AFC North Predictions & Best Bets 2026: Ravens, Steelers, Bengals & Browns
With the Patriots and Seahawks set for a Wednesday night kickoff on September 9, the 2026 NFL regular season is almost upon us. The marathon battle for the Lombardi Trophy will get underway before we know it, and our experts are building up to the new season with a ton of content in our NFL futures guide — which includes our Super Bowl winner picks, MVP best bets, player award predictions and much more.
For now, our handicapping team is breaking down every division with in-depth team analysis and best bets. Let’s dive into the AFC North, a historic division and the home of the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. Here are the NFL odds and our expert NFL picks for the AFC North.
Find out Chris Farley’s Super Bowl 61 best bets and breakdown of all the main contenders
2026 AFC North Odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook and available at time of publishing
- Baltimore Ravens (-110)
- Cincinnati Bengals (+185)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (+510)
- Cleveland Browns (+2000)
Baltimore Ravens (-110)
Much like what we saw with the Chiefs in the AFC West, the 2025 season was one to forget for a Ravens group that was one of the Super Bowl favorites heading into the campaign. Many will point to Lamar Jackson missing time as the key reason why Baltimore underperformed, but a bigger issue than just the absence of their quarterback was the lack of depth across the Ravens roster — a problem that could certainly flare up again this season. This has the potential to impact Baltimore the most on defense, a unit that has a shockingly weak depth chart after the top line starters. What happens if Nnamdi Madubuike doesn't return to All-Pro form following a serious neck injury, or if Trey Hendrickson goes down? There isn't much of a safety valve behind some of the key pieces on this unit, and that's a cause for concern.
As for the offense, it was yet another season that saw Jackson miss time due to injury, and he was also not nearly as efficient as a runner when he was in the lineup. While it's reasonable to expect a bounce-back year from the multi-time MVP, the Louisville product is at the point in his career where he is naturally more likely to get injured. It's not a guarantee that Jackson stays upright deep into the season and without his ability to carry them, I'm not sure this Baltimore offense is worth all that much. The schedule is very favorable up front, with the Ravens likely to be favored in each of their first seven games. However, the back half is not a picnic, including games against the Bills, Jaguars, Chargers, Texans and Bengals. It wouldn't shock me at all if Jesse Minter's group bounced back and won 10 or 11 games, but I can't go any further.
Baltimore Ravens best bet: Under 11.5 wins (-130)
Get the latest NFL MVP odds and find out our expert’s longshot prediction at +5000!
Cincinnati Bengals (+185)
On paper, I can understand why the Bengals are getting plenty of love in the market. After all, Cincinnati is the only team in this division that brings back its head coach and quarterback in an otherwise pretty weak AFC North. Furthermore, the Bengals were just 1-8 with a horrendous -117 point differential when Joe Burrow was not the lineup. Zac Taylor's group was also prone to making plenty of mistakes, including turning the ball over at a high rate and allowing non-offensive touchdowns. These sorts of miscues have proven to be common under Taylor, and the same goes for early-season struggles (9-16 straight up in September since 2019). Given the fact that four of the Bengals' first six opponents are projected to be playoff teams, I could see a scenario in which Cincinnati starts 3-3 and has to dig itself out of a hole from there.
Not only is Burrow an injury risk, having played just three full seasons over the last six years, but the Bengals are liable to lose on any given Sunday because of their extremely poor defense. After allowing over six yards per play in 2025, the likes of Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen (among others) were brought in to fix a unit that has been a major issue for years now. Lawrence is a great player, but it remains to be seen if his impact will be enough to turn around a defense that has been extremely poor at generating pressure over the last couple of seasons. Ultimately, I'll buy the improvement on defense when I see it, and I'll make this Bengals team prove it to me.
