Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws a pass in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 5 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. Sam Greene / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ravens' AFC North Odds Revealed

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Baltimore Ravens have enjoyed a profitable summer offseason that's seen analysts and fans shower them with compliments towards their meticulous team-building, but the time is approaching for the Ravens to back up the hype with tangible results.

They've been considered the presumed favorite to take the AFC North for the vast majority of the league's dead zone, as they've won similar honors in previous back-to-back seasons off of multiple First Team All-Pro finishes from their avatar in Lamar Jackson and one of the NFL's most well-rounded squads.

ESPN released its rundown of the division's betting preview, and pointed out a few lurkers for the odds-on favorite to look out for.

The Ravens unsurprisingly led the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns in winning the AFC North (-160), the conference (+325) and Super Bowl odds (+650), but the Bengals aren't far behind in all of those key categories.

While Baltimore's over-under for wins is set at 11.5, ESPN hammered the over on the Bengals' 9.5 line as one of their best bets.

"My hope is the Bengals find a way to keep Trey Hendrickson on this roster. He's a game changer. Coordinator Al Golden must create a new identity on the defensive side of the ball, too. Limit the explosive plays and win in the red zone," Matt Bowen rationalized. "But I'm still making this bet because of Joe Burrow and a pass-heavy Bengals offense that ranked top 10 in scoring last season. Cincy gets to 10 or 11 wins this season -- with a spot in the AFC tournament."

Pamela Maldonado takes the opposite stance in arguing for their similarly intriguing under, referring to Burrow as the "duct tape" holding Cincinnati's whole operation together, as last year's underwhelming season benefitted from repeatedly bashing on backup quarterbacks while concerns on both sides of the line remain.

Burrow is certainly a good enough quarterback to singlehandedly make things interesting, coming in at second in upcoming MVP odds (+600) behind Jackson (+450).

The Steelers and Browns are each expected to bring up the rear in 2025. They'll be flanked by the two oldest staring quarterbacks in the league, with a pair of 40-year-olds in Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco ready to take advantage of their remaining time in the NFL. While Rodgers' new Pittsburgh defense is perennially reliable, Flacco will have his work cut out for him on a flawed Cleveland roster in rematching with his former team.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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