Who will win the AFC North?

This is it....could be.... I believe people saying the Ravens haven't seen all the players they lost this year

 

The pick from last year Vorhees was brilliant. He was injured during the combine and an absolute steal when they took him He is ready now to play this year. I watched him for a while at USC, I know his dad. Kid's a beast.

 

Bengals- Burrow the best qb in division, no matter how many MVPs the NFL keeps giving Lamar ? Is will Joe Cool make it through the season healthy?
Ravens- 2 best qb in regular season, when he has to put on thinking cap in playoffs not so good.
Steelers- this was a hard( no Watson pun intended) decision but the Browns are the Browns
Browns- watson and organization enough said

 

Bengals DW
Ravens WC

 

----------- GEEZ how can you pick anyone else except----------

 

Thats funny… Lamar actually sucks against the Steelers

 

I think that 3 teams can win the division (Bengals, Ravens, Us) but all 4 could finish last.

Bengals have the best QB but the worst overall roster
Ravens roster got worse, but still have a good overall team with a good QB
Browns have a good roster, but a poor QB and no Chubb (or less than 100% greatly hinders them)
We have a really good defense and a young offense. If the offense turns out to be league avg or better we are a playoff team easy. If we have another year like 2023, then we are going to have to scrape our way into the playoffs again.

 

My bets still on Baltimore personally. Granted, their Offensive Line took a hit this season but having Andrew Voorhees back into the fold after being out last season along with moving Daniel Faalele at guard mitigates the inside of their unit. Tyler Linderbaum is an absolute beast and easily one of the top three centers in all of football. Question for the Ravens remains at tackle; specifically Ronnie Stanley's health. He has never finished a full season; last year being his highest amount of games played since 2019.


Cincinnati is very much in the same boat for Joe Burrow. It literally all comes down to Burrow's health for he himself has not been able to stay healthy either. That wrist injury in question, a hand wrist ligament tear, is not something that is easily healed even after months of recovery and rehab. Granted, not accounting for the injury itself is the fact that Joe Burrow has finished only two of his four NFL Seasons fully; 2021 and 2022. I do believe that the JaMarr contract will solve itself but more or less, this is it in terms of window for this current iteration of the Cincinnati Bengals. If they cannot win it all with this current group, who knows how much longer it will take them to do so; doubly so in a Conference where it is getting more and more difficult with each passing season. That said, they are still a very close second should Burrow play all 17 games this season. Burrow's impact across the AFC cannot be understated; the Bengals are very much a player and a dangerous one at that whenever he is on the field.


Cleveland's success relies on DeShaun Watson. Yes, yes, I know, you have heard it before. I am not going to discuss the contract nor the value that Cleveland thought they were getting with Watson. All I can say is should Cleveland not make it this year?! All I can say to their entire Roster is ouch as Watson's contract is massive.





Pittsburgh has actually posted the best record vs their division relative to other NFL teams. Problem is, that isn't all to sorting out who the division winner is. What is going to either sink or swim the 2024 Steelers is, coincidentally enough, the amount of resources they have invested into the Offensive Line. Given how the group is a young one at that with so many moving parts, growing pains are going to be very noticeable. The general consensus is that Russell Wilson is going to be the X Factor of the 2024 Steelers from the individual perspective. I believe that honor should belong to Broderick Jones. His preseason performance left a lot to be desired. His injury to his elbow is also one to monitor. What is going to be even more interesting as the season goes on is if Broderick can finally unseat Dan Moore as the teams starting Left Tackle.

 

Good read as usual sir

 

I just wanted to reply to the first paragraph. The Ravens seem to be great at drafting players that the Steelers should've. Linderbaum and Faalele being prime examples

 

I remember wanting Linderbaum badly. For that matter, me and @mac daddyo both did.


Problem was, whether or not Linderbaum was going to be good had nothing to do with how atrocious Mitchell Trubisky was. That said and, this is going to sound even more crazy but perhaps drafting Linderbaum could have alleviated the ineptitude of a rushing attack.

