The new favorite to win the AFC North through eight weeks of the season bears a striking resemblance to the old favorite.
The two-time defending division champ Baltimore Ravens are again the pick of oddsmakers to claim the crown despite a 2-5 record and uncertainty surrounding quarterback Lamar Jackson, who hasn’t been in uniform for a month because of a hamstring injury.
The Ravens moved to -105 at FanDuel, leapfrogging the current AFC North-leading Steelers (4-3) following Pittsburgh’s Sunday night loss to the Green Bay Packers. DraftKings pushed the Ravens to the top of the North futures odds at -125 with the Steelers at +160 and Cincinnati +500.
The Bengals (3-5) were mere minutes from a 4-4 record and fully shifting the trajectory of their season before the Jets scored late to stun Cincinnati. The Bengals’ futures market odds also dropped to +500 to win the AFC North at DraftKings.
If Jackson returns Thursday at Miami, as expected, he will happen upon an upcoming schedule that might pave the way to a turnaround.
After facing the Dolphins (2-6), the Ravens play three consecutive games against teams in last-place in their division starting Nov. 9 against the Vikings (3-4) before matchups with the Browns (2-6) and Jets (1-7).
Baltimore plays Cincinnati in primetime on Thanksgiving and if the Ravens run the table through that game, they would have a 6-5 record entering December, which kicks off with a home game against the Steelers on Dec. 7. Those teams meet again in the final game of the regular season on Jan. 4.
