The Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North last season. What do their odds look like this year?
Despite winning the AFC North last season, the Cincinnati Bengals haven’t been the odds-on favorites to repeat in the division again this year.
After the Browns landed Deshaun Watson in a trade this offseason, they became the favorites to win the AFC North this season, even with any potential suspension that the former first-round pick might face.
With the news of Watson’s settlement with 20 of the 24 sexual misconduct cases against him, WynnBET has updated the AFC North odds and no longer has Cleveland as the favorite to win the division.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson has settled 20 of 24 cases against him with women alleging he committed sexual misconduct, lawyer Tony Buzbee who represents the women says in a statement noting the terms will remain confidential.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) June 21, 2022
Bengals odds to win AFC North increase with Watson settlement
As of this writing, WynnBET has the Bengals and Ravens as co-favorites to win the AFC North with +170 odds. The Browns are next with +250 odds while the Steelers are majorly behind with +1000 odds.
Honestly, this should have been how the odds looked this entire time. Watson should be suspended for at least half the season (and even that feels like too little of a punishment) and while the Browns have an okay roster without him, Jacoby Brissett isn’t going to be the guy who gets Cleveland to a division title, not against such a stacked group of foes.
The Bengals have a strong roster and are coming off a Super Bowl appearance while the Ravens are getting their injury-plagued roster back from last season. Baltimore still managed to put together a respectable season despite all of the injuries thrown their way in the 2021 season.
As more news comes in revolving around Watson, the odds in the division will continue to change. Just last week, the Browns were still the favorites to win the AFC North but now Vegas clearly doesn’t feel as confident in their chances and this settlement plays a huge factor in why that is.