See how the Conference is heading before the start of the season, prepare your NFL betting future plans! Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase missed all of training camp, pursuing a contract extension.
He hasn’t gotten his extension yet, but he took part in two light practices this week and will be part of the team as the Bengals prepare for Week 1 against the New England Patriots. He has two years left on his rookie deal, including a $21.8 million fifth-year option.
Since he entered the NFL in 2021, he ranks seventh in total receiving yards over that time (3,171), and he’s part of a wide receiver market that is getting expensive.
Justin Jefferson picked up a four-year, $140 million deal with $110 million in guaranteed money, and CeeDee Lamb got a four-year deal worth $136 million with $100 million guaranteed.
So, Chase will get paid, and the longer the Bengals wait, the more expensive that contract will get.
NFL Betting Analysis: AFC Rivalry Games in 2024 Season
Expect Chase to appear in several key games this year as the Bengals expect to contend in the AFC again, and check out some of the top rivalry showdowns in the conference as you start to think about your NFL sports betting.
Baltimore Ravens at L.A. Chargers Week 12
This Monday night affair pits the Harbaugh brothers against each other once again. These two met in Super Bowl XLVII, as John Harbaugh’s Ravens beat Jim Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers, 34-31.
Also known as the “Har-Bowl,” it’s the only time that two brothers have faced each other as head coaches in a Super Bowl.
The game was marred by a 34-minute stoppage due to a power outage, but what made the game most exciting was the 49ers’ comeback as they responded to a 28-6 deficit with 17 unanswered points in the third quarter.
Now Jim Harbaugh comes back to the NFL to coach the L.A. Chargers, after having escaped the University of Michigan just in time to avoid the four-year show-cause penalty the NCAA handed out due to numerous violations under Harbaugh’s watch.
Jim Harbaugh has Justin Herbert at quarterback, leading a talented offense; the primary questions for his team have to do with defense.
John Harbaugh’s Ravens have added Derrick Henry at tailback to construct a fearsome rushing offense.
^"I’m running out of adjectives to describe some of the throws Justin Herbert has made all week."
— Eric Smith (@Eric_L_Smith) August 22, 2024
– #Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh (and all of us, really) pic.twitter.com/neIArZFQgH
Cleveland Browns vs Cincinnati Bengals Weeks 7 and 16
The Cleveland Browns kept four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster: Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Tyler Huntley.
It’s unlikely that they will enter the regular season with all four, but it just tells you how unsettled the Browns’ quarterback situation remains despite the fact that they have the highest-paid quarterback (Watson) in NFL history on the roster.
Watson has struggled to stay healthy and on the field (the Browns actually used five different quarterbacks last season and still made the playoffs), but when he’s been healthy, he hasn’t played effectively, at least not yet.
Winston didn’t solidify his hold on the backup spot in the preseason, and Huntley has been an effective backup to Lamar Jackson in Baltimore for several seasons.
Given the fact that tailback Nick Chubb will miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season, the passing game needs to be decent for the Browns to stay above water.
The Cincinnati Bengals will have a healthy Joe Burrow back at quarterback, and when he’s stayed healthy the whole season, the team has made it at least to the AFC Championship, if not the Super Bowl. Both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are back running routes.
Zack Moss and Chase Brown are the tailback tandem, with Joe Mixon having moved on to Houston, and the showdowns between the Bengals’ high-flying offense and the Browns’ rock-solid defense will make for must-see watching.
The only question will be whether the Cleveland offense can do enough to keep the defense from wearing down as the game goes on; if Watson (or whoever ends up at quarterback) can’t sustain drives, things could get ugly against elite teams, as we saw when Houston obliterated Cleveland in the wild-card playoff round last season.
