Latest AFC North standings
By: Jake Rajala
There is no secret: Aaron Rodgers has joined the Pittsburgh Steelers and he looks to win a Super Bowl before riding off into the sunset. However, his division (AFC North) isn’t a lousy pack. There have been Super Bowl contenders in the AFC North over the past several seasons. With that said, I’m going to rank these AFC North squads (which recently welcomed Aaron Rodgers) to the best of my ability.
4. Cleveland Browns
There is no best way of saying this: the Browns are a putrid bunch. They don’t have a Top-15 QB and their defense ranked 27th in PPG allowed last season. Myles Garrett clearly can’t save them. Their owner even admitted they swung and missed with Deshaun Watson. Mason Graham can really help the Browns defense, but I feel their pass rush won’t beat Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
As you can notice, the Steelers didn’t exactly move up one or two spots. The Steelers have A-Rod and T.J. Watt, but I don’t love the weapons on the Steelers offense. They strangely moved on from George Pickens, who has been dominating as a Cowboy. DK Metcalf is the same caliber as Davante Adams, who couldn’t save A-Rod last season. I can’t say there will be a big difference with Metcalf. I don’t believe he will transcend into Calvin Johnson.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
Their defense isn’t potent. To make matters worse, Trey Hendrickson’s future with Cincy is up in the air. I hope he gets paid, as he recorded 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons. The Bengals arguably have a Top-3 WR tandem (with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins) in the league. They can put up Madden numbers often. I’d still like to see the Bengals improve their defense, even if they can get by winning a lot of games against poor foes with a subpar defense. I don’t believe the Bengals would get enough draft compensation for Hendrickson to add three to four quality starters across their defense.
1. Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson was a Top-3 MVP candidate last season. His RB was an OPOY candidate last season, too. It’s even scarier that the Ravens were eighth in PPG allowed last season! They were also second in sacks, too! I’d like to see Lamar and Henry each run for over 100 yards in a game with no turnovers in each playoff battle. The Ravens are one of the cream of the crop Super Bowl contenders, alongside Detroit, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Buffalo.
The AFC North has three teams that could make the playoffs in my opinion. Cincy had a winning record last season but failed to arrive at the gates of the post-season. The Steelers have a better QB this season, so they should improve by 1-2 more wins. I would be utterly surprised if the Browns came out of their schedule, especially with their brutal division, with a ticket to the playoffs. As for the Ravens, they could be a team that gets the number one seed.
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