The AFC North should see a battle between Cincinnati, Baltimore and Pittsburgh all season, but I will go with the Bengals, who look like the most complete team on paper. Baltimore and Pittsburgh both are strong on offense, but both are weaker on defense that last year and I feel that will keep both teams from winning the Division Title. The Browns are just bad.
The Cincinnati Bengals are off a solid 10-5-1 season, but they didn't make it past the wildcard round in the playoffs, suffering a 26-10 loss to the Colts. This year Vegas has their Win Total set at 8.5 (O -120), so they are not expected to do more than last year's team, but they will compete for the AFC North Title. Vegas odds have the Bengals at +220 to win the AFC North, +2000 to win the AFC Title and +4000 to win Superbowl 50.
Last year the Bengals offense ranked 15th in scoring, at 22.8 ppg, while also ranking 15th in total yards (348.0 ypg), 21st in passing (213.8 ypg) and 6th in rushing (134.2 ypg). The Bengals were a very average offensive team last year, but they could be a better overall offense thus time around. Andy Dalton is back at QB after tossing 19 TDs and 17 INTs last year. He just continues to make mistakes and it has led to very average play from him of late. He was hampered last year with the loss of WR Marvin Jones, but he will be back this year and having both him and AJ Green on the field, plus Mohamed Sanu will really help make this offense much more effective. The Bengals had a very good running game last year and it was mostly due to the emergence of Jeremy hill, who ran for 1124 yards last year. This year he shoud be the featured back and could eclipse 1400 yards and behind him is Giovani Bernard, who helps this team form a very strong 1-2 punch in the running game. The OL was not really a strength last year but the Bengals used their first 2 picks in the draft to upgrade it. The rest of the line returns intact and overall it should be an improved unit. I see this offense being able to top last years numbers.
Defensively the Bengals ranked 12th in points allowed (21.5 ppg), 22nd in yards allowed (359.3 ypg), 20th vs the pass (243.0 ypg) and 20th vs the run (116.3 ypg). The Bengals were a solid defensive bunch last year and should be so again this year. The DL line is a bit average this year after being the strength of the defense the last few years. The Bengals were last in the league in sacks last year with 20, after they rang up 43 in 2013. They did cut a liability in Robert Gaethers and brought back Michael Johnson, who was a pretty bigg asset for the team in 2013 and 2012, recording 14.5 sacks combined in the two years. He did struggle last yar at Tampa bay, ut the Bengals are hoping for the old Michael this year. Carlos Dunlap was the lone bright spot on the line last year, while the Bengals are hoping that Geno Atkins can regain the form he had before tearing his ACL in 2013. This will be a better DL than last years, but it is still a weak spot of the defense. The LB Corps was very good last year and should be good this year as well, especially with the addition of AJ Hawk through Free Agency and the fact that Vontaze Burfict will be back after playing in just 5 games last year. He is one of the most dynamic LBs in the league. The secondary is the strength of this defense and has two former first round draft picks that should be starting at some point this year. Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard are ready. This is a loaded secondary overall. I see this as a possible top 10 defense this year.
This is a team that looks solid on paper. The real weakness is the defensive line but that has been addressed and i see it being an improved group this year and if it is then these team has very few weaknesses at all. The LB Corps and the secondary are both very solid , while on offense the WR corps is very dangerous with both AJ Green and Marvin Jones on the field together. The OL is improved and the running game is better with the emergence of Jeremy hill. Do not be surprised if we see both Hill and Bernard notch 900+ yards each this year. Now to the QB spot. Dalton is a fine QB, but he still does make too many mistakes and has also been labeled as the guy that can't win the big games. The Bengals did bring in Matt Schaub as some insurance behind him, so they do have a little depth there. I feel that if any year it is this year that Dalton can finally get the Bengals that elusive playoff win. Dalton really needs this to get the fans off his back. I can see the Bengals topping their win total of 8 games, winning the AFC North and getting that elusive playoff win as well.
The Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC North last year with an 11-5, but then lost in their divisional round playoff game vs the Baltimore Ravens. They are not expect to repeat last year's 11 wins as their Win Total set at 8.5 (O -135). Vegas odds have the Steelers listed at +220 to win the AFC North, +1500 to win the AFC Title and +3000 to win the Superbowl.
