ODDS TO WIN THE DIVISION (Bovada sportsbook)
Baltimore Ravens -185
Pittsburgh Steelers +375
Cleveland Browns +450
Cincinnati Bengals +1600

The AFC North has been one of the more consistent divisions over the past decade or so. The Steelers and Ravens would see who could punch each other harder for the division title with the Bengals occasionally mixing things up, and the Browns were on the draft clock before the season was half over. Enter 2020. Fresh off of Lamar Jackson’s MVP season the Ravens are favorites with the Steelers and Browns being given a puncher’s chance at dethroning them. The Bengals have some things to be excited about, although they’re likely still a ways away from seriously contending. At the end of the day, three of these teams could be poised for an improved year.

Cincinnati Bengals

2019 Record – 2-14
2019 Record Against the Spread – 6-10

To say that 2019 was a struggle for the Cincinnati Bengals would be a pretty serious understatement. Almost not went the way the team had hoped as the team plodded it’s way to a couple of later season victories. Head coach Zac Taylor begins his second year having faced a lot of heat in his rookie campaign as will happen with a 2-14 record. The team’s reward was the first choice in the NFL draft which they used to select what they hope to be the leader of the team for the next decade in LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.

Burrow was named the opening week starter despite having what was described as an up and down training camp. What we know about Burrow is he carries himself confidently and he’s a proven winner. There’s sure to be a lengthy learning curve and he’ll take some lumps as a rookie, but there is definitely a good possibility this guy could be star in this league for many years. He has two really positive things working for him, and one that is not as encouraging. The first great thing he has on his side is the fact that this team’s skill position players are as deep and solid as any in the league. The team hopes to welcome back veteran Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green back after missing last season with a fluke camp injury. The team also drafted Tee Higgins as a probable replacement down the road for Green. Tyler Boyd performed really well when pressed into the lead role and Auden Tate also showed some signs of being a starting player at the position. The team even held onto speedster John Ross III so options are plentiful for the young QB. The running game will be good again with the powerful Joe Mixon playing the role of workhorse and third down change of pace man Giovani Bernard back again. The other plus for Burrow is this team is not expected to win right away so the pressure is slightly lower coming into his rookie season. The scary part for Burrow is that this offensive line was absolutely atrocious in 2019 and while it does get back the previous year’s first round pick at Jonah Williams to anchor the left tackle spot it still looks like a weak unit overall.

When you evaluate the potential of the Cincinnati defense the area to be excited about is the defensive line. The team added D.J. Reader to pair with Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap and Sam Hubbard each had some big moments a year ago. As good as this foursome could be upfront, it may not be enough to cover for the deficiencies behind them. The linebacking corp is young and mostly unproven, and the same could be said about the secondary. Vonn Bell and Trae Waynes joined the group which does give some leadership, however both struggled in 2019. In this division it’ll be tough for the team to make a lot of noise, but if Burrow can be the man they think he can, this team could be a contender in 2021.

2020 Strength of Schedule – Tied 27th (.477)
Team Win Total Odds – 5 Wins (over -130, under +110)
BetCrushers Projected Record – 5-11
Baby steps are needed in Cincinnati and improvement should be seen as we watch the development of Joe Burrow. The team has enough talent that they should be able to tack on a few more wins than they had in the debacle that was 2019 for them. While it may not seem like it this season, the future can be very bright if the young QB can shoulder the figurative and literal role in Cincy.

Possible to Wagers To Play – Totals / Over
Expect the Bengals to be competitive in most of their games, but whether or not they’ll be covering spreads may be hard to pinpoint. If this offensive line can be even average and Burrow can develop, this team should score a lot of points this year. Shootouts seem as though they’ll be commonplace for the Bengals in 2020 so look to book the team over and or the game over early and often with this group.

