2024 AFC North Preview: NFL’s Toughest Division
Ravens, Bengals Top Contenders; Browns, Steelers Wily Underdogs
With all due respect to its counterparts, the AFC North is the best division in football.
- All four teams in the division are of playoff caliber, and each proved it by finishing above .500 in 2023. The Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals have each qualified for the playoffs over the past four seasons, and only the Steelers have not won a playoff game in that span.
Each of the four teams has an elite veteran quarterback in 2024, and the clubs almost always have sensational defenses. Based on the preseason odds, the North should not be decided until deep into December if not January.
Here’s your 2024 AFC North preview.
2023 AFC North Recap
The Ravens were the AFC’s top seed in 2023, led by NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. Baltimore went 13-4 and finished two games ahead of the second-place Browns.
- Led by a stalwart defense, and Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco, the Browns made the playoffs at 11-6. The Steelers qualified for the postseason for the third time in four seasons at 10-7.
Both the Browns and Steelers were eliminated in the wild-card round. Cleveland fell to the Houston Texans, and Pittsburgh lost to the Buffalo Bills.
Despite Jackson’s exquisite play, and that he led Baltimore over Houston in the divisional round, the Ravens lost to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
The AFC North is not for the weak. pic.twitter.com/NkBiCjynrM
— Playmaker TD 🏈 (@playmakerTD) August 15, 2024
2024 AFC North Preview
The Bengals were the only AFC North team to miss the NFL playoffs a season ago. But they had a snakebitten season where they lost MVP-caliber quarterback Joe Burrow for seven games and still only missed the playoffs by one game.
Thus, Cincinnati is a slight +140 favorite to win the division.
Still, NFL football lines makers are split on who the division favorite is, a testament to the North’s incredible competitiveness.
The Ravens are a +145 favorite.
Even though Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson is healthy, and superstar running back Nick Chubb should be back after tearing up his knee in Week 2 last year, the Browns only have the third-shortest odds to win the North. Cleveland has plus-money odds to reach the AFC playoffs, even though it has made the postseason twice in the past four seasons.
Despite the addition of Super Bowl-champion quarterback Russell Wilson, and the continued presence of dominant defenders Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt, the Steelers are not likely to be a part of too many experts’ NFL playoff predictions.
Though Mike Tomlin has never had a sub-.500 record in his 17 seasons as Steelers coach, Pittsburgh has +185 odds to make the playoffs and +800 to win the AFC North.
Important Dates on the NFL Schedule
- Week 7: Oct. 20: Bengals at Browns
- Week 10: Nov. 7: Bengals at Ravens
- Week 12: Nov. 21: Steelers at Browns
- Week 16: Dec. 19: Browns at Bengals
- Week 16: Dec. 21: Steelers at Ravens
- Week 18: Jan 5, 2025: Bengals at Steelers
- Week 18: Jan 5, 2025: Browns at Ravens
Making Moves
The Ravens had about the least strenuous offseason of any AFC North team despite losing wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Still, they managed to bolster their backfield by signing Derrick Henry. It also added wide receiver Russell Gage.
With Baltimore decimated by backfield injuries over the past two seasons, and Jackson earning the NFL MVP by going above and beyond, Henry’s addition (plus the return of Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews) should vastly improve Baltimore’s offense.
- The Bengals will be ecstatic to welcome Burrow back after his injury-plagued 2023, and if he delivers MVP-caliber play then Cincinnati could again unseat the Chiefs as AFC champs. But Cincinnati did lose No. 3 wide receiver Tyler Boyd to Tennessee but could use tight end Mike Gesicki and third-round pick Jermaine Burton to replace him.
Cincinnati will certainly need to improve on its defense, which finished 21st in points-against per game (22.6) and 31st in yards-against per game (374.6)
Cleveland could be a playoff dark horse, since it still has defensive stalwart Myles Garrett, and its receiving corps of Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, and tight end David Njoku is now the best in the division.
- The Browns still reached the playoffs despite a rash of injuries, which included Chubb and Watson, due to their aggressive defense. It allowed the fewest yards per game in football. Hence, Garrett is on the short list of favorites to repeat as an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award recipient.
The Steelers seem to win with smoke and mirrors under Tomlin, though they won’t be picked to win their division in many 2024 AFC North previews.
Pittsburgh may not be the most exciting team, even though it added both Wilson and former Bears QB Justin Fields, but it has elite defensive players like NFL DPOY favorite T.J. Watt, who tends to wreck games for opponents. The Steelers also have solid skill-position players in wide receiver George Pickens and running back Najee Harris, who came on at the end of the 2023 season.
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