It’s hard to frame it any other way: It’s been a nightmarish start to the 2025-26 NFL season for the Baltimore Ravens. After all, this is a team that entered the season among the favorites to win the Super Bowl and with a preseason MVP favorite in QB Lamar Jackson.
Starting Week 1 by blowing a 40-25 fourth-quarter lead on the heels of RB Derrick Henry’s backbreaking fumble in a 41-40 loss to the Bills, the issues have mounted as the injuries have piled up. With Jackson likely out several weeks now with hamstring injury, star DT Nnamdi Madubuike out for the season with a neck injury and an injury report that reads like a CVS receipt, Baltimore’s defense fell to a new low on Sunday in a 44-10 home loss to the Houston Texans.
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Among the Ravens’ inactives on Sunday were cornerback Marlon Humphrey, safety Kyle Hamilton, linebacker Roquan Smith and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley — not only stars for this team, but some of the best players at their respective positions in the NFL.
But despite a 1-4 record — and with a home game on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams as 7.5-point underdogs looming — the Ravens remain the betting favorite at sportsbooks to win the AFC North and are still favored to make the postseason.
At BetMGM, Baltimore is a +105 favorite to win the division, just ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers at +110. With the Cincinnati Bengals at 16-1 and Cleveland Browns at 18-1, it seems clear it’s a two-team race for the division title.
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“I think the bigger concern for the Ravens is the defense,” Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in Atlantic City told Yahoo Sports. “The defense has really struggled, especially stopping the run, and Kansas City, who for weeks everyone was questioning if the Chiefs were the same team, moved the ball at will. While they might be able to win some shootouts once Lamar gets back, this Ravens team has always been built around the defense. It’s not good there at the moment.”
Baltimore opened as a -145 favorite to win the AFC North at BetMGM and was as high as -400 heading into Week 3. The Steelers have the most total wagers (42.3%) and total dollars wagered (47.3%) to win the AFC North at the sportsbook.
Baltimore still has two games against Pittsburgh — in Weeks 14 and 18 — presumably when Jackson will be back healthy. But will the division be out of hand by then?
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