AFC North Update and Future Odds: Bengals Heating Up & More

A few weeks ago the AFC North still seemed to be any teams for the taking.  However, a clear front-runner for the best team in the division has finally began to emerge.  The future odds have adjusted accordingly.  Can the Cincinnati Bengals hold on to the AFC North, or do teams like the Baltimore Ravens or even the Cleveland Browns have a shot at snatching the division title away?  Here is a look at the AFC North future odds for winning the division as well as some analysis.

Note:  Future odds and moneylines courtesy of Bovada.

Cincinnati Bengals, -1000

The best way to prove your doubters wrong would be to beat a top tier team.  The Bengals have beaten the likes of the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers.  However, they have also lost to the Cleveland Browns and had a sloppy game against the Buffalo Bills.  Inconsistency has been an issue for the Bengals offense who has been riding by on their defensive play.  All that changed in Week 8, though.

The Bengals beat the New York Jets 49-9.  It was not just their defense in this game, the team was firing on all cylinders.  Even the highly criticized Andy Dalton looked like the franchise quarterback his team needs him to be.  He did not let the Jets No. 1 ranked defensive line get to him.   The Bengals are getting better and better, while other top ranked teams like the Denver Broncos begin to contend with mid-season injuries and the Kansas City Chiefs prepare for a rocky schedule.  The Bengals own the AFC North, and it is going to take a lot to topple them.

Baltimore Ravens, +650

The team with the best odds of toppling the Bengals are the Ravens.  They were on a bye week in Week 8.  However, they have a rough road ahead considering they are coming off of back-to-back losses, one to the Pittsburgh Steelers and one to Green Bay, respectively.

The Ravens will head into Week 9 to take on the Browns.  This division rivalry game is going to be more difficult than it looks on paper, especially when you consider two factors that are frequently being overlooked.  Factor one, the Browns are capable of upsetting teams.  We seen it when they played Cincinnati, and they gave the Kansas City Chiefs a scare this past weekend. Factor two, is the Ravens offense is struggling. They are ranked 21st in the NFL in scoring.  Combine these two factors and we have a game that is either teams to win.

Pittsburgh Steelers, +1500

While many Pittsburgh fans are holding their breaths for a Steelers comeback, we are all but ready to give up on them.  Despite wins against the Jets and Ravens, the Steelers are not going to mount a comeback, especially after the disheartening loss they suffered at the hands of the Oakland Raiders.

This is an instance where we disagree with the sportsbooks and think the Browns have a better chance at a comeback than the Steelers.  It is time for Steelers fans to except that this is a team that is in a rebuilding stage and hope that over the offseason they get a new offensive coordinator, find some consistency on the O-line and rework their aging defense.

Cleveland Browns, +4000

At 3-5 and playing better football than the Steelers we can only assume the Browns are behind the Steelers in the odds simply out of tradition.

The Browns have a playoff-caliber defense.  It is their quarterback situation that has them in trouble.  They cannot secure a victory without Brian Hoyer who is out for the year.  Neither Jason Campbell or Brandon Weedon look promising.  If the Browns can find a way to make this offense work they could rack up some more big wins, but a playoff run seems unlikely at this point.