AFC North preview: Ravens favored in division, but Bengals lurk

The Baltimore Ravens enter 2025 as the favorite to win their third straight AFC North crown, and the Cincinnati Bengals, who missed the playoffs the past two years, have the second-best odds.

The Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers both made the playoffs last season, but while the Ravens are -500 to return, the Steelers, even with the addition of Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, are +140 to reach the playoffs again this year.

As for the Cleveland Browns, they are +3000 to win the AFC North and are tied with the New Orleans Saints for the lowest win total in the league (4.5) at ESPN BET.

How will things play out this season? Here are the season-long odds for the AFC North teams and our favorite bets.

Betting previews: AFC East | NFC East | NFC North
Coming up: AFC South/NFC South (Thursday)
AFC West/NFC West (Friday)

Best bets

Bengals OVER 9.5 wins (-125)

Matt Bowen: My hope is the Bengals find a way to keep Trey Hendrickson on this roster. He's a game changer. Coordinator Al Golden must create a new identity on the defensive side of the ball, too. Limit the explosive plays and win in the red zone. But I'm still making this bet because of Joe Burrow and a pass-heavy Bengals offense that ranked top 10 in scoring last season. Cincy gets to 10 or 11 wins this season -- with a spot in the AFC tournament.

Bengals UNDER 9.5 wins (+105)

Pamela Maldonado: Burrow might (still) be the duct tape holding this whole thing together. The offensive line has been bottom five for four straight years, the run game's stuck in neutral and an already shaky defense now faces the biggest jump in schedule difficulty in the league. Last year's nine wins came with freebies against backup QBs Cooper Rush, Mason Rudolph, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. That's not on the menu again. If Hendrickson holds out or slows down, this defense could be bottom three. Burrow might drag the Bengals to nine wins, but getting to 10 feels like asking him to win a shootout with a water gun.

Browns UNDER 4.5 wins (+140)

Eric Moody: The Browns enter 2025 with too many questions on offense to trust the over. Forty-year-old Joe Flacco will open the season as the Browns' starter at quarterback in a room that for now also includes Kenny Pickett and rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. An aging, shaky offensive line compounds the concerns around the QB, especially against pressure, where Flacco struggles badly. Myles Garrett and the defensive front remain elite, but the Browns' lack of offensive stability could make wins scarce. The AFC North also remains one of the league's toughest divisions, with the Ravens, Bengals and Steelers all boasting strong defenses, proven quarterbacks and playoff expectations that Cleveland isn't built to match.

AFC North odds

2024: BAL (12-5, 10-7 ATS), PIT (10-7, 11-6), CIN (9-8, 10-7), CLE (3-14, 4-13)

Did you know?

Courtesy ESPN Research

• Lamar Jackson is the +450 favorite to win MVP, and Joe Burrow has the second-shortest odds at +600.

• Ja'Marr Chase has the second-shortest odds (+900) to win Offensive Player of the Year, behind Saquon Barkley (+600). Derrick Henry is tied for the fourth-shortest odds (+1500).

• Aaron Rodgers has never logged fewer than 25 scores in any season in which he has played at least 15 games. His over/under on TD passes this season is 22.5.

• The Browns' Myles Garrett is +750 to win Defensive Player of the Year, the second-best odds behind the Lions' Aidan Hutchinson (+700).