Bengals and Browns have same odds to win the AFC

The Bengals continue to get little respect when it comes to projecting the 2018 NFL season.

The latest example are the newest odds from Bovada to win the AFC this coming season. The Bengals ended up in a tie with the Browns for the fourth-worst odds to win the conference.

Yes, the Bengals are being given the same odds to win the AFC as a team that just went 0-16 and is 1-31 over the last two seasons. They’ve also won just four games in the last three seasons, none of which coming against the Bengals. Cleveland also has finished last in the AFC North in seven-straight seasons.

Sure, the Browns have made big improvements this offseason, including the additions of Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield at quarterback. Either one of them should be better than anything Cleveland has had at this all-important position in quite some time.

They made other big upgrades on offense in landing wide receiver Jarvis Landry and Carlos Hyde, but again, are all of these moves enough to put them on the same tier as a team they’ve lost to seven-straight times — all of which being by two-plus scores?

The only good news to come from these odds is that the Bengals have better odds to win the AFC than the Jets, Bills and Dolphins, so things could be worse.

Anyhow, here are all of the odds to win the AFC in 2018:

• New England Patriots 9/4
• Pittsburgh Steelers 9/2
• Houston Texans 10/1
• Jacksonville Jaguars 11/1
• Los Angeles Chargers 11/1
• Kansas City Chiefs 14/1
• Baltimore Ravens 15/1
• Denver Broncos 15/1
• Oakland Raiders 15/1
• Tennessee Titans 16/1
• Indianapolis Colts 30/1
• Cincinnati Bengals 35/1
• Cleveland Browns 35/1
• Buffalo Bills 40/1
• Miami Dolphins 50/1
• New York Jets 65/1