^Top 10 Teams to Win the AFC Conference
- Kansas City Chiefs +320
- Baltimore Ravens +510
- Cincinnati Bengals +710
- Buffalo Bills +770
- Houston Texans +810
- New York Jets +980
- Miami Dolphins +1075
- Cleveland Browns +1925
- Los Angeles Chargers +2000
- Jacksonville Jaguars +2200
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AFC Rivalry Games for 2024/25 Season
The 2024 NFL schedule has a number of oddities that involve AFC teams. For example, the Kansas City Chiefs will be playing at least one game on every day of the week except Tuesday, thanks to games on Christmas Day (a Wednesday) and Black Friday.
The last time an NFL team played on six different days of the week was 1927, when the New York Yankees played on each day except Monday. The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t see any other AFC North teams until Week 11, the latest in a season that an NFL team has played its first division contest.
Then there are the Jets, who have six prime-time games in the first 11 weeks of the season, a record number. They also play in London for Week 5, giving them a standalone start time early on Sunday morning.
This year’s schedule also includes some intense AFC rivalry games that you’ll want to include in your NFL betting. Let’s take a look.
NFL Betting News: Biggest AFC Rivalry Games in 2024 NFL Season
Week 1: Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs welcome the Baltimore Ravens into Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, September 5, to kick off the 2024 NFL regular season. They will celebrate their Super Bowl LVIII championship and then take the field looking for a historic three-peat season. The Ravens last saw the Chiefs in the AFC Championship, which was played in Baltimore. The Chiefs entered the playoffs with the third seed, while the Ravens had finished the season 13-4 and earned the lone AFC bye. The Chiefs were 4 ½-point underdogs at M&T Bank Stadium, but their defense stood tall in a 17-10 win. No team had held the Ravens to as few as 10 points last season.
The quarterback matchup in this game will get the most attention. Patrick Mahomes has been the Super Bowl MVP the last two seasons, while Lamar Jackson was named the regular-season MVP last year. Mahomes has beaten Jackson in four of their five matchups all time, including regular-season and playoff games. The Ravens haven’t visited Arrowhead since 2019, a game the Chiefs won, 33-28. The last time Baltimore beat the Chiefs on the road was 2012. The Chiefs have appeared in the Thursday night NFL season opener three times in the last five seasons. They beat Houston in the 2020 opener but lost to Detroit last year. They have appeared in three NFL Kickoff Games since the tradition began in 2002, posting a 2-1 record. The Ravens have only played in one Kickoff Game; they lost in Denver to begin the 2013 season.
Week 11: Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills
When the Chiefs head to Buffalo in Week 11, we’ll learn how both teams dealt with major transition at wide receiver. The Bills dealt Stefon Diggs to Houston to get out from under a sticky contract, and deep threat Gabe Davis has moved on as well. The Chiefs don’t know about the status of Rashee Rice, who has multiple legal situations going on involving the Dallas Police Department due to some off-season misdeeds. The NFL has yet to issue discipline on Rice’s situation. Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney had disappointing 2023 campaigns. The team did add Hollywood Brown via free agency and drafted Xavier Worthy, but with an aging Travis Kelce already on the decline last season, Patrick Mahomes could use some improved targets as well. By the time Week 11 rolls around, we will see if these two high-powered offenses have found their way.
Week 9: Houston Texans at N.Y. Jets MNF
The Jets are getting all kinds of publicity because of the return of Aaron Rodgers, but the skill players around Rodgers are what will make him dangerous as a signal-caller. The team added Mike Williams from the Chargers in free agency and already had Allen Lazard running routes. Tailback Breece Hall should return healthy and is a force carrying the ball. If Rodgers has health issues, the backup this time around is Tyrod Taylor, a veteran who has shown he can run things while the starting quarterback heals.
Houston might be even more exciting than the Jets, though. The defending AFC South champions added Stefon Diggs to join Nicol Collins and Tank Dell in the wide receiver group, and added Joe Mixon to give the running game more credibility. With Will Anderson Jr and Danielle Hunter anchoring the D-line, this is a defense that will be tough to run or pass on.
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