It’s already the end of July, which means that the NFL Season is less than two months away. This can be a time of year when fans start to go crazy, as the season is so close, yet so far away, at least in our eyes. Training camp is going on, and with more and more player news coming out daily, it makes us much more ready for the year to start.
While we are still anticipating what’s to come in the upcoming year, we have plenty of time to break down the various divisions around the league. We took an in-depth look at the NFC North last week, and this time, it’s the AFC’s turn.
The AFC North is comprised of the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers. This division has historically been dominated by the Steelers, but in recent years, the Bengals and Ravens have had their moment in the sun. What will go down this year? Let’s dive in!
Pittsburgh Steelers (Current Win Total Over/Under: 8.5)
This line feels entirely too high for the Steelers, a team without a clear identity at the moment. The Steelers acquired two quarterbacks in the offseason, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, which, on paper, seems like a good thing.
After all, Fields’ athleticism presents a lot of upside, and Wilson has been an MVP Candidate at times. However, the Steelers haven’t done a lot to improve their roster around these quarterbacks throughout the offseason, making us less than confident in their ability to achieve at least nine wins.
Yes, we know the narrative about Mike Tomlin not having a losing record throughout his career as a head coach, but at the end of the day, the AFC North is a lot more competitive this year than it has in the past. We are fading the Steelers this year, which is why we’re taking the under on their line from DraftKings.
Cleveland Browns (Current Team Win Total Over/Under: 8.5)
Unlike the Steelers, we’re high on the Browns heading into the year. The Browns were a playoff team last year thanks to Joe Flacco, and with another offseason to prepare and get acclimated with this team, we’re confident in Deshaun Watson’s ability to take the next step in this offense.
Off-field issues aside, Watson has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league when healthy, and he has plenty of weapons at his disposal in Cleveland.
Their defense is still a cut above the rest, and with players like Nick Chubb, Amari Cooper, and Jerry Jeudy with him on the offense, the Browns could be a sneaky good team this year. We’re taking their over this season, hoping they can turn things around in a big way, especially with Watson at the helm.
Cincinnati Bengals (Current Team Win Total Over/Under: 10.5)
The Cincinnati Bengals were without Joe Burrow for most of the 2023 season, and still managed to win nine games. How did they do it, even without Burrow? The answer is simple.
The Bengals have crafted one of the best rosters in the NFL on both sides of the ball, which allowed them to thrive with a suboptimal quarterback at the helm. This bodes well for the Bengals’ chances at an even better season than they had last year, as early reports indicate that Burrow is not only healthy but that he is feeling better than ever.
Look for the Bengals to contend for this division, one that we believe could come down to the last week of the season. The Ravens and Bengals have put some great rosters together, and with that in mind, we are very excited to see how it’ll all go down. We’re hammering the over on their win total this year, as it could take 12+ wins to bring home the crown on this division in 2024.
Baltimore Ravens (Current Team Win Total Over/Under: 10.5)
We are also taking the over on the Ravens’ win total this year. We wanted to make that abundantly clear before breaking down the team, as, again, we anticipate the AFC North to be a dogfight. The Ravens won 13 games last season, which makes us question the oddsmakers’ line in this spot.
Sure, it’s sometimes difficult to replicate success on a season-to-season basis, but the Ravens haven’t lost any major pieces from last year’s roster. If anything, they’ve gotten better, especially on offense, as they just signed Derrick Henry to a two-year deal.
The Ravens’ rushing attack could be one of the best in the NFL this year, making an already lethal offense even better. Look for the Ravens’ offense and defense to overwhelm opponents, causing them to win at least 11 games this year, with a ceiling to win 13+.
