2019 NFL betting news: Browns edge Steelers in AFC North odds

Can Cleveland put an end to 17 years without playoffs and claim their first divisional title since 1989?

June 15, 2019

The long-suffering Cleveland Browns are early favourites to win the AFC North title and reach the NFL Playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season. They will have plenty of competition, however, so let’s check out the latest NFL betting markets for the division.

Cleveland Browns odds

+127 at Nags.bet

The Browns have a lot of hype this season after a 7-8-1 campaign where rookie QB Baker Mayfield was the real deal. They went huge in the off-season, signing up WR Odell Beckham Jr., RB Kareem Hunt, and the defensive duo of Sheldon Richardson and Olivier Vernon. Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry give the team a great WR pairing and Hunt with Nick Chubb have a ton of potential in the backfield. Mayfield has to grow as a second-year quarterback, but he now has a lot of weapons at his disposal. The defense only ranked 30th in the league last season, but with the additions in free agency and their top four draft picks on defensive players that unit may be much better this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers odds

+192 at Nags.bet

The Steelers missed the playoffs last season, but they are rated a pretty good chance in AFC North title betting. Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are gone, but Ben Roethlisberger is back, RB James Connor had a solid year taking over for Bell, and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster is a star in the making. Second-year WR James Washington was a second-round pick in 2018 and will look to have a big season as a starter. The defense ranked a solid sixth in the league last season and T.J. Watt has 20 sacks over the last two seasons. Many are counting out Pittsburgh because of who they lost, but they still have a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball. If Big Ben has another great season it would be no surprise to see the Steelers back in the playoffs.

SEE ALSO: 2020 AFC CHAMPIONSHIP BETTING

Baltimore Ravens odds

+330 at Nags.bet

The Ravens won AFC North last season, but they have slipped to the third line of betting for the 2019 title. This is Lamar Jackson’s team after they traded long-time starter Joe Flacco to Denver, so the second-year QB has a lot of pressure on him. In seven starts last year he ran the ball well but only had five passing TD, yet the word is he will run less this season. The Ravens made a solid addition to the offense with Mark Ingram II and addressed their less than stellar WR corps by taking Marquise Brown in the first round of the draft and Miles Boykin in the third. The Baltimore defense was the best in the league last season and will be the strength again, but for the team to repeat as AFC North champions Jackson must play well.

Cincinnati Bengals odds

+1850 at Nags.bet

The Bengals are the long shots in 2019 AFC North title betting, which is no surprise after their calamitous 4-1 start last year. They have Andy Dalton under center, but his days in Cincy may be numbered. A.J. Green was injured for several games and will be back alongside Tyler Boyd, who had over 1,000 receiving yards last season, in a strong WR corps. RB Joe Mixon had a breakout season in 2018 with 1,168 rushing yards and eight TD playing behind a suspect offensive line. The main issue for new head coach Zac Taylor is figuring out how to improve a defense that ranked dead last in the league last season.