AFC North is up for grabs
September 28th, 2009 | NFL
The AFC North is up for grabs. Yesterday was a telling day for a lot of teams in the NFL. But in the AFC North, things got a little cloudy. Before the season I picked the Bengals to finish third in the division. Currently, the Ravens are sitting in first, the Bengals second, the Steelers are third, and the Browns are in the basement. Before anyone makes any postseason plans, we have to remember how long the season is. Players and coaches are quick to say that its a marathon, not a sprint. Each team in the AFC North is strong in some areas and weak in others. So all four teams will have to bring it each and every week. The Ravens are not as good as their 3-0 record and they could be 2-1, and the Browns ARE as bad as their 0-3 record. The Bengals could be 3-0, as everyone keeps saying, or the Bengals could also easily be 1-2. The Steelers could be 3-0 with the three close games that they have had, and they could also be 0-3. So that tells me that health and consistent play from defenses will go a long way in deciding the AFC North. It should be fun for every team but Cleveland. Like I said before the season, the Browns players look like they are not having fun. I think that is a result of the Eric Mangini regime. The Ravens are winning by passing the ball and big plays on defense. The Steelers don’t look to be up for a challenge every week, so they will struggle more than expected. And the Bengals will be in every single game. They are good enough on both sides of the ball, but they just have to play better in both areas to take the next step. Next week will be big as well because all four teams in the division play each other again.
8 Responses to AFC North is up for grabs
Ron E
September 28th, 2009 at 9:13 am
JT I couldn’t agree more, I’ve very excited about the season.
An impressive win against the Steelers, paired with an impressive win against the Packers. Both games were not impressive in the fact that the Bengals dominated the other team, they were close games and the Bengals were lucky to win them. They were impressive because the Bengals were able to bounce back from many setbacks and pull through for the win. This is something we have not seen from the Bengals in a very long time. Last year or the year before that, this team would have folded. The Bengals need to hold it together, stay healthy and keep improving, they can not afford a letdown. Things look pretty good this week for the Fans, but lose against the Browns and people will jump off the bandwagon in droves.
Going into the season, I thought the Bengals offense would return to 2005 form and the improved defense will take them to an 11-5 record. After the opening day loss, I thought maybe 8-8. Looking ahead, they have 5 games they are supposed to win, Browns (2), Raiders, Lions, Chiefs. The fact that they beat the Steelers and Packers, they can beat anyone, but they were shaky, so I’ll guess 4-4 for the other 8 tough games, plus I have to say at least 1 of the 5 other games will be a loss. This would put the Bengals at a very realistic 10-6. If they continue to struggle and don’t improve they still could very easily go 7-9, but if they improve, eliminate mistakes, and stay healthy we could see this team finish as high as 13-3.
Remember too, Andre Smith may eventually be an upgrade RT which would go a long way to help this offense, the running game, the passing game and the defense too.
TechGuy
September 28th, 2009 at 10:29 am
I enjoy weeks 3 & 4 of a season because the commentators finally stop projecting games based on the previous year and start evaluating based on that season’s talent.
I have not seen any of the Ravens games, and I would love to hear more on what you see as their weaknesses. Just from scores and highlights, they seem near flawless.
I also think that the Steelers will continue to struggle in the absence of a strong running game. Until they get that fixed, I think they will be an average, 8-8 team.
Ron E
September 28th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Checking out the recaps/box scores of the previous weeks, the Ravens sound kind of like the Steelers. They have become a passing team, but they have not struggled to run, they just don’t run as much. Their defense has stopped the run pretty well, but has been pretty bad against the pass. The Ravens have done much better overall, but they played the Chiefs, Chargers, and Browns while the Steelers have played the Titans, Bears, and Bengals. The Chargers defense has struggled, so if the Bengals can do what the Chargers offense did and thier defense can stop the Ravens, then the Bengals could win that game. Only time will tell, but first, the Bengals have to beat the Browns.
JT
September 29th, 2009 at 7:49 am
The Ravens are a good solid team. They still pressure you on defense and their offense can pass a little more now which makes them dangerous. I think Cam Cameron is underrated as a OC. And Hue Jackson’s work with Flacco is good. Bengals need a big win this week to set up a showdown in Baltimore.
Babylonian
September 29th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
That game (Bengals @ Ravens) is going to be awesome. I just hope the Bengals can smooth out the offense. If they try to comeback in the 4th quarter every game, I am going to have a heart-attack.
The Ravens will get introduced t Cincinnati’s Ray-Ray
John
September 29th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
I’d still like to see them open up the offense some more, instead of trying to establish an identity as a grinder team. Put your team up a couple scores and take some pressure off the defense.
Having said that, I’m very encouraged by Palmer. Yes he’s made some early mistakes this year, causing some to question if he still has “it”. But he has delivered 3 clutch drives in 3 games.
At the risk of stating the ridiculously obvious, Palmer makes this team, on both sides of the ball. The poise he has when the pressure is elevated has a rallying effect on the team. With him in the game, we can be down, but not out. The whole team I think has bought into the fact that he can go get those points when need be. So what you see is everyone playing 100%, even if the chips are down, even after a miserable first half in the Pittsburgh game, because of their confidence in him.
The season is still early. There are still plenty of areas for improvement. We need to focus on putting Cleveland down before we start thinking of the Ravens. The Browns game needs to be a statement game for us. Another nail biter finish and you have to wonder if we are truly a contender or just another pretender. Put them down hard and fast. Then lets talk about the Ravens.
JT
September 29th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Every game for the Bengals is a big game. They won’t take the Browns lightly.
Ron E
September 30th, 2009 at 6:31 am
I wonder if Palmer asked for his hat before they drove down the field to score the winning TD.