Last year the Pittsburgh offense ranked 7th in scoring, at 27.2 ppg, while also ranking 2nd in total yards (411.1 ypg), 2nd in passing (301.6 ypg) and 16th in rushing (109.5 ypg). The Pittsburgh offense had its best showing in a very long time and this year's edition may be every bit as good. The Offense is led buy Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for 4952 yards last year, and it finally looks like he and OC Todd Haley are on the same page now. Many feel that Ben's best years are still ahead of him and this year again he has one of the best WR corps to throw to. Antonio Brown rates as a top 3 WR in the league, to go with Markus Wheaton, Martavius Bryant and Heath Miller, who all had solid seasons as well last year. Wheaton and Bryant are still young and they will only get much better. Depth was added to the group in the form of Sammy Coates (Auburn), who they drafted in the third round, plus they resigned Darrius Heyward-Bey. The Running game is set as with Le'Veon Bell and Dri archer, plus they added DeAngelo Williams, who will take over for Bel in the early part of the year due to an upcoming suspension. The OL last year was very green, but it was talented and it allowed Ben the time he needed to get the ball downfield, plus it also allowed Bell to put up 4.7 ypc last year. It will only be a better line this year now that they have a year under their belt.
Defensively the Steelers ranked 18th in points allowed (23.0 ppg), 18th in yards allowed (353.4 ypg), 27th vs the pass (253.1 ypg) and 6th vs the run (100.3 ypg). The defense was decent last year, but did struggle vs the pass and if anything holds this team back a bit this year it will be the defense. For starters **** LeBeau is gone as DC. Keith Butler will take over and will look to use the same philosophy of of stopping the run. Last year the Steelers were 6th at stopping the run, but teams only ran 23 times per game vs them and they still allowed 4.4 rpg, which isn't really good. The DL is led by Cameron Heyward, who finally played to his potential last year and is rated as one of the best 3-4 ends in the game and he is only 25. The rest of he line is rather average at best . The LB corps is solid and does bring back Lawrence Timmons, who had 100 stops last year, but Ryan Shazier does really need to step his game up and become the player the Steelers thought he would be when they took him with their first pick in the 2014 draft. Bud Dupree was taken in tyhe first round and should step in and help right away. The secondary is the weak sot, especially with the retiring of Ttroy Polamalu, but the Steelers hope they have addressed this issue with the drafting of Senquez Golson and Doran Grant. Still this is an average secondary at best.
The Steelers are a contender for the AFC Title again, especially because their offense will be a top 5 unit again and just may top last year's numbers. They have probably the best QB-WR-RB trio in the league and that is always a very nice combination to have. The Defense was a bit below average last year and will be going through a youth movement this year, plus the have a new DC. This still is a unit with talent that should gel as the season goes on and be much better by the time the playoffs roll around. I do expect this team to be in the playoffs and battle the Ravens and Bengals for the top spot in the AFC North. The defense will probably take a step or two back and that will keep them from winning the AFC north, but they will contend for a playoff spot with a 9-7 season.
The Baltimore Ravens are off a solid 10-6 season, in which they made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs before losing a thrilling 35-31 game to the Patriots. This year Vegas has their Win Total set at 9 (O -130) and if they top that they should land back in the playoffs this year. Vegas odds have the Ravens at +160 to win the AFC North, +1200 to win the AFC Title and +2500 to win Superbowl 50.
Last year the Ravens offense ranked 8th in scoring, at 25.6 ppg, while also ranking 12th in total yards (364.9 ypg), 13th in passing (238.7 ypg) and 8th in rushing (126.2 ypg). Last year the Ravens scored 409 points, which was their highest point total in the history of the team, and they may come close to that agin this year despite the fact that both OC Gary Kubiak and WR Torrey Smith both depart. The Ravens offense is still led by Joe Flacco, who is quietly becoming one of the best QB's in the league and he will now have offensive guru Marc Trestman calling the offense for him. Trestman will have this offense putting up points for sure. Flacco does lose Smith, who was his deep threat, but he does gain first round pick Breshad Perriman, who is also a deep threat, but is faster than Smith was. He will team with Steve Smith to give this team a potent downfield threat. The Running game is in good hands with Justin Forsett, who ran for 1266 yards and 8 TDs last year. It was a breakout season for him and the Ravens brass are expecting more of the same from him this year. The OL was very solid last year and should have another solid year.
Defensively the Ravens ranked 6th in points allowed (18.9 ppg), 8th in yards allowed (336.9 ypg), 23rd vs the pass (248.7 ypg) and 4th vs the run (88.2 ypg). The Ravens defense was very good last year, but now they will attempt to duplicate that without Haloti Ngata, who is off to Detroit. Jimmy Jennigan is in his second year and will step into Ngata's spot. Still that is a down grade. The Ravens did use their 3rd and 4th picks in the draft on Carl Davis and Da'Zatius Smith, plus they added DE Casey Walker in free agency. Still this unit is down overall. The LB corps is led by Elvis Dumervile (19 sacks last year) and Terrell Suggs and they are two of the fiercest pass rushers in the leage. This unit does need to replace Parnell McPhee, but this was a very deep LB corps last year that I don't feel they will miss a beat. The secondary had many injury issues and it showed by the fact that they were 23rd vs the pass. This year they will have back Jimmy Smith, who was one of their better pass defender before getting injured. Ladarius Webb is also back but he has had back problems of late so how much they get out of him is unknown. They have added DB Tray walker with a fourth round pick and Kendrick Lewis, who has the same skill set as the departed Darian Stewart. If they stay healthy this has the makings of a solid secondary. This is a solid defense again, but I do see them taking a step back this year.
