NFL Odds: String Of Ravens’ Injuries Should Have You Double-Taking AFC North

The Baltimore Ravens have been dealt just about the worst possible hand in the days leading up to the 2021 campaign.

The AFC North-favorite Ravens seemingly have lost four players to season-ending injuries after both running back Gus Edwards and star cornerback Marcus Peters are thought to have suffered season-enders Thursday.

Edwards is Baltimore’s third (!!) running back to suffer a season-ending injury in a matter of a week and a half. J.K. Dobbins previously suffered a season-ending injury Aug. 29 before Justice Hill reportedly tore his Achilles on Sept. 6. Additionally, the injury to Peters would leave a crucial void as Baltimore’s No. 2 cornerback provided hard-to-find depth at the position alongside fellow starter Marlon Humphrey.

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You would think oddsmakers immediately took notice and shifted Baltimore’s futures around a bit, right? After all, these sorts of things almost always shift division prices, or maybe impact Super Bowl odds, right? Wrong.

The Ravens (+110) were the favorite to win the AFC North after Dobbins’ injury Aug. 31, and those prices have yet to chance. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns (+155) and Pittsburgh Steelers (+500) remain behind Baltimore, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. It means if you bet $100 on the Browns to win the division, and they do, you would walk away $155 richer. The same thing goes for the Steelers as a $100 bet would pay out five-to-one.

Given the string of recent injury developments it probably is worth doing a double-take on the division odds. Who knows how long those prices will last.

And that’s not to say the Ravens are in no way going to win the division, obviously. Baltimore still has plenty of talent on the defensive side with Humphrey and a front seven that includes Calais Campbell, Derek Wolfe and Patrick Queen, among others. They also still have quarterback and potential MVP candidate Lamar Jackson. They still have the makings of a good team.

But the value presented by both the Browns or Steelers may not remain as high as it is right now.