Fantasy Players To Watch – Joe Mixon (RB)
It’s player’s choice in terms of the wide receivers and Green and Boyd should both have good seasons. The crowded room with Higgins, Tate and Ross III, could make targets split however so play at your own risk. The safe play is running back Joe Mixon who should see as many carries as any running back in the league. As long as he’s stays healthy he’s a guaranteed 1,200 yard guy and should get some red zone touches.

Cleveland Browns

2019 Record – 6-10
2019 Record Against the Spread – 5-10-1

The Browns had another productive offseason and hopes run high in Cleveland when you look up and down this roster. The team got a bad break when they lost draft pick Grant Delpit early in camp, but the depth chart looks good overall for this group. Playing with huge expectations in 2019 the team fell flat and was considered a huge disappointment around the league. They enjoy the luxury of flying under the radar in 2020 which is something that could be a big benefit, particularly for quarterback Baker Mayfield who is really in need of a big season.

Start wherever you want behind Mayfield and you’ll find a lot of big names and talent. Running backs Nick Chubb who is a physical specimen, Kareem Hunt, and wideouts Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry. Newly acquired and paid tight end Austin Hooper joines David Njoku for a potent tandem. Most of that data is already understood but fans so let’s look at what could be the biggest boost for this offense, and that’s a revamped offensive line. The addition of Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills should hold the edges clean which is something that didn’t always happen for Mayfield when you look back at the tape. This offense may finally be able to put up the fireworks that people expect, which is something that really needs to happen for Baker Mayfield.

The team welcome back their best player Myles Garrett off of his embarrassing finish to their nationally televised rivalry game against the Steelers. The team was playing pretty good defense but really seemed to collapse without Garrett on the field. It’s hard to know if that was more due to his imposing presence on the defensive line or just some mental deflation. Either way this group looks like it will be a middle of the road type that could over or underachieve just a bit depending on how they gel in the back seven. Perhaps the real missing piece of this Browns puzzle is how the new coaching staff, headed up by Kevin Stefanski can mold this talented group?

2020 Strength of Schedule – 29th (.461)
Team Win Total Odds – 8 Wins (over -130, under +110)
BetCrushers Projected Record – 9-7
With what appears to be a soft schedule outside of the division and on paper this looks like a team that can win 10 or 11 games. Maybe it’s decades of history and watching this team implode but we need to see more before we completely jump on the bandwagon. Let’s also remember that this division will most likely be very competitive.

Possible to Wagers To Play – Against the Spread
The Browns were one of the lesser teams against the spread in 2019 as they underperformed perception of how good they were. Call it a gut feeling, but it wouldn’t be surprising even if the Browns flip that around in 2020 and are able to beat the spread more by not being the “chosen” team of the year.

Fantasy Players To Watch – Nick Chubb (RB), Odell Beckham, Jr (WR)
The addition of Austin Hooper should keep defenses honest enough that Nick Chubb should find success yet again, and consistently. An utter disappointment last year, OBJ is no longer listed in the top tier of receivers. Seems like a really good buy low type situation that could provide big value.

Baltimore Ravens

2019 Record – 14-2
2019 Record Against the Spread – 10-6

It wasn’t surprising that the Ravens were a good team in 2019, however it was pretty ridiculous just how good they ended up being. Going 14-2 is not easy to do in the game these days and in many cases they made it look pretty easy. Give credit to head coach John Harbaugh who really had a vision of how he wanted to play and rode that to great success before a disappointing loss in the playoffs.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson won the league’s MVP award off the strength of a historic season running the football, and perhaps more impressively throwing it well too. The term “running” is appropriate as just like the traditional Raven teams this group will be a run first heavy team with Jackson leading the way with the steady Mark Ingram back and rookie pick J.K. Dobbins. The Ravens proved a year ago that they could run the ball even when the other team knew it was coming and should be able to continue that trend. You could look at the weapons to throw to and have some concerns, but that group put together plenty of production when called upon.

