NFL Football Handicapping Advice For Betting On Football

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AFC North Betting Preview

Baltimore Ravens - 7-4: A lack of offensive punch doomed the Ravens in the playoffs but they hope QB Steve McNair's second season with the club will see more production out of the passing game. RB Willis McGahee should help the moribund running game but he's not as good as he thinks he is. The defense ranked No.1 in seven categories last year but is another year older and lost their best player (OLB Adalius Thomas) in FA. The Ravens have a tough schedule but know how to grind out unattractive wins. Probably the last year they will be atop this list for awhile.

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Cincinnati Bengals - 8-5: A legit challenger to the Ravens, the Bengals must rebound from an off year. QB Carson Palmer is 1 ½ years removed from his knee injury and should recapture his 2005 form. The O-line is healthy again and there is no reason this offense shouldn't score a lot of points. The defense was a sore spot last season but rookie CB Leon Hall should help and the LB corps has been revamped. In 2005, the Bengals led the league in takeways and that masked the defense's weaknesses. Cincy needs the defense to come up big if they want to challenge for the division crown.

Pittsburgh Steelers - 2-1: The Steelers shocked the football world when they made Mike Tomlin, a Cover 2 practitioner, their head coach, bypassing long-time assistants Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm. The latter two departed for the desert leaving the offense in the much-travelled hands of Bruce Arians. He needs QB Ben Roethlisberger to return to his pre-motorcycle crash form and not the player who constantly killed his team with costly interceptions last season. The defense will remain in a 3-4 and got some help for the edges with rookie OLBs Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley. The O-line lost C Jeff Hartings and All Pro LG Alan Faneca is an unhappy camper who wants out. This will be an interesting year in Pittsburgh but we don't see them winning the division.

Cleveland Browns - 7-1: The only team in the division without a chance to win it. Despite their draft bounty, this team has too many holes to challenge the big boys. New RB Jamal Lewis struggled behind a better line in Baltimore, while rookie QB Brady Quinn tends to get rattled when pressured. The defense was overrun by the run last year and has done little to improve. GM Phil Savage and HC Romeo Crennel were expected to right the ship but they have actually done worse than the forgettable Butch Davis.