Piggy backing off of what Brandon started this series with i will be hitting you with Scooters Scoops on the AFC but most specifically in this post the AFC North and who is going to be the real winners and losers in this division this year. When looking at this division last year it was a bit turbulent and full of fireworks. Fast forward to this offseason and the #Steelers taking a step back in most peoples eyes and the #Browns yet again taking another step forward and my upcoming takes for records and standings for this season will be nothing short of controversial! And that's not a bad thing in this industry. So without further ado lets get started on the AFC North!
The AFC North appears to be changing as a division rapidly. The #Browns are a team that is clearly on the rise and quite honestly a team that i struggle with but we'll get more into that when i break them down later on in the post. You look at this division from top to bottom and to me this division is quite clear with who the worst team is but the #1 spot remains in my opinion pretty wide open.
4th Place - Cincinatti Bengals ( 4-12 ) ( 1-5 Division )
When i am looking at this team and trying to break down where they are going to find wins i struggle. When i look at there top players i cant help but think of two in particular in AJ Green and Joe Mixon. Those two are absolute studs however when you look across the NFL every single team has stud players. Where this team lacks the ability to be a factor is their weak front office that doesn't bring anything to the table as far as help and then bad luck. Their first round pick this year got hurt and is out for the year as was there first round picks in the past 2 seasons prior as well if i'm not mistaken.
It’s not like the Bengals totally overhauled the franchise this offseason. Many familiar players, most notably quarterback Andy Dalton, remain. But the head coaching hire was a swing from the heels. Zac Taylor, who just turned 36, has a resume that is surprisingly thin for an NFL head coach. As recently as 2016, Taylor was offensive coordinator at the University of Cincinnati, who went 4-8 and were 123rd of 128 FBS teams in points scored. Two years ago, Taylor was an assistant receivers coach with the Rams. Taylor coached quarterbacks with the Rams last season. He did not call plays. That alone shows you the mesmerizing factor McVay has on this league. I'm honestly not sure why im spending that much time on this team. I mean when you look at the schedule and you look at there talent there just isnt alot of wins on there schedule. Dalton has been one of the better QBs in this Franchise' history which is sad because he is the definition of mediocre. Mediocre on all fronts. They have playmakers on offense but when you see who is under center you realize why none of the playmakers besides Green who is a HOF player in my mind reach there maximum potential. The only other one who may is Mixon. Now when you look at them on defense they have a few pieces but nothing stands out as tranformational. Best they can hope for is a horrible season and a stud QB in the draft.
3rd Place - Baltimore Ravens ( 7-9 ) ( 3-3 Division )
Now this is a team that i love looking at and analyzing. A new QB under Center in Lamar Jackson and one who had his moments last year but is overall still a huge question mark strictly as a pocket passer. A defense that never seems to fade even when it loses big time players and an offense that is no sparkle but all bite followed up by a bulldog of a head coach in Harbaugh and you can bet your ass this team will never go down easy in a game.
When you break this team down from last season you can help but take a deep dive into the young QB who took the league by storm only to run into a brick wall in the playoffs known as the Chargers defense. He looked lost which for a rookie is not surprising but lets take a deep look at Lamar in the limited number of games he played in. He started 7 games and put up numbers of a 6-1 record but when you look at his completion percentage and passing numbers you see the real Lamar Jackson: he had 11 total TDs with 6 of them coming thru the air and 5 of them on the ground. He also took care of the ball with only 3 intereceptions but when you take a deep dive you see that he had a combined 12 fumbles. And that stat is why to me he is not ready to take the next step. He is alot of flash but the deep diving on numbers shows his true identity. He isnt ready to compete with the next two teams coming up on this list.
2nd place - Cleveland Browns ( 10-6 ) ( 2-4 Division )
this team is the type of team you want to write about in an offseason and most people who write about the NFL this time of year have done so. Not as much the team specifically as what theyve done with the team treating it like something out of Madden. This team intrigues me in so many ways only thing is not all of them are good.
Let me start with the good, this team is loaded with talent probably only a few teams are more talented then this rendition of the #Browns and its in my mind the #Chargers, #Rams, and quite honeslty after those two you could probably debate me on any of the others i would say. When you look at Baker at QB then you go to Chubb and Hunt at RB with a decent o-line and an up and coming TE in Njoku you cant help but like that without even mentioning the most important aspect of this teams offense, the most talented group of WR's in the NFL in my mind. You take OBJ and Landry alone these two are two of in my mind the top 20 WRs in the NFL and OBJ has the talent to be the #1 in the league. Then you flip to defense and see the front 7 that this team boasts and i cant help but to fall in love with it. These guys are absolute beasts and this defense will lean on them heavily. The one big thing i see is there back end on defense is weak in my mind and in a league where passing is becoming more and more important that will hurt them. Now let's get to the ugly: Freddy Kitchens being a rookie head coach dealing with all of these expectations and characters i cant help but be warry of it. OBJ is a lot . He is a lot to deal with and demands a lot out of a head coach and a QB. And quite frankly Im not sure a QB and a head coach with a total of less then 1 seasons experience under there belts is the elixir this team needs. With all of that being said i see this as a playoff team.
1st place - Pittsburgh Steelers ( 11-5 ) ( 6-0 Division )
Let me start with this - this team hooking a division foe early on in the year is when they will be the most vulnerable. The more this season goes on the more this team will separate themselves from the rest of the division. Add in Big Ben and Mike Tomlin and i have this team winning the division but more importantly going 6-0 in there division.
You subtract Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell from this team but fill that void with James Conner and Juju and you don't lose much. Especially with a HOF QB handing and passing them the rock. This team is a sleeping giant waiting to be unleashed on the rest of the AFC North and when the season starts you're going to get a Ben Roethlisberger with a chip on his shoulder and a head coach who has the bad apples out of the locker room. This team wins the division and makes a difference come playoffs. Book It.
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Until next week!
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