The sudden departure of Earl Thomas put a small gash into what was a really strong unit top to bottom. The defense was already solid before bringing in Calais Campbell, Derek Wolfe and drafting potential stud linebacker Patrick Queen. Even late in his career, cornerback Jimmy Smith could start on many teams, and this team is able to use him as a third corner with the emergence of Marlon Humphrey and the electric Marcus Peters. This division is clearly the Ravens to lose. It’s hard to imagine them not being in the playoff hunt again, and the bigger question will be can they actually make a run in the tournament if and when they get there?

2020 Strength of Schedule – 32nd (.438)
Team Win Total Odds – 11.5 Wins (over -120, under -110)
BetCrushers Projected Record – 12-4
We weren’t sold on the Ravens previously and they made us look foolish with their impressive play. They technically have the easiest schedule in the league which almost seems unfair. Repeating with something like 14 wins is asking a whole lot, 11 or 12 and a division title on the other hand doesn’t seem like too much for this group.

Possible to Wagers To Play – Teasers
This may be oversimplifying things, but tease this team often if you can get to the key numbers. Giving this group an extra 6 points is almost like taking candy from a baby.

Fantasy Players To Watch – Mark Andrews (TE)
There isn’t much reason to state the obvious regarding Lamar Jackson’s value in fantasy football so we’ll focus instead on tight end Mark Andrews. He isn’t often talked about in the same breath as guys like Zach Ertz, Darren Waller and Austin Hooper, and while he isn’t quite to that level he is close in terms of productions, including red zone targets.

Pittsburgh Steelers

2019 Record – 8-8
2019 Record Against the Spread – 9-7

Mike Tomlin has always been a valued coach in the league despite some disappointing seasons over his tenure. Last year was perhaps his best coaching job despite failing to make the playoffs. This group was basically not playing with a quarterback once Ben Roethlisberger went down with injury and still was in the playoff hunt until the very end. The return of Big Ben should put this team back in the conversation for both the playoffs as well as a shot at the division.

The key word for the Steelers on offense this season is health. There are known entities in the offensive line, the quarterback, running backs and Juju-Smith Schuster so if they can stay on the field they’ll be fine. The team really needs someone to step up opposite of Smith-Schuster as the second wide receiver threat, something they hope Diontae Johnson might be able to do. As a QB that has often enjoyed good rapport with his tight ends, the addition of Eric Ebron to go along with Vance McDonald should only help as well.

We’re not going to talk about the Steeler’s defense in terms of a nickname like the “Steel Curtain” but this defense should be good. If they don’t finish as a top 10 or potentially top 5 defense it would be considered serious underachieving. This group has talent at all three levels and they’re pretty deep too. Devin Bush is looking like a perennial Pro Bowler and what seemed like a questionable decision to acquire Minkah Fitzpatrick ended up looking like a steal. a scheduled starter at inside linebacker but the rest of the unit is experienced and they have a lot of starts together providing rare continuity in this age’s NFL. Pittsburgh may very well go back to winning games 20-17 rather than 31-28 by running the football and playing good defense.

2020 Strength of Schedule – 31st (.457)
Team Win Total Odds – 9 Wins (over -120, under -110)
BetCrushers Projected Record – 10-6
Looking closely at the schedule it shapes up pretty well for the Steelers. If this team could win 8 games with what they encountered last year, we’ll pencil them in for double digit wins moving forward. As discussed, staying healthy on offense is critical for this team as the depth just isn’t there.

Possible to Wagers To Play – Against the Spread
The Steelers are traditionally one of the most publicly backed teams due to their insane following of fans. Don’t let that scare you from looking to bet them in the right situations this season though as this team seems to be an afterthought in the AFC.

Fantasy Players To Watch – Juju Smith-Schuster (WR), Steelers (DST)
After a disappointing season look for Juju Smith-Schuster to rebound with Roethlisberger’s return. He will be targeted often and is more than capable to make plays when his number is called. This Steeler defense will be solid against the run and can get after the quarterback. Sacks, turnovers and low points allowed are all likely from this group. If you like grabbing defenses early or want to play the matchups in daily games, you’ll want to use them.