 

I wanted him badly too. It was a big blunder for the Steelers not picking him. I agree that he could've been the catalyst for the entire Steelers O-line the last couple of years. I thought they should've drafted Faalele too when they had the chance, the guy is humongous. I had him at guard, even though he played tackle in college

 

Faalele has no business being a Tackle anyhow. However, the fact that he is as athletic enough to man that spot as a Tackle given his frame should have been a clear indicator he would be a match made in heaven as an IOL. Now, most men his size simply don't have the required leverage needed to move to the inside. Daniel isn't beating the likes of RaShawn Slater or even a more comparable talent in Orlando Brown in that department but his leverage is more than enough to be a Guard.

 

And Yet we have beaten the Ravens 7 out of the last 8 games.

 

That is ironic

 

And if Trubisky didn't throw 2, or 3 ints in that one ....it would be 8 of the last 8

 

Tomlin def has the Ravens number

 

Just like he had Andy Reid number until Mahomes. Funny how Qbs change things

 

Agreed, but how long is it going to take Tomlin to get a good qb? That is the question. Ramon Foster said on DK sports, he wasn’t happy with the 2 qbs we got. He would rather we drafted and groomed a franchise qb.
Well, we did try with KFP

 

Okay?!


The Offensive Line is still, very much, a problem. Rather, it is now finally going steps in the right direction. How long will that take will depend on a lot of factors; some of which I had already discussed in great detail. However, none of this is my point overall in 2024.


Beating your opponents in the division pays off in a big way in terms of winning the division. It isn't the only way though; the total sum of the record being key.

 

However anyone tries spinning it....We beat our division rivals 7 out of 8 times. I know this for some reason bothers Steelers fans that are Lamar Jackson fans, but it is what it is, and as long as Tomlin is HCs.....running Qbs have a big problem with our D. Cam Newton has never beaten us....D. Watson has never beaten us, and Lamar Jackson has only beaten us once....in overtime....with Duck Hodges as the Qb. You win Your division 1st, and foremost. I have never known a HC, or heard a HC not say that was true.

 

Zero respect for the Browns!!! Awesome!!!

 

You are misinterpreting beating the ravens vs winning the division.


Pittsburgh has gotten the better of Baltimore for some time now. As you said, 7 out of 8 times since Lamar has been QB. That said, Baltimore has won the division more times than Pittsburgh has since 2019; Baltimore having 2 total AFC North Crowns in 2019 and 2023 to Pittsburghs one in 2020. Even with that said, none of that is paramount to the topic.


What is paramount is which team is best equipped to win the division. Baltimore still possesses arguably the best roster not just in the AFC North but the AFC as a whole. Kansas City can stake the claim that their roster is better but Patrick Mahomes tilts even the biggest shortcomings that the Chiefs have back to the Chiefs way. As for the AFC North?! Again;


Cincinnati's season will come down to the health of Joe Burrow.

Cleveland's is down to DeShaun Watson; whatever remains of him anyway at this point.

Pittsburghs will depend on both Russell Wilson and how quickly the young Offensive Line can gel.



That is all I am saying. Nothing else.

 

The game outside of the division matter too....Ravens were 3-3 vs AFC north last year but 10-1 in every others game and they were in the AFC title game....same thing for the bengals in 2022.3-3 vs AFC north but 9-1 in other game and in the AFC title game

Last year,the steelers were 5-1 vs AFC north and they don't win the division because they were 5-6 against others team.....The question in this thread is who will win the AFC north?

The Ravens have also been further than us in the playoffs 3 times in the last 4 years even if the steelers were 7-1 in those matchup.I'd rather be 3-3 against the AFC north this year but go further in the playoffs than the ravens,bengals or browns!

 

Only thing Cleveland beating Pittsburgh in is baseball. I expect an ass kicking the next 3 days.