The Ravens always seem to be a dangerous team and this year it looks to be no different. The Ravens will again be a potent offensive team, but they will be going through new schemes with Trestman on board and it may take a few games for them to get rolling. Still they will put points on the board with a very strong passing game ad a better than average running game. Having a solid OL is also a plus. The Defense is solid again, but it is aging and they don't have a lot of depth on the line and in the secondary, plus they have suffered big losses with Ngata and McPhee both departing. The secondary staying healthy is a must or they will be involved in many high scoring games this year. I do expect the defense to take a step back. This is still a very good team and the division isn't all that tough, so I expect them to be in the mix for the North Title all season long. Their win total is set at 9 but im not sure they will make that. I see an 8-8 season for this team
The Cleveland Browns showed signs of improvements last year, but still they finished with a 7-9 mark on the season. They are not expect to do much more this year as their Win Total set at 6.5 (U -135). Vegas odds have the Browns listed at +1500 to win the AFC North, +5000 to win the AFC Title and +10000 to win the Superbowl.
Last year the Browns offense ranked 27th in scoring, at 18.7 ppg, while also ranking 23rd in total yards (324.6 ypg), 20th in passing (216.6 ypg) and 17th in rushing (108.0 ypg). The Cleveland offense did start out well last year, but then the injuries hit to the OL and this offense was never the same the rest of the year. This year they get the three OL back that were lot for the year, including Akex Mack, who just may be the best center in the league. Having this OL back intact is huge for this team, but still they need a QB to step up to really make the offense go. It looks as if Manziel will get the call this year, but will he be ready after spending part of the offseason in Rehab? We shall see. Still he does have a lot of work to do to be an NFL QB and should he falter then Josh McCown will step in for him. Overall this is not a solid duo at QB. The WR corp will be missing Josh Gordon for the whole season, but they did go get Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe in free agency, who both have have multiple 1000 yard receiving years in their career, Thew will team with Andrew Hawkins, who led the tam in receptions last year, to form a solid set of WRs. The Running game is in good hands with Terrence West and Isaiah Crowell as both emerged as a solid dual threat last year. The Browns took Duke Johnson in the third round for some depth. This offense should top last year's numbers.
Defensively the Browns ranked 9th in points allowed (21.1 ppg), 23rd in yards allowed (366.1 ypg), 8th vs the pass (224.5 ypg) and 32nd vs the run (141.6 ypg). The defense last year was very good vs the pass, but they struggled vs the run and used one of their first 2 draft picks to take massive nose tackle Danny Shelton, who should step in right away. A little later they got Nate Orchard and then traded up to grab Xavier Cooper. This is mostly a revamped DL, with Phil Taylor the only holdover from last year and I feel it will be a vastly improved DL. The LB Corps looks to be solid this year as they have back Paul Kruger, who had 22 sacks last year and Karlos Dansby, who had 93 tackles last year and was in the top 10 as far as inside backers in the league. Craig Robertson and Chris Kirksey rounds out what looks like a very good LB Corps. The secondary last year was one of the best in the league and they will be so again. They did lose Buster Skrine, but signed Tramon Williams to take his place. Justin Gilbert Struggled as a rookie last year, but Joe Haden, Donte Whitmer and Tashaun Gibson all had great seasons to pick up the slack. Gibson was lost in week 12, but he will be back this year. This is a talented and deep secondary. Overall this defense should be better than last year's edition.
Last year the Browns had their most wins since 2007 and it would have been interesting to see how many they wins they would have notched had their OL not been decimated by injuries and had they got at least average play from the QB spot. The Browns let Brian Hoyer go, which indicates that they are putting all their eggs in their basket on Johnny Manziel and Josh McCown. Maybe in college that would have been a good duo, but not in the pros and it has me feeling that the Browns will again struggle to score. Of course Manziel could shock everyone and have a very solid year, but I'm not banking on it. At Least not this year as he is still a work i progress and McCown behind him is not the answer. The Running game is solid, the WR Corps has been upgraded and the OL is very strong, but still this team will struggle to score again. The defense has been upgraded along the line, while the LB corps is very solid and the secondary is one of the best in the league. This defense is better than last year’s team that ranked 9th in points allowed. Can the Browns score enough points to get to at least .500 this year? I don't think so. This will be a team that will be involved in many low scoring games this year, while notching at most 6 wins. They are on the right track though.
Info Gathered From Pro Football Weekly & Athlon Sports