Inside the Week 18 battle for the AFC North at the sportsbooks

After Baltimore Ravens lost to new England Patriots In Week 16, their hopes of winning the AFC North were almost wiped out. To have any chance, they must beat the playoff-bound green Bay Packers There’s more on the road pittsburgh steelers lose to unfortunate cleveland browns In week 17.

As fate would have it, both of those outcomes came to fruition, as the Ravens and Browns overcame weaknesses to win their games and set up a winner-take-all showdown for the AFC North between Baltimore and Pittsburgh in Week 18. At DraftKings, the Ravens started as 3-point road favorites against the Steelers.

Going into Week 17, Pittsburgh had -1400 odds to win the division, while the Ravens had +800. DraftKings reports that over the past week, 87% of handles came on the Ravens for the AFC North, while BetMGM said it received 83% of the money to support Baltimore over the same period, though the Ravens are still its smallest liability for the division overall.

It’s been a tough ride for the Ravens to get to this point. After entering the season at odds-on, they dropped favorite status to Pittsburgh before Week 7 before returning to the top of the board for several weeks. Then, the Steelers’ head-to-head win over Baltimore in Week 14 moved them to the lead until their loss to Cleveland.

With the division on the line, the Ravens opened at -170 on the money line. Despite injury concerns around lamar jacksonBookmakers are comfortable placing Baltimore as a field goal favorite.

“We don’t think there’s much difference between [backup QB Tyler] Huntley And this version of Jackson, who appears to be an injured version of Jackson,” John Murray, vice president of the Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas, told ESPN. “The Ravens’ offense looked as good as ever on Saturday, Huntley knows the offense well and Lamar hasn’t been perfect all season. Don’t think it will make much difference.”

Joey Feazell, head of football at Caesars Sportsbook, sees somewhat more of a contrast between Jackson and Huntley, saying he expects the game to come closer to choosing him if Huntley is ruled out.

Ravens-Steelers won’t be the only game next week to be contested for the division title.

Entering week 11, tampa bay buccaneers were -1200 to win the NFC South while carolina panthers Was +1200. In Week 18, the two teams will face off for the division. According to DraftKings odds, the Bucs open as 3.5-point home favorites for the showdown with the Panthers.

The matchup is a culmination of opposing trends for the division rivals. According to ESPN Research, Tampa Bay has failed to cover the spread in eight consecutive games, the longest active ATS losing streak in the NFL and the longest in franchise history. Meanwhile, Carolina has bounced back from odds of up to +2500 to win the NFC South in Week 5.

In another close division race, if san francisco 49ers defeat the Chicago Bears They will face off on “Sunday Night Football.” Seattle Seahawks for the NFC West title and the conference’s No. 1 seed in Week 18.

NFL odds and ends

• Despite weaker matchups not being shown on traditional TV outlets, the NFL topped the NBA on Christmas Day in terms of betting interest. At Caesars Sportsbook, the showcase NBA matchup attracted only about half the amount of money wagered on the lowest-stakes NFL game. dallas cowboys And Washington Commanders“At the end of the day the NFL is still king, as the three low-stakes NFL games easily outnumber all the NBA games,” Fazel said,

• derrick henry The player who scored two-plus touchdowns during Saturday’s two-game slate was DraftKings’ most bettor. He scored four points in the Ravens’ big win over the Packers.

• cincinnati bengals RECEIVER jammer chase Openly stated his goal in Week 17. Chase told reporters last week, “I think the biggest thing on the list is to score another touchdown. … I think I’ve been late since Week 7.” DraftKings bettors who were listening were rewarded. More money was bet on Chase to score a touchdown on Sunday than any other player in DraftKings. He caught two TDs in the Bengals’ 37–14 loss. Arizona Cardinals,

• with its thrilling victory over buffalo billThe philadelphia eagles According to ESPN Research, (+3.5) have won six straight games as underdogs, including the playoffs, the longest such streak since 2010.

Season-win totals at stake in Week 18
(Totals based on BetMGM openers)

College football odds and ends