Cincinnati Bengals best bet: Under 10.5 wins (-125)
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Pittsburgh Steelers (+510)
It's the end of an era in Pittsburgh as Mike Tomlin is finally out after 19 seasons as the head coach of one of the most storied franchises in the sport. Tomlin was a proven winner who put up winning season after winning season in Pittsburgh, but it was clear that his time with the organization had run its course. Nevertheless, Tomlin's record in close games can't be ignored, with Pittsburgh winning 67% of its one-score games in his nearly two-decade career with the Steelers. With that in mind, it's going to be difficult to produce that level of success in the first year following Tomlin's departure, especially when the team is being led by a quarterback that would much rather be anywhere else at this stage of his career.
It's become abundantly clear that Aaron Rodgers has more interest in his weekly TV appearances than quarterbacking a middling football team, and it showed in 2025. Not only is Rodgers unable to throw the ball downfield anymore, but he also struggled from a clean pocket last season. Add in the fact that the offensive line is in flux, and you have a potential recipe for disaster for Mike McCarthy's bunch. There are some intriguing names on the defensive side of the ball, but this unit is coming off its worst season in the Tomlin era and I'm unconvinced that the insertion of former Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is going to change much on that front. This is my favorite win total position in the AFC North.
Pittsburgh Steelers best bet: Under 8.5 wins (-130)
Cleveland Browns (+2000)
For yet another season, the Cleveland Browns are bringing up the rear in the AFC North. You could argue that Cleveland had something of a foundation to build on in 2025, especially since the Browns defense was playing at a historically great level. However, the Myles Garrett trade raises the question of just how elite this defense will be without the services of one of the greatest defensive players of all time. It's also worth mentioning that the aggressiveness of Jim Schwartz is gone and replaced by Mike Rutenberg, who will be in his first season as an NFL defensive coordinator. That's enough to give me a bit of pause, especially since the defense is likely going to have to carry this team to at least a few wins this fall.
Despite my trepidation surrounding the defense without Garrett making life miserable for opposing quarterbacks, it's still the superior unit compared to an offense that will either be running out Shedeur Sanders (40th in EPA per play, 39th in success rate among all qualified QBs in 2025), or a version of Deshaun Watson that is so washed, the only possible explanation for him starting has to involve the owner meddling in team operations. As much as I liked what Cleveland did in the draft by addressing the wide receiver position and adding talented players that can grow to be dangerous weapons in this league, a lot of that feels like window dressing for when the Browns select their desired quarterback in next year's draft. I'm rolling with another under at plus money.
Cleveland Browns best bet: Under 5.5 wins (+110)
AFC North division predictions
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Cleveland Browns
AFC North best bet: Ravens/Bengals division dual forecast (+100)
Even though I'm lower than the market on both the Ravens and Bengals, these are still the clear two best teams in this division no matter how you slice it. With that in mind, as long as both teams stay reasonably healthy, I like being able to grab an even money ticket on these teams to finish in the top half of this very weak AFC North, and I won't have to worry about which side ends up winning the division.
NFL Division Predictions & Team-by-Team Guide
Want more NFL division predictions? We've covered all the other 7 divisions and given our best bets for EVERY team! Check 'em out below:
- AFC East Predictions & Best Bets 2026 - will it be the Buffalo Bills or New England Patriots that win the division?
- AFC South Predictions & Best Bets 2026 - can the Jacksonville Jaguars repeat, or will the Houston Texans or Indianapolis Colts dethrone them?
- AFC West Predictions & Best Bets 2026 - will the Kansas City Chiefs bounce back? Will the Denver Broncos stay on top? Or can the LA Chargers pull through?
- NFC East Predictions & Best Bets 2026 - our expert's best bets for the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles & Washington Commanders
- NFC North Predictions & Best Bets 2026 - check out our +930 pick on a team in this division
- NFC South Predictions & Best Bets 2026 - who will be the best in the worst division in football?
- NFC West Predictions & Best Bets 2026 - in arguably the NFL's hottest division, will the LA Rams, Seattle Seahawks or San Francisco 49ers reign supreme?
