Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying the Bengals played better than the Ravens. From the second quarter on, that was clearly not the case. What I mean is, they found a way to make the play that won the game. The Ravens, on the other hand, came up short on two plays that could have won, or at least tied, that contest.

Obviously, the play of the night was Sam Hubbard’s 98-yard touchdown return of Tyler Huntley’s fumble short of the goal line. Let’s not forget to credit Cincy linebacker Logan Wilson for slapping at the ball and knocking it away from Huntley while he was trying to stretch it across the goal line. Hubbard had the presence of mind to catch the ball in the air and rumble the distance, the looooong distance, to the end zone despite the valiant effort of Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews to chase him down.

I wonder, with the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception still fresh on my mind, if this will become the Bengals’ version of that iconic play. Not quite as dramatic, after all, what is, but still a play that will be talked about amongst Cincinnati fans for generations to come.

Of course there was luck involved in that play coming together for the Bengals, just like there was plenty of luck (divine intervention?) that enabled the Immaculate Reception to be, well, a reception. Getting a break is only half of the equation, though. A team or player has to be able to take advantage of it. Hubbard did that. It’s what champions do. Some people forget that the Steelers were still two years away from their first Super Bowl even with Franco Harris’ immortal play, and that could still be the case with Cincinnati.

That was play one where the Ravens came up short. The second play was the final one of the game and ultimately the season, Huntley’s Hail Mary pass. That situation was brought about in part by abysmal clock management, but still had a chance to produce the equalizing touchdown. Of course, due to injuries Baltimore was down to their second and third string wide receivers, and it was one of them, James Proche, who was in position to make his own amazing, if not miraculous play to tie the game.

From my view, Proche seemed just a big slow to react and dive for the ball, which may have still been out of reach even with quicker reactions, but it may not have been. The deflected pass fell harmlessly to the ground to seal Cincinnati’s tense win.

Once again, Baltimore’s play calling and clock management were correctly called into question by just about everybody, starting with NBC’s Mike Tirico and Chris Collinsworth to the reporters covering the Ravens and Bengals to the Baltimore fans who grow more frustrated with every winnable game that comes down to the wire and their Ravens coaches don’t put their team in the best position to win.

Head Coach John Harbaugh is not immune to criticism here, far from it, but the bullseye continues to be Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman. First off, his run oriented offense built around Lamar Jackson does not work well without him, as demonstrated by the Ravens inability to score more than 17 points in the seven games since Jackson’s injury. Secondly, why in the world did J.K. Dobbins not touch the ball in goal line situations. He was absolutely right when he said after that game, “That should be me,” instead of Huntly trying to score from the one-yard line. Thirdly, the team’s frequent inability to score in the red zone and their notoriously poor clock management continues to be a major problem. All three of these issues can be tied to Greg Roman. I join the growing chorus that calls for his replacement and the overhauling, if not complete replacement, of his offensive system. Yes, it worked amazingly well in 2019. In 2022, not so much-time to adapt.

Baltimore also enters what I have seen referred to as “the summer of Lamar.” Will he or won’t he? Columnist Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun, who turned on Jackson some weeks ago by referring to him as a “baby” among other things, called for the Ravens to trade him in Monday’s post-game column. Baltimore has two opportunities to use the franchise tag to keep him without a long-term commitment, so he is not a threat to walk, but would the team be better off without him?

It depends on the answer to another critical question-if not Lamar Jackson, then who will be the Ravens quarterback? If the answer to question two is Tyler Huntley, although he played his best game Sunday night and it’s not even close, the answer to question one is clearly no. Other answers to question two could be worth considering pulling the trigger on a deal, but even then, probably not without taking a short-term step back for potential long-term gain. With a defense that seems poised to continue at or near a championship level, I’m not at all certain owner Steve Biscotti and general manager Eric DeCosta would be willing to go that route. It promises to be a long, uncomfortable, and critically important off-season for the Baltimore Ravens.

The Cincinnati Bengals staggered but survived the Super Wild Card round and advance as the lone representative from the AFC North in next week’s Divisional Playoffs. They will travel to face the Bills next Sunday with no extreme weather predicted for Buffalo in the long-range forecast. I believe Cincy is the best team, but they will be handicapped with at least two, possibly three starters from their offensive line out with injuries. Right tackle La’el Collins tore his ACL in Week 15, right guard Alex Cappa hurt his ankle last week, and Sunday night left tackle Jonah Williams suffered what is believed to be a dislocated kneecap.

Cincinnati has learned how to cope with extra defensive pressure on star quarterback Joe Burrow. They shorten their pass routes and Burrow gets rid of the ball very quickly. The Ravens forced them into that approach Sunday night by bringing extra pressure on the substitute linemen and continuing the successful two-deep coverage that was effective in the teams’ two previous meeting this year. The Bengals only gained 234 yards in their win-they don’t have the running game to compensate for having their explosive passing plays taken away.

You can bet Buffalo defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, considered one of the best in the business, will be studying the Ravens defensive schemes against Cincinnati and seeing what he can adapt within his own schemes. Like the Bengals, though, the Bills will need to play better than they did in their 34-31 Wild Card win over Miami, which had no business being anywhere near that close with the Dolphins missing their top two quarterbacks and leading rusher.

I haven’t felt that Buffalo was all that this season, it seems to me that they took a small step back from 2021. Both teams are on winning streaks; Cincinnati has won nine in a row, Buffalo has won their last eight. I’m picking the Bengals as my Super Bowl winner, figuring they will find a way to win in Buffalo, and to continue their mastery of Kansas City in the AFC Championship. Seems like the NFC will come down to Philadelphia and San Francisco-I think the Bengals are better than either team.

Then again, like many of you reading this, I turned off the Chargers-Jaguars game in the second quarter Saturday night so what do I know.

It appears that all four head coaches in the AFC North will return in 2023, but there could be some shuffling of offensive and defensive coordinators. Cleveland has already fired defensive coordinator Joe Woods, Pittsburgh seems like they may keep offensive coordinator Matt Canada despite a similar regard for him in the Steel City as Greg Roman faces in Baltimore. Cincinnati defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo may yet receive consideration for a head coaching position next season

I’ll be back after the Super Bowl to take a final look at the AFC North for 2022 and an early peek ahead to the 2023 season.

In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter @jimjfootball.

The post <strong>AFC North: One Team Left…Staggering</strong> appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

I expected the Cincinnati Bengals to be the class of the division, and they have earned that status. The team has dealt with a significant amount of injuries throughout their secondary, defensive line, offensive line, and skill positions on offense, but they’ve built enough depth in their roster to have players capable of stepping up to fill those holes.

The Bengals have not always been consistent, but they have been in every game except their Thursday night stinker in Cleveland on Halloween night. Cincinnati is currently riding a seven-game winning streak as they await a visit from Buffalo on Monday night that should go a long way toward determining the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

Their last two wins have not been artistic gems, however. They trailed 17-3 at halftime in Tampa before the Bucs, specifically the aged wonder Tom Brady, went out of their way to give away the game after halftime with nice wrapping and a pretty little bow on top in the form of four turnovers. Cincy outscored Tampa Bay 31-6 in the second half to win going away on a night where they were outgained 396-237.

