The AFC North had mostly been ruled by the powerhouse Steelers until recent years. With the Ravens taking home the Super Bowl two years ago and the Bengals making the playoffs three straight years, it has been a three-team race, and an exciting one. The one constant we can always count on, besides death and taxes, is the Cleveland Browns futile attempt at relevancy in the AFC North. Will 2014 be any different?
2014 AFC North Predictions
Cincinnati Bengals: 2013 Season Record (11-5)
The ‘Red Rifle,’ Andy Dalton, has been under a lot of scrutiny the past three seasons in Cincinnati. Dalton has led the Bengals to three straight playoff appearances, all the while accumulating 80 touchdowns with only 49 interceptions. He threw for an impressive 4,293 yards last season. Each year he has had improvements in yards passing, yards-per-attempt, touchdowns, season wins, and passer rating. On paper his three-year career looks legendary. But not everything in football can be quantified by stats. Dalton has been abysmal come playoff time when it all matters. He is 0-3 with the offense accounting for a paltry 11 points-per-game. And the losses were more a part of his failure than the rest of the team.
He is surrounded by some great talent. A.J. Green is one of the best wide receivers to enter the NFL in quite some time. Dalton will have some nice additional weapons to throw to in Marvin Jones, who exploded onto the scene last year, Mohamed Sanu, and tight end Tyler Eifert. They also have a deep running attack with Giovani Bernard, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and rookie Jeremy Hill to keep the chains moving. With a solid defense, the Bengals are expected to take the AFC North in 2014, and anything less will have the fans screaming for a new quarterback. Many people fail to realize that Peyton Manning began his playoff career 0-3 and didn’t win his first game until season five, so let’s see how 2014 plays out for Dalton before we call for his head.
With a demanding schedule and the departure of both coordinators Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer, I expect a slight regression for the Bengals. People close to the organization have said that these were the top two coaches, ahead of Marvin Lewis. It will definitely be an adjustment losing both, but the talent on this roster should be able to make another playoff appearance. What they do with it remains to be seen.
2014 Projection: 10-6
Pittsburgh Steelers: 2013 Season Record (8-8)
The Steelers somehow always find a way to stay in the mix, even when they are in a rebuilding mode. The aging Steelers struggled, but regrouped and finished off the season on a 6-2 run. Antonio Brown emerged as one of the best receivers in the NFL last season, amassing almost 1,500 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. He was the first ever player to catch at least five balls and get 50 yards or more in every single game in a season. He is a dynamic playmaker and a speedy punt returner that will keep the Steelers in the mix again in 2014.
Ben Roethlisberger arguably had his best season ever, throwing for 28 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions with over 4,200 yards passing. The aging veteran is the Steelers all-time leader in almost every category (wins, passing touchdowns, passing completions, and passing yards). He has taken a beating though, as the offensive line offers little protection. Luckily at 6’5” and 241 pounds, Big Ben has been able to withstand the throttling quite well.
He will benefit with the addition of wide receiver Lance Moore from New Orleans and running back LeGarrette Blount from New England, as the Steelers should be able to battle the Ravens and Bengals in a three horse race for the division crown. With a lot of aging players on the roster, though, the Steelers will need to keep rebuilding at some areas. Expect them to improve, ever-so-slightly, over last season’s 8-8 record.
2014 Projection: 9-7
Baltimore Ravens: 2013 Season Record (8-8)
After an amazing feat to make the playoffs, capped off by a mesmerizing 30-yard run by Ray Rice on 4th and 29, the Ravens caught fire and went on to win Super Bowl XLVII. It was a Hollywood ending to the career of Ray Lewis, as they held off the 49ers 34-31 at the Superdome. 2013 saw the Ravens lose many key pieces to the championship team, and they struggled their way to a .500 season.
The offensive line in Baltimore is not much better than Pittsburgh, as Joe Flacco was on the run more often than not last season. Flacco had a down year, tossing more interceptions than touchdowns. Ray Rice seemed like he was running through quicksand at times. He was slow and seemed a shadow of his former self. His yards-per-carry fell from 4.4 to a measly 3.1 last season. If the Ravens have any chance of regaining the division crown, they will need Rice to return to his former self once he returns from his suspension.
The offense was in disarray in 2013, as they scored more than 22 points on just four occasions, and fewer that 19 points on eight occasions. You won’t win many games in today’s NFL with that kind of performance. Expect a few glimpses of improvement in 2014, but much of the same as Baltimore fights to stay around .500.
2014 Projection: 8-8
Cleveland Browns: 2013 Season Record (4-12)
Do we need to talk any more about Johnny Manziel? ESPN and the likes have beaten that to death. I’m not sure if he will pan out in the NFL yet, but I agree that Brian Hoyer should be the starter for now. Manziel has done nothing to earn the starting job, and Cleveland could go nowhere if he failed out of the gate. In the first three games of the season, the Browns will face the Steelers, the Saints, and the Ravens before heading into a Week 4 bye. Those are three grueling matches, and I fully expect the Browns to begin the season with an 0-3 record. What better time to bring “Johnny Football” into the mix after three straight losses? It will be interesting to watch.
If you want a rookie to keep on your radar in 2014, look for first-round cornerback Justin Gilbert out of Oklahoma State. He has all the tools to be a future Pro Bowl standout. For now, he will complement one of the top four corners in the game in Joe Haden. Haden gets little respect because he plays in Cleveland and he is so good that quarterbacks don’t even throw his way, so his stats may not reflect that of Darrelle Revis, Richard Sherman, and Patrick Peterson. The duo looks to be one of the top three cornerback tandems in the NFL.
Add in stud left tackle Joe Thomas, and the Browns looked like they could have been a team to make the leap in 2014. That was all until Josh Gordon got suspended for marijuana use for the entire 2014 season. Hoyer, or Manziel, will have little to throw to now except for tight end Jordan Cameron. With the addition of Ben Tate at running back, and potentially Cameron and Gordon playing on the field at the same time, the future looked bright.
But at the end of the day, the Browns are the Browns and always will be. Instead, they have a circus media show in town with the Manziel gamble (which may pan out one day), and they have their best young player out for the whole season and the balance of his career waiting in the wings. Cleveland will struggle early and often en route to a five-win season. On the bright side, it’s one win more than last year. Way to go ‘Dawg Pound.’ Looks like another year of death and taxes in Cleveland in 2014.
2014 Projection (5-11)
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