AFC North: Examining Over/Under Win Totals for the 2022 Season

This is honestly the most intriguing division in the NFL for both on-field and off-field reasons. One of the biggest storylines is that the Cleveland Browns guaranteed the contract of a quarterback they will be without for the first 11 games of the season.

The AFC North also features the defending AFC champion as the Cincinnati Bengals are out to prove that last year's impressive postseason run was no fluke. All this and we still haven't gotten to the Baltimore Ravens, who have a quarterback playing for his contract future, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are starting over at the position. Buckle up, it's going to be fun.

NFL Win Totals for 2022: AFC East I AFC North I AFC South I AFC West I NFC East I NFC North I NFC South I NFC West

Note: Win total numbers courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Baltimore Ravens (Over 9.5 -160...Under 9.5 +130)

Division Champion Odds: +140

Offense: It's really odd that Lamar Jackson hasn't gotten his long-term contract yet, so who knows how he will play with that hanging over him. Jackson seemingly took a little bit of a step back last year as teams adjusted to try and take away his legs. That led to him throwing only 16 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. The rushing attack is going to rely on two guys who didn't play last year, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, with Patrick Ricard back as the team's fullback. The wide receiver room is without Hollywood Brown, so it's now on Rashod Bateman to be the No. 1 wide receiver next to the reliable Mark Andrews at tight end.

Defense: The defense was historically ravaged by injuries in 2021, and that led to the unit underperformed tremendously. It'll be on Mike Macdonald to fix things as he comes over from Michigan to coordinate the D. One of the biggest things is the health of Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey, who both missed significant time last year. There's not a lot behind them, even though a bunch of guys got experience in 2021. The safety duo is real strong with rookie Kyle Hamilton and veteran Marcus Williams, who came over from New Orleans. The front seven needs to be able to get pressure on the quarterback. Tyus Bowser and Odafe Oweh led the way in sacks but only accounted for 12 between them. If healthy, this group should be very good.

Schedule Notes: Baltimore has some extremely tough road trips in the first half of their season as they head to Tampa Bay and New Orleans in back-to-back weeks and also New England in late September as well. After the week 10 bye, Baltimore will have to play at Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati down the stretch.

Prediction: Health is a massive factor here. So is Jackson's contract status. The under has value, but if the Ravens stay healthy, there's no reason they can't win 10 games. It's best to stay away, unless you like the under.

Related: Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart

Cincinnati Bengals (Over 10 EVEN...Under 10 -120)

Division Champion Odds: +170

Offense: Joe Burrow was awesome in Year 2, throwing 34 touchdown passes to just 14 interceptions. He did all of that with a subpar offensive line that has been upgraded this season. Cincinnati went out and added Ted Karras (New England), Alex Cappa (Tampa Bay), and La'el Collins (Dallas) through free agency. Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine were a very nice tandem at running back, while the wide receiver corps was awesome as Ja'Marr Chase came into his own with his former college quarterback. Chase was one of two wideouts who surpassed 1,000 receiving yards, as Tee Higgins put up 1,091.

Defense: The defense is pretty much intact after only losing Larry Ogunjobi. The front line is pretty strong with Trey Hendrickson (14 sacks) and Sam Hubbard (7.5) rushing the quarterback. The unit was fifth in the NFL defending the run but struggled against the pass (26th). Safety Jessie Bates III playing on the franchise tag is important, as he's one of the best in the league and at one point seemed likely to be traded. Cincy bolstered the secondary in the draft in the first two rounds adding Dax Hill out of Michigan and Cam Taylor-Britt out of Nebraska. There could be modest regression here, but they'll still be really strong.

Schedule Notes: The final eight weeks are absolutely brutal for the defending AFC champs. Among the teams the Bengals will see down the stretch are Buffalo, New England, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Tennessee, who will be looking for revenge after losing to Cincy as the No. 1 seed. The team also has a stretch of four road games in five weeks from Week 2 to Week 6.

Prediction: Give me the under here. I expect a post-Super Bowl hangover, and the schedule is extremely difficult.

Related: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart

Cleveland Browns (Over 8.5 +110...Under 8.5 -140)

Division Champion Odds: +380

Offense: Deshaun Watson is suspended for the first 11 games, so it'll be up to Jacoby Brissett to keep the ship from sinking. Brissett is a mediocre signal-caller who will have to rely on a ground game that is blocked by a strong offensive line led by one of the league's best guards, Wyatt Teller. Nick Chubb ran for 1,259 yards in 2021 and could do a little more, especially if Kareem Hunt continues to be unhappy. The wide receiver room lost Jarvis Landry to New Orleans, but Amari Cooper came over from Dallas. David Njoku takes over at tight end as Austin Hooper went to Tennessee.

Defense: The unit was fifth in total defense and pass defense last season. Because of that, it was important to keep the secondary intact, which they did as Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II both return at cornerback. John Johnson III, who tied Ward for the team lead with three interceptions, and Grant Delpit are the safeties. Myles Garrett anchors the defensive line as he tries to match the 16-sack campaign he had in 2021. This group is young in other spots so improvement means they can only go up.

Schedule Notes: Baker Mayfield could get his revenge against Cleveland in Week 1 when the Browns play in Carolina. Five of their next seven are at home as Cleveland gets a chance to hit the ground running. The problems come after the Week 9 bye when the Browns have three sets of back-to-back road games. Cleveland hosts New Orleans on Christmas Eve.

Prediction: The under is the way to go here, but the juice is a little high. Make sure to shop around. 

Related: Cleveland Browns Depth Chart

Pittsburgh Steelers (Over 7.5 EVEN...Under 7.5 -120)

Division Champion Odds: 10/1

Offense: Ben Roethlisberger isn't walking through that tunnel for the Steelers this season. This means they have to choose from Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, and rookie Kenny Pickett. Whoever wins the job is getting a pretty solid offense around them. Najee Harris accounted for 1,677 total yards in his rookie campaign, and there is some talk that they will scale down his work in 2022. The wide receiver room has seen some shuffling with JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington leaving, but Georgia rookie George Pickens has come in. He'll form a great trio with Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. Of course, the biggest question is the offensive line, which was the least experienced group last year.

Defense: The defense couldn't have been any worse against the run, as it actually finished 32nd in the NFL. That's not normal for a group that has a ton of talent. It'll be nice that Stephon Tuitt is back after missing last year with a knee injury. The best defensive player in the AFC resides in Pittsburgh, as T.J. Watt had 22.5 sacks in 2021. The secondary needs to be so much better besides Minkah Fitzpatrick, who continues to be an amazing pickup by Pittsburgh. Myles Jack was the big addition from Jacksonville for a linebacking corps that needs to get more from Devin Bush.

Schedule Notes: We'll know a lot about this team right out of the gate with road trips to Cincy and Cleveland in the first 11 days and a home matchup against New England. There aren't a lot of home- or road-friendly stretches, although closing out with Las Vegas, at Baltimore and Cleveland isn't exactly easy.

Prediction: I came up with 7-8 wins. Good quarterback play could push the number to nine, but awful play could lower it to six. Hard to figure out. 

Related: Pittsburgh Steelers Depth Chart