The script flipped last week, when the Bengals took a dominating 22-0 halftime lead at New England but wound up needing a late fumble from Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson to hang on for a 22-18 win. They won’t be able to get away with playing one good half against the Bills. Nor can they do that when the Ravens visit Cincinnati for the regular season finale in a game that will likely determine the AFC North championship and assure at least one home playoff game. A Ravens win would give them the tiebreaker edge.

Baltimore has been playing good defense against some bad offenses in recent weeks. The Ravens have won seven of their last nine and should have held on to beat Jacksonville instead of suffering a 28-27 last minute loss. Since then, the Ravens have only allowed a total of 45 points in their last four games. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they have scored only 46 points in that stretch.

I would not expect any change against the Steelers in the recently flexed Sunday night game. Another 16-14 win like Baltimore earned in Pittsburgh three weeks ago seems to be in the cards, which would improve John Harbaugh’s staggering 19-2 record at home in prime-time games. No wonder the Ravens get cranky when the organization believes they aren’t getting their fair share of prime-time appearances.

Even if Lamar Jackson does return from another lingering late-season injury in time to play at Cincinnati, there is no reason to expect dramatic improvement in the passing game. Opposing defenses have figured out that they need to give Mark Andrews special attention, and they can afford to do so with Rashad Bateman, and now Devin Duvernay out with injuries. Retreads Deshaun Jackson and Sammy Watkins have made plays here and there but can’t be counted on for consistent production.

The effectiveness of the running game with J.K. Dobbins and Gus Williams both available, and the spark that recently acquired LB Roquan Smith (SIGN.THE.MAN) has brought to the defense is what has taken Baltimore to the playoffs, but I don’t think it’s enough to beat Cincinnati. The Bengals offense is clicking better than when the Ravens squeaked out a 19-17 win against them in October, and I don’t believe Baltimore has the firepower to answer. The passing game will not be fixed in 2022 but needs to be in 2023. That reevaluation and realignment of coaches and players will be John Harbaugh’s most important task once this season is over.

Pittsburgh, despite their offensive struggles, remains alive for a playoff spot, but a lot of chips would have to fall in place…like they did last season. Even if the Steelers miss the playoffs, they still have an opportunity to extend Mike Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons as head coach to 16, which covers his entire career. They host Cleveland in their finale but have to find a way to win in Baltimore to finish 9-8.

The Steelers posted an emotional win last week as the team celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception but mourned the sudden, unexpected passing of its key figure, Franco Harris. Beyond Harris’ Hall of Fame production on the field, he had stayed in Pittsburgh and continued to make major contributions to the Steelers organization and players and to the city. His loss was crushing, but the 2022 team rose to the challenge when rookie QB Kenny Pickett overcame uneven play earlier in the game to lead his team to the winning touchdown in the final minute against the Raiders.

I would expect the team to be somewhat letdown, perhaps even spent, after all the emotion of that week-not a great way to come into Baltimore for a national TV game. They could also very well be eliminated from the playoffs by kickoff Sunday night. I expect a typical Ravens-Steelers slugfest. With no Ben Rothlesberger to pull the game out for Pittsburgh, I expect Baltimore to find a way to squeak out a win and get the season sweep.

In Cleveland, the grade for Deshaun Watson’s return to active duty would most generously be an I for Incomplete, if not a D for disappointing. The Browns have gone 2-2 since Watson assumed the starting QB duties for the Browns but he had little to do with either win against Houston and Baltimore. Those were driven by the Cleveland defense, which has underachieved most of the season but played better of late. Substitute quarterback Jacoby Brisset actually has a much higher QB rating for the season, 88.9 vs. Watson’s 69.3.

So, was this whole Watson trade/saga a mistake for the Browns? It is still too early to tell. Although it was due to his own actions, it needs to be remembered that Watson sat out almost two years, not counting some brief preseason action last August. I find it unreasonable to believe that he has lost it since he will just turn 28 years old at the start of next season. The lowest previous QB rating he posted for a season was 98.0, which would put him among the league leaders this year.

Next season will be a truer test of how much value Deshaun Watson will bring to the Browns. He’ll have the entire offseason to work with the team and won’t face the uncertainty of when or if he will be allowed to play. What he may have to deal with, though, is a new coach. I wonder how much input Watson will have in that. Remember, things went sour for him in Houston first not because of his off the field issues, but because the Texans had the nerve to hire a new head coach without first consulting Watson.

Watson demonstrated in Houston that he will not work with a situation that does not revolve around him, which is what he grew up with in high school and what Head Coach Dabo Swinney provided at Clemson. If Watson is comfortable with Kevin Stefanski, we will probably see Stefanski back in 2023 with a reworked staff. If Watson has not meshed well with Stefanski, well, we’ll just have to wait and see. Keep the popcorn handy.

In summary, I continue to expect Cincinnati to win the division and, since they have Kansas City’s number, to return to the Super Bowl. That would leave the Ravens likely in the #5 seed playing at the AFC South champion, either Jacksonville or Tennessee. A brief tip of the cap to the job that coach Doug Pederson has done with the Jaguars, cleaning up the mess that Urban Meyer made and getting their young franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence on track to be just that. I bet the Ravens would like another crack at Jacksonville, and they just might get it. A playoff win would be a nice step up from last year for Baltimore, but as I wrote earlier still leave much work to be done to get further.

Missing the playoffs and posting their first losing record since 2003 would be a tough pill for the Pittsburgh organization and fans to swallow. Look for coaching changes on offense, but Mike Tomlin will be back. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t know about Kevin Stefanski’s return in Cleveland. They have underachieved the last two seasons and not many coaches without a proven track record get another crack at it in that situation.

I hear Sean Peyton is available but isn’t a fan of cold weather. I wonder if the chance to work with Deshaun Watson would be enough to sway him. I wonder if he would have enough confidence in the Browns organization to consider joining it. Sean Peyton will be at the heart of this season’s coaching carousel. We’ll see if the Browns will be players.

I’ll be back when the regular season ends to preview the playoffs for at least two AFC North participants.

You can follow me on Twitter @jimjfootball.

The post AFC North – How Will They Finish? appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Stock Up: The Cincinnati Bengals

The 2022 season has been a bumpy ride for the Bengals, but they are successfully riding it out. After a 2-3 start (with the three losses coming by a total of eight points), Cincinnati has won five of six, only losing that inexplicable Browns game on Thursday night. The last two weeks, they have beaten two likely playoff teams, Tennessee and Kansas City.

The Bengals defense stuffed the Titans star running back Derrick Henry, holding him to only 38 yards on 17 carries in their 20-16 win. The following week, they held Patrick Mahomes to 223 yards passing in a 27-24 win. Cincinnati scored on their first three possessions of the second half, all between four to five minutes long, and ran out the final 3:19 of the game. They have now won three in a row vs. the Chiefs within the last 12 months.

I believe the development that has them looking like a championship contender again is the emergence of a running game. That has been an issue for them most of the season despite having a star running back, Joe Mixon. He has only averaged over 3.4 yards per carry in three of the ten games in which he has played this season and only broken a run for longer than 12 yards in two games.

