2014 NFL futures betting: Breaking down the AFC North

The Cincinnati Bengals continued their four-year trend, winning the AFC North in 2013 by capitalizing on down years from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens to add another banner alongside their 2005 and 2009 division titles.

Most spots expect them to do the same again this season, as seen in the odds comparison below.

Odds courtesy BetOnline, Bovada, Pinnacle.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals' offense appears ready to take a step forward. More Giovani Bernard will always be a good thing, and Jeremy Hill should offer a significant upgrade over BenJarvus Green-Ellis right from the get-go. Calvin Johnson is the best wide receiver in football. A.J. Green is second best. Period. The rest of the team's pass-catching corps looks poised for improvement. Marvin Jones emerged as a viable No. 2 receiver towards the end of last season, and increased roles for Mohamed Sanu and Tyler Eifert will only serve to make the Bengals' passing attack more explosive.

The team's biggest problem a year ago was the frequency at which Andy Dalton accumulated turnovers - he had 23 of them. New offensive coordinator Hue Jackson's ball-control offense should help limit some of those mistakes.

While the offense appears poised to take a step forward, the defense could take a step back. The team lost its coordinator on that side of the ball as well, with Mike Zimmer leaving to coach the Minnesota Vikings. The defensive line and secondary both pose significant question marks. Michael Johnson needs to be replaced after finding greener pastures in Tampa Bay ($44-million greener), and anchor Geno Atkins will be less than a year removed from an ACL tear suffered last Halloween. Leon Hall attempts to return from the second Achilles tear of his career, and rookie Darqueze Dennard is pencilled in to start on the opposite side. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

There's a lot to like about the Steelers' offense. Le'Veon Bell could be the workhorse back the team has been searching for, Antonio Brown has really excelled in his role as the team's top receiver, and Ben Roethlisberger still has something left in the tank. The problems come on the other side of the ball, where the team uncharacteristically ranked 21st in run defense and 27th in sacks in 2013. General manager Kevin Colbert made some good moves in the offseason, though the unit looks to still be a year or two away from returning to an elite level.

Baltimore Ravens

New offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak will be installing an offense that should better suit the Ravens' personnel. Bernard Pierce is going to have an opportunity to take a stranglehold on the starting running back job. If he can find some consistent success on the ground, that will be great news for Joe Flacco, who showed last year he's just ordinary without a running game. While things are looking up for the Raven offense, the defense simply got a year older, with the likes of Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, and Elvis Dumervil all north of 30. It's hard to imagine a regression is not in order for that unit.

Cleveland Browns

With all the Johnny Manziel talk, and the unit's sub-par 2013, it's easy to miss how much talent the Browns have on defense. New head coach Mike Pettine did more with less in Buffalo, so a major leap forward could be in store. The offense added some pieces as well, though none of those names leap off the page, even if Manziel's might appear in the tabloids more often than that of the others. The running game will need to carry the unit, with Ben Tate and rookie Terrance West leading the way, though they likely won't carry it very far.

Where to put your money

The Bengals have plenty to be concerned about on the defensive side of the ball, but Marvin Lewis has done more with less in the past. The Bengals look like the play at +210 on Bovada. The warts on their divisional opponents are far greater.

More 2014 NFL futures betting articles:

AFC East | AFC North
AFC South | AFC West

NFC East | NFC North
NFC South | NFC West

Super Bowl odds | Yardage leaders odds
MVP odds | Win total odds
Super Bowl odds II