Football season is back, and it feels like it has been forever since we last saw NFL action. Last year, I decided to do a division-by-division preview to kick off the NFL season. I enjoyed making my predictions and getting a good look at every NFL team last season, so I decided to do it again this year. In this series, I will be giving a general outlook for each team heading into the new season as well as highlighting one player to anoint as the potential difference maker for the team. The most fun thing about this is revisiting the articles at the end of the season to see how much has changed since the preseason and how much I got wrong or right. My funniest prediction last year was probably the NFC West. I had the Seahawks going 1-16 and the Rams winning the division with a 12-5 record. The Rams prediction wasn’t too far-fetched because they were coming off of a Super Bowl winning season, but the Seahawks one was definitely a little too bold. There weren’t a lot of notable changes in the AFC North this offseason, so I don’t anticipate things to be a lot different from last year. It will be a tough division to get wins and the winner of the division will have to claw their way to the top. My prediction is that that defense will prevail in the AFC North. So, without further ado, here are my predictions for the AFC North.

1: Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6)

I haven’t seen any experts pick the Steelers to win the division, but I’m willing to gamble a little bit and say that they will turn the corner this season. Obviously, the big question mark for them will be Kenny Pickett? Will he finally show that he is capable of leading the franchise? I think he will improve quite a bit this season. If not, Mitch Trubisky is still an option. A great option, no, but an option nonetheless. The Steelers O-Line is serviceable, and Pickett will have plenty of weapons to hand or throw the ball off to. Their defense is going to be the strong suit though. Some think that the Steelers D will be a little overrated, but I believe all of the hype. If this defense can stay mostly healthy, I think they will definitely be Top 5 by the end of the season. The Steelers re-upped two former Charlotte 49ers this offseason on defense as well. Larry Ogunjobi and Alex Highsmith both received big deals from Pittsburgh and they will both be key players on the opposite side of the ball. Cole Holcomb was also a big signing for the Steel Curtain. Patrick Peterson was added to the secondary and even though his age is a factor, I think he still has plenty of magic left. To end the preview for the Steelers, I think we will be hearing Pickett to Pickens all season long. Of course, I may be a little bold here, but I think they are capable of taking back the AFC North.

Difference Maker: RB, Najee Harris

I usually don’t pick the star players on the team for the difference maker category, but I think this is warranted. Harris had somewhat of a down year last season, but in all reality, he really didn’t. He just wasn’t as involved in the offense as he was in 2021. It could be considered a boom or bust year for the 2021 1st-Rounder. He played through a foot injury last season and has yet to miss a game in his NFL career. He is a tough runner and I expect him to bounce back this year.

2: Cincinnati Bengals (11-6)

Most people probably have either the Bengals or Ravens winning the AFC North this season, but I think they will fall just short. Considering how strong the teams should be within the division, teams that don’t clinch the division should not have too tough of a time getting into the playoffs. So, why do I have the Bengals not winning the division? Well, Joe Burrow’s leg injury concerns me. If he is already having injury concerns before the preseason starts, that is cause for concern. This team was obviously built around Joe Burrow, but if Burrow isn't playing, who is next? Trevor Siemian is next in line. If Burrow out more than like 3 or 4 games this season, 11 wins is being very generous. I will go ahead and say they will win 8 games or less if Burrow misses a significant amount of games. The Bengals also lost some key pieces on defense in Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates. Their D-Line should be solid as usual, but the secondary appears to be lacking. On the offensive side, they obviously have very good targets in Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. Joe Mixon hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down, but he is entering his 7th season, so that is something to keep in mind. The O-Line got a much-needed boost with the signing of Orlando Brown Jr. from the Chiefs. If Burrow is fine and his injury is being blown a little out of proportion, then I think the Bengals will likely top the AFC North yet again, however, I don’t think having an injured franchise QB in Week 1 is exactly a sign of positivity. I think the Bengals are a little overhyped this season due to their success in the last two seasons. Their defense will be below average, and Trevor Siemian will not step up in the way that they need him to if Burrow is out of action for more than 3 or 4 games. I think I am being very generous with 11 wins.

Difference Maker: LT, Orlando Brown Jr.

One of the big issues with the Bengals in their resurgence has been the offensive line. At this point, they have no excuse. They have to protect their franchise QB. Well, they put in an $64 million security guard for Burrow this offseason. Brown is entering his 6th season in the NFL and has protected Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes during his career. I’d say he’s pretty good at his job. He did his part in helping the Chiefs win the Super Bowl last season and the Bengals hope he is the missing link for their team this season.

3: Baltimore Ravens (10-7)

The Ravens are always in the mix. Even if they are forgettable from time-to-time. Lamar Jackson was one of the big storylines during the offseason and he got that bag. His contract status was a big issue and the Ravens were never fully committed to the scrambling QB until this offseason. The Ravens and Lamar agreed to a 5-year, $260 million deal for the franchise QB and I think they did the right thing. I feel like at this point the Ravens had to sign him. Whether or not the deal will pay off is another thing, but I guess we’ll see how that unfolds. To aid Jackson on offense, they went out and signed Odell Beckham Jr. to an $18 million deal. Other than that, they were pretty quiet in the offseason. They drafted Zay Flowers in the 1st Round and many expect him to fill the void of Hollywood Brown from a couple seasons ago. Their defense appears to be a Top 10 unit and I can't really spot any glaring weaknesses on that side of the ball. This season will ultimately come down the health of their offense. Can Lamar stay healthy? He is entering his 6th season and while he didn’t have any concerns in the first half of his career, the last two seasons have been less than ideal for him. He played hurt quite a bit and the team suffered because of it. When he is healthy, Jackson is a top-level talent, so the success of the Ravens beyond the regular season will ultimately depend on Jackson’s health.

Difference Maker: RB, JK Dobbins

I feel like I am going to go all offense for my difference makers this year, but Dobbins could ignite the Ravens offense and take them to another level. However, that all depends on one thing. Can he stay on the field? Dobbins has only played 23 games. He was drafted in 2020. Dobbins runs hard, and he averages around 6 yards per carry. That is an insane number. Dobbins will be the difference maker for the Ravens if he can remain healthy. Don’t be surprised if we are talking about him among the top RBs this year.

4: Cleveland Browns (7-10)

The Browns are still a bit of an unknown and that really shouldn’t be the case at this point. They went out and got their franchise QB and all of their problem should be solved, right? Wrong. I believe that the Browns will never be a Super Bowl contender and they certainly won’t be this season. If Deshaun Watson can return to way he played in Houston, then they may have a shot to go back to the playoffs, but until proven otherwise, the Browns will forever be in the back half of the league. This season will prove whether the gamble will pay off or if the Browns made the worst deal in NFL history. I’m leaning towards the latter at the moment. With that being said, their defense will keep them in games. Za’Darius Smith was a big get for the Browns this offseason. He had 10 sacks with the Vikings in his lone season with them. In fact, He was my choice for the Vikings difference maker last season. Nick Chubb will look to capitalize on the best season of his career and aside from him, the Browns should be a solid team, but I’m just not buying it. On paper, they look great, but will they be cohesive? I guess we shall find out.

Difference Maker: FS, Juan Thornhill

The newly acquired safety from Kansas City will be a huge addition to the Browns D. Thornhill is a 2-time Super Bowl Champion and the Browns hope that his presence in the defensive backfield will make opposing offenses make bad decisions. He signed a 3-year deal this offseason and should immediately make an impact for the team.

Yacs

2023 AFC North Preview