Mixon went down with a concussion against the Steelers in Week 11, and his replacement Samaje Perine has given the Bengals ground game a jump start. Interestingly, Perine was a teammate of Mixon’s at Oklahoma, drafted in the fourth round by Washington the same year Mixon was picked by Cincinnati in the second. Perine is a stocky, north-south runner who has seen spot duty with the Bengals the prior three seasons and has developed into an effective receiver.

Even when Mixon returns, I would expect Perine to at least split time with him if not receive most of the carries. Perine’s emergence is allowing Joe Burrow to run a balanced offense, explosive when it sees the opportunity but able to move the ball if the deep stuff is not available. Most importantly it keeps Burrow upright. This also keeps their defense rested and makes them a very dangerous team, perhaps playing better than any team in the AFC.

Stock Down: The Baltimore Ravens

I know Baltimore sits tied with the Bengals for first in the division and holds the tiebreaker. I know they finish with four games against losing teams before their finale at Cincy. I also know their last two home games, wins over Carolina and Denver, were almost unwatchable. Wins are good, but those types of games not only don’t inspire confidence, they erode it.

Lest I forget their latest fourth quarter defensive collapse, at Jacksonville of all places. Jaguars coach Doug Pederson, who led Philadelphia to their only Super Bowl victory in 2018, is doing a good job of removing the stench of Urban Meyer’s partial season in Jax and is building a solid foundation for their #1 overall draft pick, Trevor Lawrence (dude, get a haircut will you? Just had to throw that in). Even with that though, the Ravens should have put that game away-not exactly confidence building either.

Now Baltimore faces time without Lamar Jackson, who has been struggling himself as he feels the loss once again of WR Rashod Bateman. I like his replacement Tyler Huntley a lot. I thought he did an admirable job last season without much around him to work with, keeping the Ravens competitive against teams like the Rams and Packers when that didn’t seem realistic.

The biggest difference between them, though, is that Lamar is always a threat to bust a big play, either with his arm or his legs. Huntley makes plays too, but they are smaller. He needs several of them to conduct a long drive, like the game winner against Denver. Huntley led the Ravens on a 16 play, 91-yard drive in 4:34 to win the game, converting two fourth downs in the process-that’s a lot of little (not unimportant) plays to make with minimal margin for error.

With Huntley at the controls, Gus Edwards in the backfield, and it looks like Ronnie Stanley back in action at left tackle, Baltimore’s offense may be able to grind out wins against the Steelers (home and away), at Cleveland, and home vs. the Falcons. That does not match up well with the Bengals, so to hold on to the division the Ravens need Jackson’s return and hopefully a little help from Cincinnati’s opponents.

Stock Up: The Cleveland Browns

Cleveland is finally able to see the fruits of their mega deal to obtain Deshaun Watson, who made his first start in Houston last week. Although the Browns won 27-14 (on two defensive touchdowns and a punt returned for a touchdown), Watson looked like someone who had not played in a regular season game in nearly two years.

I would expect Watson to find his way back to somewhere near his previous outstanding level of play during the final five games of the season and be ready to make a major impact next year. A team floundering at 4-7 after a stretch where they lost six out of seven like Cleveland did doesn’t often get a jolt of energy at this point in the season like Watson’s debut/return/whatever. They could be dangerous spoilers in their games with the Bengals, Ravens, and Commanders.

I’m not at all sure that will be enough for the organization to bring Kevin Stefanski back as head coach, even if he fires defensive coordinator Joe Woods, which seems inevitable and reasonable given how underachieving the Browns defense has been this season. I think Stefanski has also underachieved with a talented team and should probably return to an offensive coordinator position where his temperament seems better suited. The Browns need a leader in the mold of Mike Tomlin or John Harbaugh, not someone wired more for analytics like Stefanski is.

Stock Down: Most of the national sports media

Most of the sports media I saw last week just didn’t know what to do with Deshaun Watson, so they generally blipped over the reason for his suspension and stuck to football. One notable exception to that was ESPN NFL Countdown host Samantha Ponder. She gave a passionate yet balanced verbal essay about Watson’s situation, which she categorized as “This isn’t he said she said, it’s he said they all said.” Her summary, from the story linked above, is worth posting here. ESPN has apparently taken the video down.

“We have a clear, but uncomfortable choice to make, one the Cleveland Browns already made with their money. Is he a conniving predator or a sympathetic victim?” Ponder asked through tears. “A wolf in sheep’s clothing, or prey to manipulative liars who only see double dollar signs? Are we privileged enough to not really have to think about it? Unaffected enough to just move on and cheer as long as he serves his purpose to win games and generate profit? Right.”

I spent some time this year contributing to a Cleveland sports site and wrote a series about Watson. I saw a lot of dialogue between the writers, most of whom made their choice to accept, and likely embrace, Watson as someone who could lead their woebegone franchise back to the playoffs. They may be right.

That’s a choice I’m glad I don’t have to make.

Stock Up: The Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers have shown some life in recent weeks, winning three of their last four. Granted, the three wins came against the Saints, Colts, and Falcons, all teams with losing records, but they did give the Bengals all they could handle before falling, 37-30.

In their 19-16 win at Atlanta, the offense still did not put many points on the board. Oddly, the only team they have scored more than 20 points against is Cincinnati, twice. In Atlanta, however, QB Kenny Pickett had his best game and RB Najee Harris continued his upswing, gaining 86 or more yards rushing in three of his last four games. This included one of the most wicked stiff arms you will see-Harris just pushed a defensive back to the ground and went on his way.

Stock Down: The pundits that wrote off the Steelers

Pittsburgh would have to win their last five games to even have a shot at the playoffs since they are currently 5-7. That is extremely unlikely. They could, however, salvage a winning season and keep Mike Tomlin’s streak of never having a losing season alive if they win four of their last five. The Steelers have home and home against the Ravens, at Carolina, and home against the Raiders and Browns. Yes, there is a chance they could win four of those games.

If you read my last column, and shame on you if you didn’t, you’ll know that I was one of those pundits that wrote Pittsburgh off. Thanks a lot Tomlin!

Of course, if the Steelers revert and lose most of those games, please disregard everything after Stock Up: Pittsburgh Steelers.

You can follow me on Twitter @jimjfootball

The post AFC North – Stock Up, Stock Down appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

The Ravens enter their bye week at 6-3 and in control of their own destiny, holding a one-game lead over the Bengals. The big difference between Baltimore and Cincinnati has been their results within the division. The Ravens are 2-0 with home wins over the Bengals and Browns, while the Bengals are 0-3 with that crazy opening day loss at home to Pittsburgh (likely the highlight of the Steelers season) and road losses at Baltimore and Cleveland.

One thing I do not expect to see from the Ravens is complacency, not after they were sitting at 8-3 with the best record in the AFC last year only to lose their final six games and miss the playoffs when injuries wiped them out.

Baltimore’s offense has been productive, they are the third highest scoring team in the AFC behind only Kansas City and Buffalo. It is their defense coming together in their current three-game winning streak, though, that should have fans really excited.

The Ravens pass rush, in particular, has come to life. They are second in the AFC averaging three per game, led by ageless wonder Justin Houston’s 8.5 in only six games. He is being used brilliantly by rookie defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. Wink who?

