The AFC North is synonomus with smash mouth, punch you in the face football. The games are fierce. The rivalries are even fiercer. The worst team in the division probably has the best fans in the division. It's intense to watch.
Over the past couple of seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers have dominated this division. With their running approach, the Steelers have hit the hardest and as a result have two Super Bowl rings to show for it.
However, with Ben Roethlisberger being suspended for at least the first four games of the season, there might be a new king of the North in the AFC.
We do know this, there will be a lot of hitting and bloodshed in the division this year...
1. Baltimore Ravens (2009 Record: 9-7 2nd AFC North: 2010 Prediction: 13-3)
The biggest thing with the Ravens is Anquan Boldin. The Ravens acquired the Cardinals #2 receiver hoping to make him a number one receiver. A lot of people have been concerned that Boldin won't be able to put up the same numbers without Larry Fitzgerald. Remember how good Boldin was in his rookie season? 101 catches, 1,377 yards, 8 TD...without Fitz. The only concern will be if he stays healthy and if he does, Joe Flacco will be a very happy man.
Pair this with Ray Rice rushing for the Ravens and the always dangerous Ravens defense, the Ravens could be one of the best teams in the AFC. The only concern at this point is the Ravens secondary which is filled with retreads and players coming off of injury.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (2009 Record: 9-7 3rd AFC North; 2010 Prediction: 10-6)
Ben Roethlisberger will miss the first four games of the season, at least. Sounds like bad news right? Wrong. I have the Steelers going 3-1 in their first four games this year, with the lone loss coming to the Ravens. They start out with Atlanta at home, then travel to Tennessee and Tampa Bay. If the suspension lasts two more games, tack on a home game against Cleveland and a trip to Miami.
The Steelers will have to abandon the pass happy attack that was used last year and revert back to their ground-and-pound approach that got them two rings. That will put the pressure on Rashard Mendenhall who will be the guy after Willie Parker's departure. If he can put up numbers, the Steelers will be in good shape.
Defensively, the Steelers should get a huge boost from the return of S Troy Polamalu. A lot of people were wondering what was wrong with their defense last year and I think that it was just missing a lot of hair. Quarterbacks know where Polamalu is at all times and if he was back there, I'm sure a lot of games would have went the other way had Polamalu been on the field. He'll be there this year, but I don't think it will be enough to win the division.
3. Cincinnati Bengals (2009 Season: 10-6, 1st AFC North; 2010 Prediction: 6-10)
The most explosive team in the NFL takes the field...and we're not talking on the field. Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco may be friends right now, but if Carson Palmer throws to the same guy too much, watch out.
It's clear they both want to win, but there are a lot of question marks around the rest of the offense as well. Was last year an abberation of Cedric Benson? Will Andre Caldwell be the guy to replace Chris Henry, the explosive slot receiver who was killed in a freak accident last season? Is Carson Palmer fully recovered from an elbow injury after a disappointing 2009 season?
The defense should still be solid however, but they have no pass rush. They'll get Antwaan Odom back after he tore his Achilles' tendon early last season, and they have terriffic corners and linebackers. Even with the addition of Owens, I feel that the defense will be the key to winning games this season.
4. Cleveland Browns (2009 Record: 5-11, 4th AFC North; 2010 Projection: 2-14)
If you place bets on who will get the number one overall pick in next years draft...throw money down on the Browns or Rams. The Browns won their last three games last season, but I'm still not impressed.
Jerome Harrison blew up in the final three games last season, but he put up over 30 carries in all three games. If you get the ball enough, of course you're going to put up huge numbers! The Browns don't even have faith in him as they drafted Montario Hardesty this offseason, but he's had injury problems and is already hurt.
They upgraded at quarterback with Jake Delhomme, but that's not saying much based off of how he played for Carolina last year. Also, the wide receiver corps is very weak.
The Browns also have a very weak defense. They'll get D'Qwell Jackson and they added CB Joe Haden in the draft, but I can't see this being a very good team yet. Maybe a #1 pick would help them down the road...
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