Ravens given best odds to go from worst to first among fourth place teams

The bounce back will be real

The Ravens were knocked down in 2021; injuries piled up and so did the losses, ultimately placing them last in the AFC North. But after their 8-9 season, sportsbook’s are confident that of the eight teams who fell to fourth place in their divisions, the Ravens are most likely to win theirs in 2022.

Three sportsbooks, DraftKings, Caesars and BetMGM all have the Ravens at +175 to reclaim their division.

The next closest? The Carolina Panthers at +375. The longshots—the New York Jets—fall anywhere between +1,400 to +2,200.

The AFC North is no stranger to worst-to-first changes, with the Cincinnati Bengals doing so just last season, jumping from 4-11-1 in 2020 to 10-7 the following year.

Gamingtoday’s Travis Pulver called the Ravens the “obvious choice” and his reasoning is sound.

“Injuries decimated the backfield during the preseason last year and caused the Ravens to put too much on QB Lamar Jackson’s shoulders,” Pulver wrote. “But the defense was a more significant issue. While it was the No. 1 unit against the run, the Ravens D was also dead last against the pass.”

Pulver also sees the division rather open for them to take, even with the Bengals coming off such a strong year. In fact, that is a part of why Pulver believes in Baltimore.

“The Ravens could get a helping hand from the Bengals; it is not unusual for the team that lost the Super Bowl to struggle the following season,” Pulver wrote. “With the Steelers rebuilding and the Browns struggling to figure out who they are, the opportunity is undoubtedly there for the Ravens. Whether they can take advantage of it remains to be seen, though.”

Since the 2002 division realignment, the Ravens have only fell to fourth place once, back in 2007 when they finished with a 5-11 record. The following season, they flipped the win/loss column to 11-5, but narrowly missed winning the division to the eventual Super Bowl winning Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now, with a far less difficult schedule and a (hopefully) healthy roster boasting a former MVP quarterback, they will attempt to lead the pack in 2022.