For years, the sports betting media has talked about the forever-closing window for the Baltimore Orioles to win their Super Bowl before the likes of All Pro defensive stars such as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed retire. That is the case once again heading into this season, and while the team still has a lot of work to do in the same division as the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers, there is a lot of reasons to like them as underdogs at 12-1 sports betting odds.

The NFL betting lines have them listed in the third-tier of championship contenders out of the AFC, with the New York Jets also listed at 12-1. There is little doubt that the defense will once again be among the best in the NFL, but the difference this season will be the play of an offensive unit that has lacked the ability to close out when it matters the most. Franchise quarterback Joe Flacco will take another step forward with an even bigger role in the offense, and with Anquan Boldin now in the system to help him out and Ray Rice running as hard as ever out of the backfield, there are a lot of reasons to think that this will work. The biggest obstacle will be their own division, where Baltimore will need to find a way to get past the hated Steelers. If they can manage to do that, they could be a solid underdog pick to win it all.