The AFC North is wild. And not wild in a good way. Somehow, the Browns and the Ravens would lose their Head Coaches. The Browns would make the playoffs and win their first matchup over the Chargers. Coach Rosco of the Browns suddenly stepped down at the end of the year. We still don’t know what caused that decision. After a tough season, the Ravens still could have made the playoffs…if they were in the NFC. The AFC was too tough. So much that three teams over .500 could not make the playoffs. The Bengals were one of those teams, as they also ended up with the same 9-7 record as the Ravens. The Steelers never clicked from the start. Coach G (Steelers Head Coach) has claimed that his team will be back in contention. Let’s talk about it.
Browns-To start last season, the Browns were on a roll. Unfortunately, nothing was the same after an embarrassing loss to the Cowboys. The Browns would go from a guaranteed team to make the playoffs to a team that barely made it in, with three teams in the AFC North ending up with the same 9-7 record. With little money to spend, the Browns would have to let Newsome walk. But Newsome was not the only guy who ended up walking in the offseason. Nick Chubb, who carried the Browns throughout the season, would end up signing with the Bucs. And after news broke that the Browns tried to finesse the system, Deshaun Watson was waived. The Browns will be nowhere near the team they were last season. Coach MadSticks will have his work cut out for him.
Ravens– Following the firing of Coach Jalen, the Ravens would hire Coach Blizz. And I have to ask the question. If the Ravens could not get the job done with Coach Jalen, will Coach Blizz be able to save them? I think he will be able to. Remember, the Ravens got off to a slow start to the season. If they had never had that slow start, they would have won the division. This team has the roster to compete now (90 ovr). But time may be running out. As the AFC gets better and better, will the Ravens continue to fall into irrelevancy?
Bengals– The Bengals were another team over .500 that ended up missing the playoffs. Although their offense features one of the best WR duos (Chase and Adams) and one of the best quarterbacks (Joe Burrow), the Bengal’s defense would cost them more games than a few. The Bengals looked to fix that by drafting defensive tackle Oatis with their 18th pick. If the Bengals get better defensively this season, they will easily make the playoffs. But there is a trend going on around the league. Teams are scoring more points than ever, so defense is a must. But this division did get weaker, so even without defense, the Bengals may still be able to win the division.
Steelers– This is one of the teams I was very shocked to see at the bottom of the league. Coach B has a history of making an average team a problem. However, last season was different. Coach B has put last season’s disappointment on his shoulders and has claimed that this season will be much different. The superstars on this team are getting older. But even with those superstars on the roster, let’s say age was not a factor; I’m still not sure that this team will be able to compete in the AFC.
AGS AFC North Division Winner Prediction: Bengals. Even with no defense in sight, I believe the Bengal’s offense will be enough to help them win the division. Joe Shiesty, Chase, and Adams should do much damage this season. No team in this division matches up well with the Bengals at all. And for that reason, I have the Bengals easily winning the division.
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