The Ravens will be healthier than they have been since 2020 after the bye, with Mark Andrews and Gus Edwards returning after missing the last game. Yes, they will still miss Rashod Bateman and J.K. Dobbins, but they managed to put up 27 points on a decent New Orleans defense without all four of them and Lamar Jackson not having his sharpest night passing. Baltimore also has a very manageable remaining schedule-it is possible they will not play another team with a winning record until the season finale at Cincinnati. They’ve got to like where they stand right now.

Cincinnati, however, harbors hope for another playoff run, but they continue to pile up injuries. In their blowout of Carolina last week, they were down to four healthy defensive backs. They will also be without star WR JaMarr Chase for a few more weeks.

The team has also been very inconsistent sandwiching a horrible 32-13 beating at the hands of Cleveland in between easy wins at home vs. Atlanta and Carolina.  Last year’s rookie sensation, kicker Evan McPherson, has not been sensational so far this year. Bengals QB Joe Burrow continues to get sacked more often than any quarterback in the AFC and with injuries to his receivers has had trouble getting the ball downfield this season.

Unlike Baltimore, Cincinnati still has a challenging schedule coming out of their bye. They have to travel to Tennessee, Tampa Bay and New England, and have home games with Kansas City, Cleveland, Buffalo, and the Ravens. I still think they will find a way to make the playoffs, perhaps even going 10-7 again; last year they were 5-4 after nine games, which is their current record this year. That record is unlikely to win the division this season, though, so they would have an even tougher road to the Super Bowl than the one they navigated in 2021.

Yes, I listed Cleveland as one of the challenging games the Bengals have left. It could be, depending on which Cleveland team shows up. The one that gave Cincy a 32-13 beating on Thursday night football was a pretty good one. The one that lost to the Patriots 38-15 was a pretty bad one.

Interestingly, offense was supposed to be the problem for the Browns without Deshaun Watson, yet they are fourth in the NFL in total yards gained, even ahead of Miami’s explosive offense. Their defense, however, has let them down. They rank 24^th in scoring defense and 22^nd in takeaways.

They were not supposed to lose games like the one to the Jets, 31-30 and the LA Chargers 30-28. If they flip those scores around, they would be 5-3 and right in the playoff hunt. Instead, they are 3-5 with games at Miami and at Buffalo next up. A 3-7 record would put them in the position of needing to run the table when Watson comes back in week 12-a lot to ask for someone who has not played a regular season game in nearly two years.

I don’t see Cleveland as a playoff threat at this point unless they steal one of their next two games, but on any given Sunday they have the talent to be dangerous. Even if they are out of the playoff hunt, having Watson finally at the helm could energize them and cause problems when they face the Bengals or Ravens.

Then we have the Steelers, looking up at the rest of the AFC North with their 2-6 record. There has been some grumbling about the Pittsburgh defense, but it has been good enough to keep them in most games this season with precious little help from their offense. The Steelers are the second lowest scoring team in the NFL with an average of 15.0 per game, just ahead of the Colts, who fired head coach Frank Reich because of…their offensive ineptitude.

I’m not suggesting that Mike Tomlin is in any trouble in the Steel City. Pittsburgh simply does not fire head coaches. The last time they did was in 1968, when Bill Austin got the ax after the Steelers had a particularly dismal 2-11-1 record. Since then, they have employed a grand total of three head coaches-in 54 years and counting. It is no coincidence that, since 1972, they have posted only six losing records.

This season will be the seventh. They could possibly show better results in the second half of the season because their schedule was very front loaded with good teams. Thinking they could do as well as 7-2, which is what it would take to avoid a losing record, however, is very far-fetched.

There is one primary reason. It’s highly technical and I have deeply researched it so try to stay with me here…the Steelers offense stinks. It’s really, really bad. It’s easy to place blame on the mediocre, if that good, quarterback play they’ve had between Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett, but there is much more to it than that.

Their offensive line has been a problem for a while now, and they continue shopping for second- or third-tier free agents, throw them together, then rinse and repeat the next season. They have not drafted an offensive lineman higher than the third round since 2012, and it shows. That has contributed to the lackluster production from RB Najee Harris, but there were scouts saying in 2021 that using a first-round draft pick for him was not a good value. That has proven to be true so far, and he had significantly regressed this season-his average per carry has dropped to 3.3 yards.

What is it with Steelers wide receivers? The team is known for spending high draft choices on receivers then not signing them to a second contract. The latest case of that is Chase Claypool, who was traded to the Bears for a second-round pick-matching where he was selected in 2020. Neither he nor Diontae Johnson have averaged even ten yards per catch this season. Among their projected playmakers, only rookie George Pickens has made very many plays. He’s a good one, but how long will he and Johnson be around?

Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Matt Canada makes Baltimore’s Greg Roman look like Mr. Popularity with all the rancor about his coaching. They have definitely played a very conservative offense since Canada has been the OC, but is that all the personnel are capable of? I think the best use they can make out of the balance of this season is to take a good look at Pickett and give him the chance to make mistakes and learn from them without facing the pressure of making the playoffs.

Whether it is Canada’s fault or not, it seems that the Steelers would benefit from a new voice running their offense next year-one that will put their playmakers in position to make plays.

Beyond the AFC North, the AFC is there to be won, and I think either the Ravens or Bengals could win it. Kansas City and Buffalo are still probably the two best teams in the conference, but not by much, especially with questions now about Josh Allen’s injured throwing elbow.

It would not be a surprise to me at all to see the AFC North represented in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on February 12. Maybe they’ll even let Jake flip the coin before kickoff.

The post There Is Life In The AFC North appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

In that vein, I’ll make the case for each of the four teams winning the division, and each of them finishing last.

Cincinnati has found repeating as division and AFC champions to be quite the challenge, yet they could very well be 6-0. Their three losses have come by a combined eight points. Pittsburgh beat them because of bad snaps on both a potential game winning extra point and a field goal. The Bengals had rallied from a 17-3 deficit to tie Dallas late in that game, only to see the Cowboys kick a 50-yard field goal at the gun. Cincy then took a late lead over Baltimore but fell on Justin Tucker’s field goal at the gun.

I believe the old Bengals would have collapsed by now after that series of losses, but their culture is strong, and the team is resilient. They will have to be to remain competitive because they are getting bit by the injury bug, especially on defense, more than they did last year. Those injuries have made them particularly vulnerable to the run. In Cincinnati’s win at New Orleans last week, they gave up 228 yards rushing at an average of 6.7 yards per carry. The Bengals trailed for most of the game, pulling it out on a 60-yard pass from Joe Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase with 1:57 left.

That long pass was unusual for Cincinnati so far this season, in part because the offensive line has not given Burrow much time to throw. They have only allowed three sacks per game the last two weeks, an improvement over the first four games, and Head Coach Zac Taylor finally opened up his play calling in the second half against the Saints. The Ravens showed that a defense committed to shutting down the Bengals deep passing game can be successful (didn’t think I’d be writing that sentence this year) so challenges remain, especially since star running back Joe Mixon still has not bust loose, although his production has ticked up recently.

Case for first: They still have the weapons to be explosive on offense, and most of their key injuries are short-term. What projects as their three toughest remaining games vs. the Chiefs, Bills, and Ravens, are all at home. They could very well win the rest of the division games, which would give Baltimore very little margin for error.

Case for worst: If the injuries on defense continue to pile up, that will put more pressure on the offense, which would allow opposing defenses to get after Burrow. He can only take so many hits, and Cincinnati would be doomed without him in the lineup.

It’s also easy to make that case that the Ravens could/should be 6-0. They have blown comfortable leads (although is there such a thing for them this year?), but last Sunday was the worst. I am a big believer in Lamar Jackson, but he giftwrapped the Giants game with a pretty little bow with his horrendous interception under pressure late and then his fumble on the team’s last possession.

The Giants loss was a puzzling one. After all, Baltimore seemed to exorcise the fourth-quarter collapse demon with the clutch win vs. the Bengals. It’s very hard to figure this team out, or is it really? Have them morphed into the team that finds a way to lose? Will these tough losses bond them together and improve their focus to quit making so many stupid mistakes? Will John Harbaugh and his staff come up with winning game plans like they did defensively against Cincinnati?

Case for first: This team is too good to continue to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Lamar Jackson has bet on himself, as the cliché goes, and the results have been decidedly mixed. He is a tough competitor, and he will put the team on his back and carry them into the postseason. He’ll have reinforcements coming as more of last year’s injury victims return to action.

Case for worst: The Ravens have learned how to lose, and that’s a hard habit to break. Crucial mistakes continue to outnumber big plays on both sides of the ball, and games are not often won by the team that makes the most mistakes. Any slipups against the Browns or Steelers will point them toward the division cellar.

Speaking of hard to figure out, what is with the Steelers? They appeared to be toast after Buffalo wiped them out in Pittsburgh two weeks ago, yet they managed to beat Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs last week. That is notable because they have had a very difficult time beating Brady over the years, particularly in Pittsburgh.

All the focus on the quarterback situation had diverted attention from how poorly the vaunted Steelers defense had been playing. Going into the Tampa Bay game, Pittsburgh had allowed 30 points per game over their last three-all losses. They got the big stop on a two-point conversion that would have tied the game with under five minutes left after the Bucs had scored their only touchdown of the game.

The offense came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring the go-ahead touchdown, then running off the final 4:38 of the game so Tom Brady never got the ball back with a chance to win. BTW, did you see Brady’s hissy fit at his offensive linemen during the game? Or was he just complaining about the quality of the caviar served at Robert Kraft’s wedding the Friday before the game?

Just when everyone figured the Steelers quarterback situation was settled with rookie Kenny Pickett locked in as the starter, he goes and gets a concussion. Off the bench to save the day came Mitch Trubisky (another sentence I didn’t think I’d write this year). Remember Mitch, who previously played like the football was a Faberge egg and he didn’t want to do anything risky with it? The guy who came off the bench to relieve Pickett was not that guy. This Mitch came out firing, finishing 9-12 for 144 yards and the game-winning TD pass. His QB rating was 142.4, more than the combined rating over his last two starts.

Now what? Conventional wisdom seems to be that Mike Tomlin will stick with Trubisky and see what happens. Stay tuned to As The Quarterback Turns.

Case for first: If Pittsburgh can split their next four games (at Miami, at Philadelphia, home vs. New Orleans and Cincinnati) the schedule lines up for them to make a late run. A 10-7 record could certainly win this division, perhaps even 9-8. If Trubisky continues his bolder play and the defense shakes off its injuries and plays as well as it did last week, that could be within reach.

Case for worst: The offensive line is still a mess and the running game with Najee Harris is stuck in neutral. If T. J. Watt can’t come back sooner rather than later, and that is very much in question right now, the defense will likely come unraveled again. We’ve seen that movie earlier this season and it’s not pretty for the Steelers.

Then we have the Browns. What a hot mess. This is the least surprising occurrence within the AFC North so far to me, but I did not foresee their defense coming apart and allowing 30+ points to the Jets, Chargers, and Patriots, none of whom has a particularly productive offense.

Nick Chubb leads the NFL in rushing yards and has been everything that was expected. Fill-in quarterback Jacoby Brissett has also been what was expected by most experts-he is a game manager but not the guy that is going to do enough to put up 30 points when his defense is getting shredded. Having to play catch up also takes the ball out of Chubb’s hands, which is a big win for their opponents.

Head Coach Kevin Stefanski seems to be searching for answers he has yet to find. The vastly underachieving defense is sabotaging their chances of staying in playoff contention until Deshaun Watson comes riding in on his white horse to save them. Does he get a white horse after all his…stuff? Hmmm.

Case for first: Cleveland’s defense comes together and starts punishing people. Defensive ends Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney begin to dominate and control the line of scrimmage. The secondary starts making plays and allows the offense to grind out long drives with Chubb and Kareem Hunt and short passes by Brissett to Amari Cooper and David Njoku. Full disclosure-I don’t think this will happen, but it theoretically could.

Case for worst: Did I mention they are a hot mess? In their next five games, they are at Baltimore, home vs. Cincinnati, at Miami, at Buffalo, and home vs. Tampa Bay. I don’t see many wins there, and if they don’t find some that 2-4 record is only going to get worse. Full disclosure-I really think this is what happens.

I’m still going with my pre-season rankings: 1. Bengals 2. Ravens 3. Steelers 4. Browns. Of course, that could change without warning, or even making any sense. That’s the 2022 NFL season in a nutshell folks.

Until next time, you can follow me on Twitter @jimjfootball and check out my other work at jimjfootball.com

The post The AFC North: Cases for First and Worst appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

But isn’t that kind of the NFL this year? I’m not saying there have not been ANY good games. The Ravens-Dolphins game was exciting for sure. Bill-Dolphins, probably. Besides that the football sure hasn’t been compelling very often so far.

I believe one factor driving the deterioration in the quality of the games is free agency. There are definitely major benefits to the NFL’s current free agency system. It gives players leverage for higher salaries and greater ability to leave a bad situation. It also gives teams the ability to rebuild and fix mistakes quicker than the pre-free agency days.

Unfortunately, football, much more than any other major professional team sport, requires players to learn complicated systems within which they need to coordinate their actions with ten other players. These systems, on both sides of the ball, become more and more complicated over time. By the time a team is settling into a system and working effectively, it is usually disrupted by player movement, coaching changes, or both. Add injuries into that mix and cohesion is often more of a concept than a reality.

There is a reason that you don’t see dynasties anymore. What New England did in the 2000’s and 2010’s looks more amazing as the years go by. Of course, they had the same coach and quarterback for that entire stretch-hardly a coincidence. We are not likely to ever see that happen again.

The great dynasties of the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s were teams that had stable coaching situations and kept the cores of their teams together for years. Lombardi’s Packers, Noll’s Steelers, Landry’s Cowboys, Gibbs’ Redskins, Parcell’s Giants, Walsh’s 49ers-stable championship organizations. The Cowboys may have been a dynasty in the 90’s beyond their three Super Bowl championships in four years, but the ego clash between Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones short circuited it.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I still love the game of football, and I admire and respect the players who play it. There are tremendously gifted athletes playing this game, although I think gloves are the new stickum-I don’t think some of the receivers making these acrobatic one-handed catches are THAT good.

