Odds to Win NFL AFC North - Football Betting Online

Home > Sports Betting > Football Betting > AFC North

American Football Conference North

The preseason hype surrounding the Cleveland Browns is real and oddsmakers took notice, pegging the perennial losers as the favorite to win their first AFC North title. Both Baltimore and Pittsburgh lost more than they gained this offseason, but they should be in the thick of the race like they always are. All eyes, however, will be on the Browns, who went winless just two seasons ago. Fortunes could be changing with the Browns getting their quarterback situation ironed out. After a number of misses in the draft, it appears the Browns got it right this time with Baker Mayfield. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft took over early last season and put together a strong season. He and the Browns offense should be better with Odell Beckham Jr. joining Jarvis Landry to give their QB some serious weapons.

Odds to Win AFC North at BookMaker.eu

Cleveland Browns +133

Pittsburgh Steelers +176

Baltimore Ravens +325

Cincinnati Bengals +1850

NFL AFC North

The Browns ended a 19-game winless streak early last season when Mayfield took over for the injured Tyrod Taylor. The rest, as they say, is history. Cleveland went on to win seven games, more than doubling its win total from the previous three years combined. The team also went in a new direction with its coaching staff. The Hue Jackson era came to an end midway through the 2018 season after he won just three games during his tenure. Freddie Kitchens got the appointment to continue Mayfield’s progression. The addition of OBJ created a stir and he’s reunited with his college teammate Jarvis Landry to give Mayfield some options in the passing game.

We have to be careful with the Browns since they still haven’t done anything. Sure, they won seven games, but they still had a losing record and there are plenty of questions heading into 2019. Can Mayfield continue to develop and will Beckham play nice with his new teammates? Also, can Kitchens cut it since he has never been the head guy at the NFL level? The Browns haven’t won a division since before they returned to the NFL in 1999 and they have to contend with proven winners in Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

The Ravens traded Joe Flacco during the offseason and for the first time since 2008 they’ll start someone other than him at quarterback. It was Lamar Jackson who forced the trade and Baltimore needs the former Heisman Trophy winner to improve his throwing skills in order to repeat as AFC North champs. Jackson proved he can run the football, but the one-dimensional offense was silenced by the Chargers in a wild card loss. The Ravens also lost a bunch of players from their defense, which is why they are the third favorite to win the division.

With Antonio Brown off to Oakland, the Steelers lost a good chunk of their offense. They also lost the main ingredient that made for a toxic locker room. It will be hard to replace his numbers, but the Steelers will be better off in the long run. JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Connor are the main weapons at Ben Roethlisberger’s disposal, and they’re pretty good. The Bengals pulled the plug on Marvin Lewis, leaving Zac Taylor with a roster that hasn’t changed much from the group that won six games in 2018.

American Football Conference Teams

List of AFC North Winners

In order to create two conferences with an equal number of teams after the merger, two old NFL teams had to join the 10 incoming AFL squads. Pittsburgh and Cleveland were the ones and the league had the NFL Central beginning with the 1970 season. The division remained the same until 1995 when the Jacksonville Jaguars were established and became the fifth member of the Central.

Cleveland moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens for the 1996 season. Houston moved to Tennessee the following year and the Browns were reactivated in 1999. From 1999 to 2001 the division housed six teams. That all changed with realignment for the 2002 season when Jacksonville and Tennessee helped form the new AFC South. The remaining four teams became a part of the newly-named NFC North.

The AFC North was one of two new divisions when the NFL realigned in 2002. Current members Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati were all originally part of the former AFC Central along with the Houston Oilers. The Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens, but the history stayed in Cleveland. After three years the Browns returned with a decades-old history. The Steelers dominated the 1970s winning seven division titles and four Super Bowls, and they haven’t let up.

Pittsburgh will look to add another divisional title to its list of accomplishments. Their two-year run as champs ended last season, still the Steelers have three titles in the past five years and a record 23 since 1970.

Most AFC North Division Titles

The Central saw three different champions in its first three years, but Pittsburgh became the team of the decade. The Steelers won the division in 1972 and six straight from 1974 to 1979. In that time they also won four Super Bowls and knocked off division rival Houston in the 1978 and 1979 AFC Championship games.

Other teams have had brief moments of success, but for the most part the division has belonged to the Steelers, who own a record 23 crowns. The Ravens have two Super Bowl victories since moving and are the only division team other than the Steelers to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. At one point the Jags were good. They won back-to-back Central titles in 1998 and 1999 with a franchise record 14 wins in the second of those seasons.

Pittsburgh joined the NFL in 1933 and had just one division championship and playoff appearance until the merger in 1970. Under Chuck Noll and with the help of Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris and “Mean” Joe Greene, the Steelers turned into a dynasty during the ‘70s. Overall they’ve won 22 division titles, including seven since realignment and two of the last three, while finishing last just one time.

The Browns haven’t won a division since reentering the league in 1999 and it’s been nearly a quarter of a century since their last. Cleveland won three straight division crowns and four of five from 1985 to 1989.

Log into BookMaker Sportsbook and get the best NFL Betting Odds, NFL Betting Articles and information about this and all other sports betting events!