Previewing the 2022 NFL Season: AFC North Edition
Now this is a division everyone is dying to see play out. Second only to the AFC West, this will no doubt end up being the most competitive and scrutinized division in the league. Outside of the Bengals, there’s plenty of question marks and juicy drama with the other three starting quarterbacks in the division that could lead to some fascinating storylines as the season progresses. Let’s get to the rankings:
1. CINCINNATI BENGALS
Last year I predicted the Bengals would finish dead last in the AFC North. Joe Burrow and the Bengals laughed at that prediction all season long and made it all the way to the Super Bowl after going 4-11-1 in 2020 thanks to Burrow suffering serious knee damage that ended his and the Bengals’ season early. Their run last year, shocking as it was, proves beyond a doubt that Joe Burrow is the real deal and that he and Ja’Marr Chase could end up being the next all-time great QB/WR combo in the national football league. Most teams that lose the Super Bowl get worse the following year due to the dreaded Super Bowl “hangover” but the Bengals could be poised for another run at it considering that, on paper, they actually got better, not worse. Their biggest issue last year was their subpar offensive line and they fixed it and then some this off- season. If Burrow was able to light the league up while getting his ass handed to him behind that porous offensive line just imagine what he’s going to do with time to throw the ball. Look for the Bengals to make another deep run this year if health permits.
2. BALTIMORE RAVENS
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are at a crossroads right now. As of this writing Lamar is going to be playing the 2022 season under his fifth year option without a max contract extension. Many fans around the league, myself included, don’t understand the Ravens’ unwillingness to shell out the dough that Jackson has more than earned over the last several seasons. The simple fact is that the team underperformed last year due to an ungodly amount of injuries to every single position on the team, not because of Lamar’s play. True, he still turns the ball over at the worst possible moments from time to time but without Lamar this Ravens team wouldn’t even be in the discussion for the playoffs. The team is still very talented and John Harbaugh is a hell of a coach, but it’s Lamar’s dual threat status that keeps opposing team’s defenses on their heels all game because he can kill you with his arm and his legs at a moment’s notice. All that being said, if the Ravens underperform and Lamar fails to lead them to the playoffs for the second year in a row then next off-season will be very interesting in charm city because Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti isn’t one for tolerating mediocrity for long. My take? Despite how loaded the AFC is...the Ravens will compete for the playoffs as a wild card team to the bitter end. Expect to see Lamar’s best football since his MVP season in 2019.
3. CLEVELAND BROWNS
Ok, here’s where things get murky. So, as you all know, the Browns kicked former first overall pick Baker Mayfield to the curb in exchange for Deshaun Watson. I’m not going to get into the long, sad and disturbing history of Watson’s transgressions but if you’ve been paying any attention at all to the NFL over the last two seasons you’ll know exactly what’s going on. After over a year of investigations by both the NFL and a private firm, it’s all boiled down to an eleven game suspension and a five million dollar fine for Watson this season. Some say it’s appropriate and some say it’s not enough, but the fact remains that the Browns’ hopes for an impactful 2022 season are slim to none with this ruling. They knew about Watson’s seedy and reprehensible actions and now they can pay the price for it both on the football field and in the
public eye. It remains to be seen if the Browns will trade for Jimmy G or simply ride out the eleven game suspension with Jacoby Brissett, but there is plenty of talent on the team to compete game in and game out even with mediocre quarterback play. That said, there’s no realistic scenario where the Browns even sniff the postseason with their current QB situation. Even if the Browns trade for Jimmy G that will likely do nothing to improve their playoff chances as he’s missed almost their entire training camp and will have to learn their playbook on the fly. My opinion? The Browns should have stuck with Baker. The damage that trading for Watson has done will linger long after his suspension is over.
4. PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Feels weird to rank the Steelers at fourth in the division after so many years of dominance and pure grit under adversity in recent years but the simple fact is that their offensive roster, minus Najee Harris and Chase Claypool, leaves a lot to be desired. Their defense, lead by the freak of nature that is T.J. Watt, is strong enough to win them a game or two against some of the bottom feeders in the league, but their offense, much like last year, is going to be painful to watch. Oh yeah, and their starting QB is going to be Mitch “kissin’ titties” Trubisky. It goes without saying that Mike Tomlin is one of the best coaches in the league and he’s won more than his fair share of games with subpar QB play, but having Trubisky as his QB1 might be a bridge too far even for him. Who knows, maybe the problem in Chicago really was all on Nagy and his offensive “philosophy”, but the odds of Trubisky suddenly flipping a switch and becoming a legitimate starter in this league just because of new scenery, coaching etc. after six seasons remains unlikely. Again, it feels weird to rank the Steelers this low but I just see no way of them winning more than six or seven games with this roster. Now that I’ve said this, watch them pull an uno reverse card and win the division come January.