I wonder if any coach has thought about devising a simple system, one that is not so difficult to learn and master, and just grind it out in practice to approach perfection. Lombardi did that in the ‘60s-a simpler time and a simpler game for sure. I still wonder, though, if maybe there will come a head coach that can simplify modern schemes and just out-execute their opponents.  Since the NFL is such a copycat league, it would only take one to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and tout their simplified system for the rest of the league to move in that direction. Sigh, I can dream, can’t I? Until then, I’ll keep watching and hope the league can emerge from its funk and let these athletes shine and excite the fans.

There are two big stories to talk about in the AFC North, the changeover at quarterback in Pittsburgh, and the upcoming Ravens-Bengals matchup on Sunday Night Football.

Regarding the Steelers, I really feel bad for Mitch Trubisky. Pittsburgh signed him under what turned into false pretenses. He was going to inherit the QB mantle from Big Ben and have an opportunity to make the starting job his, to resurrect his floundering career. Then, the Steelers drafted not just a first-round QB, but the hometown favorite, and suddenly Trubisky was on very shaky footing.

He may have been anyway-his play over the first three weeks was hardly inspiring. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin had continued to insist that Trubisky was the starter…then suddenly he wasn’t, and the Kenny Pickett era has begun. Tomlin said he wanted a “spark,” and the kid delivered, but made too many mistakes to pull the game out against the Jets.

Pittsburgh is in trouble. TJ Watt will remain out for a while, and their other defensive front seven stalwart Cam Hayward is banged up. Their upcoming schedule, as I pointed out this summer, is rough. Pickett gets his first start at Buffalo, then the Steelers host Tampa Bay, visit Miami and Philadelphia, get a potential breather at home vs. the Saints, then host Cincinnati. Already sitting 1-3, they have the real potential of hitting their bye in week 8 with a 1-7 record. Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons is almost certain to end at 15.

So. what to make of the Bengals and Ravens? Cincinnati’s offensive line looked much better in pass protection against Miami than they had the first three games, but they are still struggling running the ball. Star running back Joe Mixon is only averaging 2.7 yards per carry. QB Joe Burrow seemed to find a better rhythm when he didn’t have to run for his life against the Dolphins, finding both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins downfield.

That is bad news for the Ravens. Fans remember all too well how Burrow and his receiving corps sliced and diced the Baltimore secondary twice last season, and I don’t see much reason to hope for a better result Sunday night. Bengals’ star DE Tray Hendrickson is playing very well and will be looking to disrupt the Ravens offense. If he succeeds, Sunday night could get ugly. If Lamar Jackson has room to work, however, he could keep Baltimore in the game and turn it into a shootout.

The Ravens offense needs to come up big in the second half like they did in New England and not diminish like they did against Miami and Buffalo. Let’s also  hope Baltimore avoids any crucial fourth-and-short situations-that hasn’t been working out very well for a while now.

Then there’s Cleveland-I’ll take a bow for calling their loss at Atlanta last week. They host the Chargers this week, and the Browns just might win that one. RB Nick Chubb is having a great season, and replacement QB Jacoby Brissett is actually playing quite well. Brissett at times has risen above the expected role of game manager and made some plays.

The Cleveland defense, however, has been disappointing. The only offense they have stopped this season was Pittsburgh’s-not a major accomplishment. They are battling injuries to pass rushers Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney-those two need to step up and control the line of scrimmage to get that defense playing at the level that was expected-and is needed for them to win consistently.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski is hearing criticism for his play calling-see, it doesn’t just happen in Baltimore. Stefanski is hardly a charismatic leader-he is a very thoughtful, analytic coach. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but if the analytics aren’t resulting in effective play calling, where is he adding value?

In closing, let’s hope the Bengals-Ravens matchup can give us a game that will be worth getting excited about. Baltimore fans need it, but so do NFL fans in general. Let’s shake up this season of meh.

Notes from the North

The Ravens have lost their last five home games. They have also won 14 of their last 15 prime-time home games. One of those trends will change Sunday night.

The last Baltimore coach to lose as many as four consecutive home games was Brian Billick in 2007. He had just signed a five-year contract extension earlier in the year, but after the team finished a miserable 5-11 owner Steve Biscotti fired him anyway.

The natives in Pittsburgh are restless. Fans are pointing out that Tomlin has not won a playoff game since 2016. The switchover to Pickett at QB should settle them down, for a while anyway. Their last losing record was in 2003, the year before Big Ben arrived.

Until next time, you can find me on Twitter @jimjfootball and read my other work at jimjfootball.com.

The post The AFC North – Parity Of Mediocrity appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

It seems like all four fanbases in the division are grumbling and have valid reason to do so.

The least upset seems to be the Cincinnati fans. Disappointed, sure-they ought to be at 0-2, but they remain hopeful, probably still basking somewhat in the glow from their unexpected Super Bowl trip last season. A lot of things went right for them last year.

So far this season, plenty has gone wrong. Losing their long snapper during the Steelers game almost certainly cost them a win. There is no way Bengals kicker Evan McPherson, a post-season hero as a rookie last year, misses a game-winning extra-point and 29-yard field goal with normal snaps.

It looks like training camp work actually is meaningful, which is my theory on QB Joe Burrow’s sluggish start. Burrow threw four interceptions vs. the Steelers, one of them a pick-six, and averaged a paltry 5.5 yards per pass attempt in Dallas. WR Ja’marr Chase, a big-play receiver who averaged 18 yards per catch in 2021, sits at only 12.2 in 2022.

Perhaps the most troubling sign for Cincinnati is the pressure defenses continue to put on Burrow when he drops back to pass. The new, improved offensive line looks a lot like last year’s deficient one, allowing 13 sacks in the first two games. According to ESPN, that the most to start a season in at least the last 20 years. It’s not just about keeping Burrow upright, even though that is vital. He needs to have the confidence in his line to stay in the pocket and let his receivers run their routes downfield that turn into big plays.

Until then, the offense will likely stay in neutral, and the Bengals could be flirting with disaster.

The Cleveland Browns are already there. Their defense, anticipated to be a strength of the team, has twice lost late two-score leads to open the season. Their rookie kicker Cade York bailed them out with a 58-yard field goal to sneak them past the Carolina Panthers (and Baker Mayfield, whose 75-yard touchdown pass had put them ahead late) in the opener.

The Browns were not as fortunate last week, when they lost to the Jets by scoring a touchdown. Yes, star RB Nick Chubb scored on a 12-yard run to put Cleveland up 30-17, which should have been insurmountable, even after last week’s hero Cade York missed the extra point. Unfortunately for the Browns, if Chubb had not scored, the Browns could have run out the clock since New York was out of timeouts.

Enter Joe Flacco. Remember him? Of course you do, and fondly I expect. He didn’t seem like much of a threat against the Ravens in week 1, but when the Jets got the ball back with 1:55 to go in Cleveland, Elite 2012 Playoff Joe made an appearance. His 66-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis pulled them within six, and he led New York to the winning touchdown after they recovered an onside kick. Flacco wound up with 307 yards and 4 touchdown passes in the Jets’ stunning 31-30 win. Please watch this video of Flacco in the postgame locker room acting like the homecoming queen had just said she would go to the prom with him. You’ll enjoy it.

