AFC NORTH PREVIEW
AFC NORTH PREVIEW
By Adam Kiefaber
2006 Standings
BALTIMORE RAVENS: 13-3 (won division title)
CINCINNATI BENGALS: 8-8
PITTSBURGH STEELERS: 8-8
CLEVELAND BROWNS: 4-12
2007 prediction NFLonlinewagering.com
CINCINNATI BENGALS: 11-5 (will make playoffs)
- QB Carson Palmer is completely healthy this season and has plenty of weapons on offense. They lost a lot on defense, however the defense got younger and faster. Linebacker Ahmad Brooks will have to step up and become a playmaker. Any thing less than a playoff run will be a disappointment for this talented team.
BALTIMORE RAVENS: 11-5 (will make playoffs)
- The Ravens are aging, but they still have a few years left in that dominating defense. If defense truly wins championships the Ravens would be playing in the Super Bowl this season. You have to be well-balanced, Steve McNair isn’t the same player, but the Ravens upgraded their backfield with the addition of Willis McGahee. McNair loves to toss the screen and dump passes and McGahee’s game fits that perfectly. A lot better than it fitted Jamal Lewis’ game. Like Cincinnati, this team could contend for a Super Bowl.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS: 8-8
- The Steelers will have a new head coach in Mike Tomlin after Bill Cowher retired after the ’06 season. You can’t look past this team; they have most of their Super Bowl team intact. They obviously can be better than 8-8, however their coaching staff could clash. Tomlin wants to run, the new OC wants to pass. Tomlin is an expert in zone coverage, DC Dick Lebeau favors the zone blitz. This is a really tough division and Pittsburgh will be in battle with Baltimore and Cincinnati.
CLEVELAND: 3-13
- Poor Brownies, this team might have improved more than any team in the NFL. Granted they couldn’t get much worse, but the record in ’07 isn’t going to show their improvement. Head coach Romeo Crennel has built a solid foundation and could be on the hot seat. It would be a shame if Crennel is fired at the end of year, the AFC North is too competitive for the Browns to have a chance.
2007 predictions Sporting News
CINCINNATI BENGALS: 10-6 (publication has team winning the division)
BALTIMORE RAVENS: 9-7 (publication has team making the playoffs)
PITTSBURGH STEELERS: 7-9
CLEVELAND BROWNS: 3-13
Athlon Sports
1- BALTIMORE RAVENS: (publication has team winning the division)
2- CINCINNATI BENGALS: (publication has team just missing the playoffs)
3- PITTSBURGH STEELERS:
4- CLEVELAND BROWNS:
