NFL 2019 Gambling Cheat Sheet: AFC North

The gambling cheat sheets for the 2019 NFL season continue with the wonky AFC North, which is obviously a division that many will be watching closely this year. Why? Because the Cleveland freakin’ Browns are the bookmaker’s favorites to win it this year (it’s still strange to see that in writing).

Sure the Browns should be much improved but dethroning the Ravens and fending off the Steelers should be a difficult task. There’s a ton of pressure on Cleveland this year and anything less than a division title will be disappointing for the city. The good news is that no matter what they should beat Cincinnati twice again and that just has to count for something in “The Factory of Sadness”.

Here are the high level stats and all of the 2019 futures for each AFC North team, which will hopefully help you make better gambling decisions this year.

Baltimore Ravens 2019 Gambling Cheat Sheet

This is a transition year for the Ravens as Super Bowl winning quarterback Joe Flacco has been shipped off to Denver. As a result, Lamar Jackson will try to lead the team to a second-straight division title in what should be one of the most exciting races in the league. Jackson proved that he could handle himself throughout 2018 and he should be taking the field with confidence.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Ravens can bounce back from the heartbreaking 23-17 loss to the Chargers at home in the Wild Card last year. It’s hard to remember they went 6-1 (beating CIN, OAK, ATL, TB, LAC, CLE) to end the regular season before that, looking unstoppable along the way. Look for them to be aggressive right out of the gate.

2018 Record: 10-6

• Home: 6-2
• Away: 4-4
• Division: 3-3
• Conference: 8-4

2018 Stats:

• Points For: 436
• Points Against: 325
• Difference: +102
• End of Season Streak: Won 3

2019 Futures Odds:

• Over / Under Season Wins: 8½ (-1½)
• Win AFC North: +350
• Win AFC: +1400
• Win Super Bowl +3000
• John Harbaugh Coach of the Year: +1100
• Marquise Brown Offensive Rookie of the Year: +1100
• Justice Hill Offensive Rookie of the Year: +2500
• Lamar Jackson Most Passing Touchdowns: +25000
• Lamar Jackson O/U Passing Yards: 3000½
• Lamar Jackson MVP: +2500

Key Players:

• QB: Lamar Jackson
• QB: Robert Griffin III
• RB: Mark Ingram II
• WR: Willie Snead IV
• TE: Nick Boyle
• CB: Jimmy Smith
• S: Earl Thomas
• PK: Justin Tucker
• P: Sam Koch

Conclusion:

This cast of characters could finish anywhere in the standings but a record of 12-4 doesn’t seem that outrageous. The only thing that might get in the way of finishing atop the AFC is the 4 games with the Steelers and Browns. This might be the most fun division in football this year.

Cincinnati Bengals 2019 Gambling Cheat Sheet

It’s sad to see this team start it’s slide back down to the bottom but with Andy Dalton in his 9th season and not much help around him, this might be a tragedy you don’t want to pay to see. The wheels fell off last year in Week 6 as they lost 2 and then 5 in a row, which could have easily been 11 in a row if they didn’t squeak out a 3 point win against Tampa Bay and slap down Oakland by 2 TDs at home.

Cincy fans should stay home this year or just watch games on their phones under the freeways outside the stadium. Make sure to bring lots of booze to drown your sorrows.

2018 Record: 6-10

• Home: 4-4
• Away: 2-6
• Division: 1-5
• Conference: 4-8

2018 Stats:

• Points For: 368
• Points Against: 455
• Difference: -87
• End of Season Streak: Lost 2

2019 Futures Odds:

• Over / Under Season Wins: 6 (0)
• Win AFC North: +2000
• Win AFC: +10000
• Win Super Bowl: +20000
• Zac Taylor Coach of the Year: +4000
• Ryan Finley Offensive Rookie of the Year: +2500
• Andy Dalton Most Passing Touchdowns: +5000
• Andy Dalton O/U Passing Yards: 3725½
• Andy Dalton MVP: +12500

Key Players:

• QB: Andy Dalton
• RB: Giovani Bernard
• RB: Joe Mixon
• WR: A.J. Green
• TE: Tyler Eifert
• TE: C.J. Uzomah
• DE: Carlos Dunlap
• DT: Geno Atkins
• CB: Dre Kirkpatrick
• PK: Randy Bullock

Conclusion:

Tied with the Dolphins for odds to win the AFC and Super Bowl can’t be a good thing. Welcome to the jungle? Nope – back to the “Bungles”.