Chubb admitted his mistake, but star DE Myles Garrett was upset…at the fans for booing after they blew the game. Myles, given the Dawg Pounds’ history, you should be happy they were just booing. A fan was arrested after the game for throwing a water bottle at Browns owner Jimmy Haslam. Police expect the fan was intoxicated. Really? What were the odds of that. Stay classy Cleveland fans.

Speaking of annoying fan bases, Steelers Nation is not at all happy with their offense, or rather lack of such. Starting QB Mitch Trubisky has been rather meh so far, averaging only 5.1 yards per pass attempt with a dismal 76.1 QB rating. Pittsburgh fans did not even make it through their home opener, a 17-14 loss to New England, without chanting for rookie QB Kenny Pickett, the local college hero.

The question being debated about the Steelers’ offense is who should receive the blame. Trubisky? Offensive coordinator Matt Canada, a favorite target of the fans? What about head coach Mike Tomlin? It seems to me that Canada and/or Tomlin are not showing much trust in Trubisky and calling a very conservative game. They have good weapons in their wide receiver room but are not taking shots down the field. If they don’t trust Trubisky, then give Pickett a shot, but it seems like they should at least give their QB a chance to make plays.

Trubisky made a huge clutch throw in overtime against Cincinnati which kept their game winning drive alive. Their defense is good, but without T. J. Watt for at least several weeks with a pec injury, they’re probably not good enough to carry the team. The Steelers need to cut loose and find out what their offensive playmakers can do instead of focusing on them avoiding screwups.

Speaking of playmakers, the 2022 Baltimore Ravens have them, and will have more when J. K. Dobbins and others return from injury. Lamar Jackson got off to a slow start against the Jets but was clearly hitting his stride against the Dolphins. After two weeks, he owns the longest completed pass and run from scrimmage in the NFL. I did not share the concern others had about Baltimore’s WR room, and I’m feeling rather vindicated so far. Rashod Bateman is a stud, and Devin Duvernay is a solid receiver and an explosive kick returner.

Ah, the defense though. Sigh. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but injuries are thinning out the outside linebacker and secondary groups. With Josh Allen and Joe Burrow coming up in weeks 4 and 5, that needs to get fixed in a hurry! I’m confident this team will shake off the meltdown against Miami, although that will be quite a test for rookie defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. That, as they say, is why they get the big bucks.

Looking ahead

Two important Thursday night games are coming up, Pittsburgh at Cleveland in week 3 and Miami at Cincinnati in week 4. The winner of the Steelers-Browns game will find themselves, somehow, tied for first in the division, but likely not for long. Flip a coin. The Bengals need Burrow to get back to form if the Dolphins offense continues to roll. I have to lean Cincinnati since they are at home, but not with any confidence at this point.

The Ravens travel to New England in week 3 before hosting Buffalo in week 4. Baltimore really needs to beat what looks to be a mediocre Patriots team. They do NOT want to be 1-2 when the Bills come charging in. After watching Buffalo destroy the Rams and Titans, I can’t pick against them.

The Bengals travel to New York to take on Joe Flacco’s Jets in week 3. Cincinnati really needs to win that game, and they should. A loss would further shake the confidence of that team, and it should.

In week 4, Pittsburgh hosts the Jets as New York finishes its tour of the AFC North. Again, this is a game the Steelers need to win and should, but I don’t have any confidence in them and would personally love to see Flacco continue his hot hand. Cleveland heads to Atlanta in week 4. No team should lose to the Falcons this year, and the Browns will have extra prep time. I can’t pick against the Browns here, but I also acknowledge that team’s ability to screw this game up.

Note from the North

With their week 1 win against Pittsburgh, Cleveland broke an amazing streak of not winning their opener since 2004 (against the Ravens). They kept another streak alive-the franchise has not won their first two games since 1993 when their coach was Bill Belichick and their QB was Bernie Kosar.

Cincinnati is the first defending AFC champion to start 0-2 since Denver in 1999. The Broncos were breaking in a new QB after John Elway had just ridden off into the Rocky Mountain sunset.

Lamar Jackson ran for over 100 yards for the 11^th time against Miami, breaking Michael Vick’s career record for a QB.

Until next time, you can follow me on Twitter @jimjfootball and check out my other work at jimjfootball.com

The post Drama In The AFC North appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

1. Cincinnati
2. Baltimore (wild card)
3. Pittsburgh
4. Cleveland

I think the Bengals and Ravens will fight it out for the division title while the Steelers and Browns will fight to stay out of the cellar. I think the restored and reinforced Ravens will bounce back from their last-place finish and be in the mix to win the AFC, and they have the advantage of a last-place schedule vs. the Bengals facing a first-place schedule. To me, though, Baltimore has to prove they can beat Cincinnati head-to-head, something they did not come close to last season.

Yes, I am well aware of how depleted the Ravens were last year when they faced the Bengals, especially the second time when they practically played a junior varsity secondary against Cincinnati’s explosive passing attack. I would also expect the Bengals to be better this season, though, unless they get bit hard by the injury bug.

They’ve already had some issues in camp with Joe Burrow’s emergency appendectomy and second-round pick CB Cam Taylor-Britt’s core-muscle surgery. Burrow will be ready for week one, however, and Taylor-Britt was filling in for unsigned veteran Jessie Bates III, who has since signed and reported to the team.

The Bengals addressed their biggest weakness from 2021, the offensive line, through free agency and the draft. QB Joe Burrow is entering only his third season, and star WR Ja’Marr Chase in starting his second. As good as they were last year, they should both be better this season-especially since Burrow is likely to stay upright more often and not suffer 70 sacks like he did in 2021.

The Ravens injury situation is still somewhat in question. RB Gus Edwards and LB Tyrus Bowser are starting the season on the reserve/PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, meaning they will have to miss at least the first four games of the season. LT Ronnie Stanley just returned to practice for the first time in a year, while RB J. K. Dobbins has been practicing since early August. The status of both for the opener against the Jets is still a question.

Baltimore has recently signed reinforcements at RB (Kenyan Drake) and WR (Demarcus Robinson), and both may be needed week one since the wide receiver corps outside of Rashod Bateman has been nicked up during camp. They won’t be at full strength to start the season against their run of four straight AFC East opponents, but they’ll be closer to it than they have been since 2020. That should be enough to compete with, if not beat, Cincinnati. The Ravens will have their first shot at the Bengals in Baltimore on Sunday night, October 9 in what could be the biggest game within the AFC North this season.

Pittsburgh and Cleveland have been the teams in the division drawing the most attention during training camp. The Steelers did so for more traditional football reasons. The primary focus for Pittsburgh has been finding the successor to Ben Rothlisberger at quarterback, and it appears to be free agent veteran Mitch Trubisky. There has not been a formal announcement by Mike Tomlin, but Trubisky has been assumed to be the starter. I believe the jobs was Trubisky’s to lose in camp, and although rookie Kenny Pickett may have outplayed him, Trubisky was plenty good enough not to lose it.

More recently, the Steelers’ offensive line has received attention, and it’s not good. There were times during the preseason that Pittsburgh QBs seemed to be running for their lives. This was a disappointing development considering that, like Cincinnati, Pittsburgh had made revamping the OL an offseason priority. So far, not so good. The Steelers travel to Cincinnati to open the season, and the Bengals’ DE Trey Hendrickson, who had 14 sacks last season, will likely be licking his chops facing this shaky Pittsburgh line.

