Many people seriously doubted that the Pittsburgh Steelers would win the AFC North at the start of the season. The Baltimore Ravens were the favorites, and led by Lamar Jackson, they looked like Super Bowl contenders. Some even believed that the Cincinnati Bengals had a better chance to win the division than the Steelers. However, both of those teams have collapsed. Despite that, going into Week 6, the Ravens were still betting favorites to win the AFC North.
That’s finally changed.
FanDuel Sportsbook now has the Steelers as the favorites to win their division at-125 odds. This comes after they beat the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. While the Browns aren’t a good team, the Steelers handled business against them. The game wasn’t particularly close. Meanwhile, the Ravens and Bengals both lost their games.
However, FanDuel still doesn’t have the Ravens far behind the Steelers with +140 odds. That shows that oddsmakers don’t have a ton of confidence in the Steelers to hold on to their division lead, even though they’re 4-1 and the Ravens are 1-5.
The Ravens were favorites to win the AFC North when they were 1-4 and dealing with a ton of injuries. With the Ravens likely set to get Jackson back from injury soon, they shouldn’t look as bad as they have.
Also, there’s some precedent to back up FanDuel’s odds. The Steelers were on top of the AFC North for most of the 2024 season. However, they totally collapsed down the stretch. That opened the door for the Ravens to win the division.
Perhaps something similar could happen this year. The Steelers’ schedule is about to get more difficult. They’ve got an upcoming stretch where they play the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, and Los Angeles Chargers. Those teams have all looked good so far this year.
Meanwhile, the Ravens’ schedule should get a little easier. To this point, they’ve played some of the league’s best, like the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills. When they return from their Week 7 bye, they’ll play the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, and New York Jets. Those all look winnable games.
Therefore, the Steelers might not sit as AFC North favorites the rest of the way. They’ve got to prove themselves against some stiff competition. However, they’ve gotten better as the season has progressed. Even when they were healthy, the Ravens had major issues. As long as they don’t fall apart again, the Steelers should continue to be in the mix for the division crown.
