2023 AFC North Odds (Don't Count Out the Ravens)

There really isn’t any division in football quite like the AFC North.

Last year, all four teams finished with a 3-3 record in division play. The Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow won the division at 12-4, and the Baltimore Ravens made the playoffs at 10-7, nearly beating Cincinnati with Tyler Huntley at quarterback.

The Steelers had a chance to make the playoffs in Week 18 when they beat the Browns after Kenny Pickett beat Baltimore in Week 17. Cleveland has been the ugly stepchild in this division for years, but even without Deshaun Watson for most of the year they went 7-10 and if vintage Deshaun returns they could be the scariest team in the North. 

The Bengals and Ravens look like legitimate Super Bowl contenders, but you could make a very compelling case for all four teams to win this division. It’s AFC North football where you throw out the record books, so let’s navigate the narratives and make a pick for the division winner.

2023 AFC North Odds

AFC North Best Bet

The Bengals have won the division in back-to-back years and no team has ever won the North three seasons in a row. The Bengals are very good, but this division is just too competitive to let some team have a reign of dominance like that. The Steelers probably have the best defense in the division, which makes them an enticing pick, but I don’t think they can consistently score with Cincinnati and Baltimore.

Pittsburgh clearly has an answer for Lamar Jackson because Jackson is 2-3 and has a 67.4 passer rating in five games against the Steelers. He has four touchdowns to six picks, has been sacked 16 times and averages 126.8 passing yards a game.

For Baltimore to win the division Jackson and new offensive coordinator Todd Monken will need to devise a new plan against Mike Tomlin’s defense and I actually think that they will. They have added Odell Beckham Jr. on the outside and improved their receiver corps quite a bit from last year. While OBJ is far from his prime, I think Jackson is just too talented to struggle that consistently against one team. 

Jackson will also have to beat the Bengals, the Steelers are obviously not the team actually standing in his Baltimore's way. Jackson is 6-2 against the Bengals with 10 touchdowns to four picks, a 90.6 passer rating with 166.6 yards passing per game and 73.5 yards rushing per game. If anyone can go shot-for-shot with Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, it’s Jackson. 

Baltimore's defense is also solid and I expect them to be dynamic on the back end. This defense is built around the second level with Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen wreaking havoc in the middle. On top of that there's a chance that Kyle Hamilton is the best player on this defense in his second season. The questions just if they can get enough of a pass-rush with Justin Houston and Calais Campbell gone. Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo will need to take a big step, but with Mike McDonald constructing the defense around simulated pressures to confuse the offensive line and opposing QB, I think they can.

The best case for the Ravens could be that Burrow is already hurt in training camp and we saw how badly he struggled last season after missing most of training camp with an appendectomy. Burrow spoke after about how much he struggled with his vision early in the year. His vision is his greatest super power and he threw four picks against the Steelers in Week 1 because he wasn’t seeing the field well without enough preseason reps. 

The Ravens play the Bengals in Cincinnati in Week 2 and if Baltimore can steal that one on the road then I think they go on to take the division crown. Of course, that's if Jackson can stay healthy, which seems to be a big if.

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change