NFL Who Will Win the AFC North?

Sports betting diehards love their NFL football, and so, as the months pass and we come closer to the arrival of summer training camp, the discussions are beginning to get pretty heated. For one thing, just who is going to emerge from the AFC North with the division title and a home game in the AFC Playoffs? People who enjoy betting on NFL games have some tough choices to make. The biggest reason why the AFC North is a question mark is that its most famous franchise, the Pittsburgh Steelers, sits in disarray after the tumultuous and highly distracting events of a messy offseason. The suspension of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, combined with the travels of troubled wide receiver Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets, leave the Steelers without prime playmakers for much (if not all) of the upcoming season. Pittsburgh’s quarterback, Dennis Dixon, has speed and agility in the pocket, but he lacks the big-time arm the NFL requires. More to the point, Dixon – who ran a spread option attack at Oregon – lacked the pro-set background in college that would have fully prepared him for the pro game. The Steelers are behind the eight ball in this debate. With the Cleveland Browns showing no signs of immediately fixing their problems (let’s see what 2011 or 2012 will bring), the AFC North should become a battle between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals.

While World Cup odds favor Spain, the AFC North odds should lean toward Baltimore. NFL betting experts can’t ignore the extent to which coach John Harbaugh and his front office improved their already-solid defense. The Ravens had a nasty and dominating defense when they won Super Bowl XXXV (over the New York Giants) at the end of the 2000 NFL season. Now, the Ravens just might have a defense that could rival the one fielded by the 2000 team. Baltimore used a pair of second-round draft selections to snag two players who performed in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. With the 43rd pick in the draft, the Ravens chose Texas outside linebacker Sergio Kindle, a playmaking beast for the Longhorns. A knee injury prevented Kindle from being taken earlier in the draft, but if his body holds up and shows the resilience Baltimore executives evidently bought into, he’ll be a great addition to the Ravens’ defense. With the 57th pick, Baltimore plucked Alabama’s massive run-stuffing and gap-plugging nose tackle, Terrence Cody. The man nicknamed “Mount Cody” provided muscle and field-goal-blocking expertise for Bama in the 2009 season. If he can get fitter and develop more stamina, he’ll make Baltimore’s defense even more powerful. The Ravens should bring more speed and more power to the table in 2010. If they can simply avoid turnovers, their defense will be good enough to rival what Rex Ryan is doing with the New York Jets.

The Cincinnati Bengals won the North in 2009, but the Ravens advanced one round further in the postseason. Moreover, while Cincinnati started its season strong, it was Baltimore who made a bigger late-season push and played better at the end of the year. Yes, Cincinnati will still be in the thick of the hunt due to its own high-level defense, but the Ravens are acquiring the kinds of pieces that will make them particularly formidable in 2010 (and maybe beyond).