Cleveland Browns 2019 Gambling Cheat Sheet

The victory parade route has already been planned for February and preparations are being made across the city. It looks like the Browns are destined to win it all so just sit back and watch it unfold. Obviously expectations are sky-high so it’ll be very hard for these new-look Browns to deliver the goods.

When gambling on games involving Cleveland this year remember that over the first 5 weeks in 2018 they went 1-1-1 in overtime games and only lost to the Saints by 3 (and could have easily won it at the end). Of course, this was followed by 4 losses in a row which basically sank them, but they went on to finish strong with a 5-2 record (beating ATL, CAR, DEN, CIN x 2), so who knows what’s ultimately on tap. For some reason, 9 wins sounds about right.

2018 Record: 7-8

• Home: 5-2-1
• Away: 2-6
• Division: 3-2-1
• Conference: 5-6-1

2018 Stats:

• Points For: 359
• Points Against: 392
• Difference: -33
• End of Season Streak: Lost 1

2019 Futures Odds:

• Over / Under Season Wins: 9 (+2)
• Win AFC North: +140
• Win AFC: +700
• Win Super Bowl: +1300
• Freddie Kitchens Coach of the Year: +1100
• Greedy Williams Defensive Rookie of the Year: +2500
• Baker Mayfield Most Passing Touchdowns: +1200
• Baker Mayfield O/U Passing Yards: 4325½
• Baker Mayfield MVP: +1200

Key Players:

• QB: Baker Mayfield
• QB: Drew Stanton
• RB: Nick Chubb
• WR: Odell Beckham Jr.
• WR: Antonio Callaway
• WR: Jarvis Landry
• DE: Myles Garrett
• RDT: Sheldon Richardson
• S: Damarious Randall
• P: Britton Colquitt

Conclusion:

Haven’t you been listening? They’re winning the Super Bowl this year…or crushing the souls of Cleveland sports fans…again. Either way, it’s been a long time since they were the #4 favorite to win the AFC so it’ll definitely be a fun ride.

Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 Gambling Cheat Sheet

After missing the playoffs last year you’d better believe that the Steelers are going to have a chip on their shoulder going into this season. Especially since this could very well be Roethlisberger’s last time putting on a jersey – expect some inspired play.

They sputtered out of the gate in 2018 with a 1-2-1 record but then rattled off 6 wins in a row before losing 4 out of 5, which is even more crushing since they blew a second half lead each time (losing to DEN, LAC, OAK, and NO while waking up to beat NE by 7 at home in Week 15).

That said, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this era of the team has run its course. There’s been constant bickering in the locker room, Big Ben has looked totally disinterested for large chunks of seasons, two superstar players bolted out of town, and Coach Tomlin doesn’t appear to be able to control any part of this circus. This could be the season that the wheels finally fall off.

2018 Record: 9-6

• Home: 5-3
• Away: 4-3-1
• Division: 4-1-1
• Conference: 6-5-1

2018 Stats:

• Points For: 428
• Points Against: 360
• Difference: +68
• End of Season Streak: Won 1

2019 Futures Odds:

• Over / Under Season Wins: 9 (0)
• Win AFC North: +150
• Win AFC: +850
• Win Super Bowl: +2000
• Mike Tomlin Coach of the Year: +2800
• Devin Bush Jr. Defensive Rookie of the Year: +500
• Ben Roethlisberger Most Passing Touchdowns: +1200
• Ben Roethlisberger O/U Passing Yards: 4450½
• Ben Roethlisberger MVP: +2500

Key Players:

• QB: Ben Roethlisberger
• RB: James Conner
• RB: Jaylen Samuels
• WR: JuJu Smith-Schuster
• WR: Donte Moncrief
• WR: Ryan Switzer
• TE: Vance McDonald
• C: Maurkice Pouncey
• WLB: T.J. Watt
• RILB: Vince Williams
• LCB: Joe Haden
• PK: Chris Boswell

Conclusion:

It’s foolhardy to make predictions in professional football but with a gun to our head we’d say the Steelers start with some gusto but quickly run out of steam (taking many Survivor Pool picks with them). Finishing in the cellar of the AFC North this year might actually be on the table. Oh wait, the Bengals are still in this division…they can only fall as low as third. Silver linings!