AFC North Predictions 2013

1. Baltimore Ravens
Say what you want about the former champs, but they are still the defending champions. They won it all last year through a combination of luck, talent and destiny. Though the talent has changed, it is still there. In today's NFL with free agency and big money, all Super Bowl Champions lose much of their team. But rarely do they get the chance to make pick ups like the Ravens have. Losing big names like Lewis, Reed, Boldin and Kruger hurts, but picking up names like Canty, Huff, Spears, Clark, Stokley and most importantly Dumervil lessens the blow. The important pieces are still there, like Flacco, Rice, Jones, Smith, Suggs and Ngata. The coaching staff remains remarkably intact; this is the first year in three years they haven't had a chance in offensive or defensive coordinator. The Ravens have made the playoffs five years in a row -- don't expect that trend to chance.

2. Cincinnati Bengals
Everyone is high on the Bengals this year. They've made the playoffs the last two years and Marvin Lewis seems to have righted the ship. Under the constancy of Dalton and Green, the offense has performed well. The running back position is a little questionable, because BenJarvus Green-Ellis has never proven that he is an every down back. And other than Green, there receiving corps are limited. The defense flew under the radar last year, but was good, ranking 3rd in the AFC. The addition of James Harrison will aid them, though one player can only do so much. He is also basically the Bengals' only notable addition (in my opinion). They will do well, probably make the playoffs, but not beat the Ravens.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers
I would have put the Steelers above the Bengals, but the preseason has not been kind to them. The team overall hasn't looked good and the offense is struggling. One almost wonders if OC Todd Haley and QB Roethlisberger are still not on the same page, though both insist things are fine. More than anything, their long list of important player losses rings alarm bells. Allen, Harrison, Lewis, Hampton and Pope head the defensive losses, while Colon, Mendenhall and Wallace are the casualties on the offensive side of the ball. The Steelers have been on a downward trend in the last two years and in an increasingly good division they must improve, not take steps backwards.

4. Cleveland Browns
Is there really any other place to put the Browns besides in the bottom of what could be argued as the most competitive division in the AFC, if not the NFL. They haven't won more than five games in any of the last five seasons. The only notable addition is Kruger from Baltimore, while the losses of Cribbs, Watson, Brown and McCoy raise alarm bells. There is no talent to replace them on this team. A new head coach and new staff will do their best to work with what they have, but I'm not sold on Weeden, especially considering how little talent he has around him. Even if the no name defense could improve, this is an offensive league where passing the ball is your most important weapon. As long as the Browns remain incapable of doing so, they will stay in the bottom of the league and division.

AFC North 2012 Predicitions

Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have been the strongest team in this division since the Harbarugh/Flacco era started five years ago. They were one missed kick away from going to the Super Bowl last year and that playoff game showed how Flacco has matured as a quarterback. The defense will be strong as long as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are on the field, though the absence of Suggs for most, if not all of the season, will hurt them. Paul Kruger and Jameel McClain are going to have to pick up the slack. A new kicker should almost erase the memories of last year…almost.

Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have had some rare drama this off-season. After getting bummed from the playoffs last year, they endured a lengthy holdout with wideout Mike Wallace and have running back issues. Todd Haley and Roethlisberger have to get on the same page, which has been fairly well documented throughout the off season. The defense is always good under Dick LeBeau, so that isn’t a huge concern, though injuries do. James Harrison is already a “game time decision” for this weekend’s opener. The schedule isn’t too brutal, but they need to put together a new look offense.

Cincinnati Bengals
The sophomore curse is coming after Andy Dalton and A.J Green. And by sophomore curse, I mean a killer schedule. Also, BenJarvis GreenEllis isn’t the back that Cedric Benson was. Last year, they had the advantage of surprise – no one expected them to burst onto the scene. This year, there’s no trickery involved; in other words defenses will be ready for what’s coming. And in this division, that means Baltimore and Pittsburgh are coming. Cincy’s defense itself is pretty good, ranked 7th overall. They didn’t make any huge acquisitions however, so nothing has really changed. Last year was a blip on the radar for these Bengals.

Cleveland Browns
The Browns still don’t know what they want from their team. Who are they? Who do they want to be offensively and defensively? After a failed experiment with Colt McCoy, they went out and drafted 28 year old Brandon Weeden. His age will be an advantage here because of the maturity that comes with it, something this team has lacked for a long time. The larger addition of Trent Richardson is more important for this team to finally find some offense. A good running game can cover a lot of other problems. A revamped DL with John Hughes and Frostee Rucker will attempt to reign in the quarterbacks of this division. However, the rest of the division is just too strong for the poor Browns.