Odds to Win AFC North Division: Bengals, Steelers Neck-And-Neck
AFC North Division Odds
With the 2013 NFL season right around the corner, we breakdown each division in the league the odds for all four teams to win their division titles.
Here’s a breakdown of the AFC North:
The Browns have been one of the worst teams in the NFL for quite some time. Cleveland has been unable to make an impact in one of the most competitive divisions in the league with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens dominating year after year.
Coming into the 2013 NFL season, the Browns will likely finish last in the division once again with the team still trying to build a legitimate playoff contender.
The drafting of quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green in the same year has proven to be exactly what this team needed to turn the corner and breakout of the shadow of the Carson Palmer era in Cincinnati.
Although last season ended in disappointment for the Bengals, this team still has a bright future with Dalton at the helm and Green downfield. Next season Cincinnati will be able to compete within the division once again and may be able to pull off the upset in order to win the division title.
The Steelers aren’t getting any younger. The storied NFL franchise has seen a lot of important players leave Pittsburgh over the past few years with Mike Wallace, Hines Ward and James Harrison either heading into retirement or signing elsewhere in free agency.
The team may look much different than a few years ago, but quarterback Ben Roethlisberger remains under center and Troy Polamalu continues to intimidate in the secondary. Pittsburgh can’t be counted out in the race for the division title.
After winning the second Super Bowl title in franchise history, the Ravens made Joe Flacco the highest-paid player in the league (before Aaron Rodgers re-signed with the Green Bay Packers) and absolutely gutted the team on both sides of the football.
With Ed Reed, Anquan Boldin and many other big-names leaving town in free agency and via trade, Baltimore will be nearly unrecognizable next season and therefore not a wise bet in Las Vegas odds.