourth in the AFC and was a division-best clip by 61 points. Cincy has advanced to at least the AFC title game in two straight campaigns. With Burrow and a solid core in place, the Bengals look like they'll be the team to beat in the division for the foreseeable future.

With that said, the Bengals are still priced at plus money, so they're not runaway favorites. In free agency, they lost safety Jessie Bates III, which will likely weaken a defense that was already just 19th in yards per play allowed (5.4). On the flip side, the signing of offensive lineman Orlando Brown should help fortify a unit that allowed Burrow to be sacked 41 times in 2022, the sixth-most.

The Bengals are -340 to make the playoffs and have the fifth-best odds (+1000) to win it all. Everything points to them being a force once again.

Baltimore Ravens 2023 Outlook

Projected Win Total: 10.5 (-142 on the under)
Odds to Make the Playoffs: -150
Odds to Win the AFC North: +240
Odds to Win the AFC: +1000
Odds to Win the Super Bowl: +1800 (8th-best)

Considering that Lamar Jackson missed five games last year, the Baltimore Ravens had a pretty nice season. Not only did they win 10 games and finish with a solid +32 point differential, the Ravens -- with Tyler Huntley under center -- nearly knocked off the Bengals in the Wild Card Round, out-gaining Cincy by 130 total yards but losing 24-17 due in large part to a Bengals defensive touchdown.

While Jackson's contract is now sorted, he's still the biggest variable for the Ravens entering the 2023 season.

After winning the MVP in his age-22 season in 2019, Jackson has been unable to repeat that level of play, and health has also been an issue as he suited up for just 12 games in each of the last two years. Jackson recorded an adjusted yards per attempt of 8.9 during his MVP year, but that number fell to 6.9 across 2021 and 2022. His rushing production has slipped, too -- down from 80.4 rushing yards per game in 2019 to 63.7 a year ago.

But the Ravens have made moves this offseason to upgrade their skill positions, signing Odell Beckham in free agency and drafting Zay Flowers in the first round of the NFL Draft. Adding those two to a crew of Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman and J.K. Dobbins should give the Ravens a much better supporting cast than what they've had in recent seasons.

Baltimore is good on D, too, as always. A midseason trade for Roquan Smith helped stabilize the unit, and the Ravens permitted fewer than 213 passing yards in 8 of their final 10 games, including 183 passing yards to Burrow in the Wild Card Round.

As long as Jackson stays healthy, this team should return to being a contender. They're -150 to make the playoffs and sport the eighth-best odds (+1000) to win a Super Bowl.

Cleveland Browns 2023 Outlook

Projected Win Total: 9.5 (-134 on the under)
Odds to Make the Playoffs: -110
Odds to Win the AFC North: +350
Odds to Win the AFC: +1700
Odds to Win the Super Bowl: +2800 (13th-best)

In a six-game cameo last year, Deshaun Watson struggled mightily in his first season with the Cleveland Browns. He averaged just 183.7 passing yards per game, which would've ranked 29th among qualified passers, and his mark of 6.0 adjusted yards per attempt would've been tied for 28th. Watson totaled seven touchdowns and five picks. He wasn't good -- there's no way around it.

It was, however, Watson's first game action since 2020, and they were his first outings with a new team in a new offense. Maybe we should've expected him to struggle, but Watson will need to play better if Cleveland is to challenge for a division title. We know he can play at a high level when everything is clicking as he led the NFL in yards per attempt (8.9) and passing yards (4,823) in 2020 en route to 33 tuddies, 7 interceptions, and a third consecutive Pro Bowl appearance.

Unfortunately for the Browns, their first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft wasn't until the third round, so they were limited in what they could add in the draft. In free agency, though, they signed safety Juan Thornhill as well as defensive linemen Dalvin Tomlinson and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo while re-signing center Ethan Pocic. Cleveland also swung a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for defensive end Za'Darius Smith, giving them a quality pass-rusher to pair with superstar Myles Garrett. They thought they had a dynamic defensive-end duo going into 2022, but Jadeveon Clowney tallied just two sacks.

The Browns are -110 to make the postseason (and -110 to miss the playoffs). Their +2800 odds to win the Super Bowl rank 13th-best.

Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 Outlook

Projected Win Total: 8.5 (-132 on the over)
Odds to Make the Playoffs: +152
Odds to Win the AFC North: +650
Odds to Win the AFC: +3000
Odds to Win the Super Bowl: +6000 (26th-best)

Despite rolling with a rookie quarterback last year and playing in a difficult division, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin found a way to maintain his streak of non-losing seasons, running it to 15 straight years without a losing record. Pittsburgh finished 9-8 and actually had a winning record (5-4) on the road.

Once you pop the hood, though, things don't look all that great. The Steelers' -38 point differential was a division-worst mark and was the ninth-worst clip in the NFL. The Steelers were 10th-worst in yards per play allowed (5.5) on defense and ranked 5th-worst in yards per play generated on offense (4.9). They benefitted from close-game luck, going 5-2 in games decided by three or fewer points, and were fortunate to win nine games.

Kenny Pickett ended his rookie year with underwhelming numbers. Among 33 qualified passers, Pickett ranked 33rd in adjusted yards per attempt (5.8) and 32nd in passer rating (76.7). QBR viewed him more favorably, slotting Pickett 20th (51.5), and he did improve as the year progressed, tossing just one pick with an 84.0 passer rating across the final eight games. Still, Pickett will need to take a step forward in Year 2 for the Steelers to contend in the AFC North.

This offseason, the Steelers revamped their offensive line by drafting Roderick Jones in the first round and signing Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig in free agency. They also landed cornerback Joey Porter, Jr. and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton in Round 2 of the draft in addition to trading for wideout Allen Robinson.

Pittsburgh is +152 to make the playoffs in 2023 and has the sixth-worst odds (+6000) to win it all.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.