AFC North Division Prediction, Odds: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, and Steelers, Oh My!

The 2023 NFL season is finally upon us. Rather than offer one giant preview of the entire season, we’ll be looking at each division individually. We continue with the AFC North. Familiar faces come back from injury, new stars continue to hunt for glory, and classic franchises look to improve on recent failures.

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AFC North Preview

Baltimore Ravens

The 2019 season is starting to feel like a long time ago. That year the Ravens went 14-2 and QB Lamar Jackson won league MVP. Since then, the team has either been decimated by injuries, COVID protocols, or simply not played as well.

For the longest time, it’s been written the management never provides Jackson with reliable targets to throw to, TE Mark Andrews notwithstanding. Enter Odell Beckham Jr. Granted, he hasn’t played a snap since the second quarter of the Super Bowl in February 2022. Still, he helped the Rams that season and if there is any juice left, he should be of assistance to Baltimore this year. The running back room is loaded and led by J.K. Dobbins. They had one of the worst secondaries in the NFL in 2022, so Rock Ya-Sin, Marlon Humphrey and company will need to pick up some slack.

Ravens Record Prediction: 9-8

Cincinnati Bengals

Will 2023 be another year with more talk about how the AFC is led by the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills but not the Cincinnati Bengals? Cincy has experienced the sort of resurgence many other long-floundering franchises would love to be blessed with. Even so, the AFC conversation often has them third in line behind the aforementioned Chiefs and Bills.

Joe Burrow got banged up during training camp and is listed as questionable at the time of publication. The team says he could play in Week 1. It wouldn’t be as if backup Jake Browning had no options. Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, the Bengals are gifted with one of the deadliest wide receiver corps in the NFL. The team is loaded and has known varying degrees of success two seasons in a row. They just need to go out to take the big opportunities when presented to them (Super Bowl loss to Rams despite leading in the fourth quarter and an AFC Championship loss to KC last year).

Bengals Record Prediction: 12-5

Cleveland Browns

It would be a stretch to call these Browns lovable losers. Losers? That remains to be seen. They definitely have a roster that should translate to wins this year. Loveable? This is a sportsbook, so we won’t go into quarterback Deshaun Watson’s recent extracurricular activities, but readers surely know what we’re referring to.

All that said, Watson is among the more gifted QBs in the NFL. The real question is can he get back to being the sort of player he was during his Houston Texans days? Nick Chubb is one of the top running backs in the game, and Amari Cooper can be lights out when he plays with intensity. The problem is he isn’t very consistent in that regard. Defensive end Myles Garrett is currently listed as questionable. He’s the undisputed leader of the defence. Without him, the Browns simply aren’t the same team.

Browns Record Prediction: 10-7

Pittsburgh Steelers

It feels strange to be writing a season preview of the AFC North and knowing that the Steelers are probably the worst team of the quartet. Such is life when a future Hall of Fame QB is retired. In true Steelers fashion, the one constant is the head coach. Mike Tomlin leads the team and gets the very best out of his men every single season, regardless of the roster’s quality.

The Kenny Pickett to George Pickens QB-WR connection quickly proved to be dangerous for opposing secondaries in 2022. There may be something very interesting brewing in that regard, to say nothing of Najee Harris being a solid RB when healthy. On the defensive side of the ball, it begins and ends with linebacker T.J. Watt. His mesmerizing 2021 was followed up by a 2022 cut short due to injuries. If he’s fully healthy, watch out.

 Steelers Record Prediction: 7-10