Can Mike Tomlin keep his streak alive of never having a losing record as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers? Can the Baltimore Ravens finally get over the hump in the playoffs?
Our NFL expert Chris Raybon breaks down his AFC North predictions, plus a couple of NFL futures bets he likes.
Continue below for his favorite AFC North NFL futures predictions, which include a win total pick for Pittsburgh and a bet on Baltimore to win the Super Bowl.
NFL Futures — NFC North Predictions
| NFL Futures Picks |
|---|
| Steelers Over 8.5 Wins (+115) |
| Ravens to Win the Super Bowl (+750) |
Steelers Over 8.5 Wins (+115)
The Steelers' defense is pretty much always good, which gives them a high floor in the win column given the fact that Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season as Pittsburgh's head coach.
However, the offense tends to vary from season to season, and they've never had a bigger question mark than they do entering this year with Aaron Rodgers taking over at quarterback.
Are the Steelers still a high-floor team? Is their ceiling higher now?
Is this going to be the year they finally break Tomlin's streak of going .500 or better? Is Rodgers going to help propel them to the top of the division? Or are they just going to be the same pesky nine-win team that flames out in the first round of the playoffs like they always do.
I think the Steelers are better than the market thinks they're going to be — thus, I bet their win total over at 8.5.
Rodgers may seem like a slippery slope, but this offense basically reads the same to me — if not slightly elevated. They replaced Najee Harris with Kaleb Johnson. They replaced George Pickens with DK Metcalf. They replaced Russell Wilson with Rodgers. They added Jonnu Smith.
That doesn't seem drastically worse than the Steelers offense over the last few years, right? I think Mason Rudolph could get this squad close to nine wins as long as the defense stays healthy, which is the key factor because the offense is basically the same shed with a different coat of paint on it.
I wish they would've added another wide receiver, which may cap their ceiling on offense. I don't see this team getting to the AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl.
However, I do think they go over 8.5 wins, just like they always do.
Ravens to Win the Super Bowl (+750)
I gotta have a Super Bowl ticket on the Ravens this year. You want the upside with this team.
I don't necessarily love the price on them to win the AFC North, mainly because I think there's a good chance the Bengals are going to bounce back and be much better than they were last year.
The Steelers are also a wild card this season with Rodgers entering the fold. Even if you don't agree with the signing, there's at least a chance Pittsburgh surprises people.
I don't love the idea of paying -170 on the Ravens to win the division. It's not a terrible price, but I think you are getting much better value on the deeper Baltimore futures. Lamar Jackson gives the Ravens such a high floor that there are better ways to invest on them.
The Bills have an easier schedule thanks to the fact they play in the AFC East. So, I think Buffalo is a better bet to claim the top seed in the conference.
Meanwhile, the Ravens have to deal with Pittsburgh's defense and Cincinnati's offense twice per year. But overall, I think the Ravens are better than the Bills, and Jackson seems destined to get to the Super Bowl sometime soon.
They are right there every year.