If the Steelers’ offensive line can at least be mediocre, they would be in position to take advantage of their outstanding skill position players. That assumes RB Najee Harris’ Lisfranc sprain in his foot is not serious and does not impede him this season. Their defense has some marquee players in T. J. Watt, Cam Hayward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, but the middle of their defense was soft last year and still appears to be a question. Pittsburgh was unusually weak against the run last year, which would be a major problem for them again with all the quality RBs in the AFC North.

The Steelers will need to survive their difficult early schedule to stay competitive within the division. If things start out rocky for Trubisky, that could begin a revolving door at QB and mire Pittsburgh in mediocrity, if not worse, this season.

No team has been as closely watched as the Browns this summer for all the wrong reasons. With Deshaun Watson now out until Week 13, the offense is in the hands of QB Jacoby Brissett. He has been tagged with the often derisive label of game manager, which means he is perceived to not make many plays, either positive or negative. I believe if Baker Mayfield had been a game manager last season, Cleveland may have made the playoffs, but he made too many negative plays. If Brissett can avoid that, the Browns may be able to stay in the playoff hunt.

Cleveland has a team well set up for a game manager QB-they have a strong running game and a good defense. Like Pittsburgh, they also had issues with the middle of their defense last year. They have addressed that through free agency and the draft and need to see improvement to be as near an elite level as their fans seem to think they are.

The Browns could finish ahead of the Steelers if Brissett plays reasonably well and their running backs stay healthy. They won’t likely be exciting, but I think Cleveland fans have probably had enough excitement this off season to tide them over.

Coming up:

Steelers at Bengals, 1:00 PM Sunday

I don’t expect the debut of Pittsburgh QB Mitch Trubisky to go very well given the state of their offensive line and the Bengals’ strong pass rush. Joe Burrow will likely air it out against the Steelers’ secondary, and I expect their playmaking ability to carry Cincinnati to a comfortable opening day win.

Ravens at Jets, 1:00 PM Sunday

Ravens fans have been anticipating a matchup with former Super Bowl hero Joe Flacco starting at QB for the Jets. That may not happen as QB Zach Wilson could play despite a meniscus tear in his knee. New York is expected to finish at the bottom of the AFC East again this season, but they appear to be trending up. If J. K. Dobbins is limited or unavailable, Baltimore may have to rely on the legs and arm of QB Lamar Jackson. That should be more than enough to get the Ravens off to a wining start.

Browns as Panthers, 1:00 PM Sunday

Cleveland faces former QB Baker Mayfield, who won the starting job in Carolina after the Browns finally dealt him. Mayfield has, of course, been talking, but can he back it up? He does have weapons with RB Christian McCaffery healthy, at least for the moment, and former Terp D. J. Moore, one of the best WRs in the NFL. Cleveland’s star DE Myles Garrett will be matched up against a rookie T. and I would expect him to renew his acquaintance with Mayfield in the Panthers backfield several times during the game. I don’t think the Panthers are a very good team, and I expect the Browns to be able to squeak out an opening day win.

News From the North

A lot of stuff has happened since 2004, but one thing that hasn’t is the Cleveland Browns winning their opening game. There was a tie against Pittsburgh in 2018, but the last opener they won was against the Ravens, 20-3 in 2004. That is the ONLY opening game the Browns have won since their rebirth in 1999. The previous record was held by the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost nine straight openers from 1968-1976. Yes, this Browns streak is truly special.

For those of you keeping track of these things, Deshaun Watson’s suspension breaks down like this:

• October 10-Allowed to return to the team facility for limited activities
• November 14-Allowed to practice
• December 4-Eligible to play vs. Texans at Houston

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @jimjfootball and read all of my work at jimjfootball.com. I’ve kept it simple so you (and I) can easily remember it.

The post Previewing the 2022 AFC North appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Pittsburgh has the most compelling story line at the quarterback position happening on the field. The two/three headed competition for the starting assignment has become very interesting. With no incumbent following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the spot was touted to be wide open, but early on in camp free agent signee Mitch Trubisky seemed to have the upper hand.

Once the games began, however, his hold on QB1 appears to have become somewhat precarious. Returning backup quarterback Mason Rudolph continues to be…Mason Rudolph-a backup quarterback that you can use in a pinch. The big story has been first round draft pick and hometown hero Kenny Pickett.

Pickett played well in the preseason opener against Seattle, completing 13 of 15 passes for 95 yards and 2 TDs, then followed it up last weekend at Jacksonville by going 6 of 7 for 76 yards with a touchdown. He has yet to throw an interception and led the Steelers on an impressive drive at the end of the first half against the Jaguars, covering 63 yards in 42 seconds despite a porous offensive line.

I agreed with the consensus early on that Trubisky would open the regular season as the starter, and he has played well enough in preseason to hold onto that spot. I don’t know of anyone, except perhaps Pickett himself, that thought he would come out of the chute playing this well. I think Head Coach Mike Tomlin would prefer to open with Trubisky, and that he is stubborn enough not to be swayed by the groundswell of excitement in Steeler Nation about Pickett.

Another complicating factor is that porous offensive line. Pittsburgh played some of their hopeful starters last Saturday and it wasn’t pretty. The Pittsburgh media and fans are screaming for the team to bring in reinforcements almost as loudly at they are clamoring for Pickett to start.

My guess is that Tomlin with open with Trubisky, but he may be on a short leash with Pickett appearing to be ready to contribute right away. There has been discussion about trading Rudolph, but they would be lucky to get a 7th round pick for him. He knows the system, he’s not terrible, so I think he fills that QB3 role as well as anybody.

Speaking of complicated, that takes us to the Cleveland Browns and the Deshaun Watson mess.

Watson is now out for the first 11 games, slated to be eligible to return in Week 13 vs. Houston-what a coincidence. He must submit to counseling and adhere to the counselor’s directions in order to be reinstated. Since Watson only briefly indicated any culpability in this situation while the case was under appeal and recanted that as soon as a settlement was reached, that would be a massive shift for him.

I have studied Watson closely over the past few months and have written about him extensively elsewhere. I believe he is a very complicated and troubled man. He has helped a lot of people with philanthropic work, and this is the first time he has faced consequences for negative actions. I believe he has convinced himself he has not done anything wrong and is the victim here. This would make him a threat to commit other inappropriate acts, at least until he actually faces and deals with himself, although I’m sure he will be much more discreet.

The Cleveland Browns traded so much draft capital and committed all of that guaranteed money to him because he is an outstanding quarterback. They think all will be forgiven if they win enough games, and they are probably right. This is a calculation I suspect any team desperate to win and needing a top QB to do so would make. If the Ravens did not have Lamar Jackson, do you think they would not at least have talked to the Houston Texans about a deal? I suspect they would have.

Browns fans and Cleveland media are campaigning for the team to trade for San Francisco’s QB Jimmy Garoppolo and his $24 million contract. The Browns have the cap room to take it on, but why waste it for 11 games of a better than average QB when the receiver corps he would throw to is so thin?

If I were in their brain trust (I’m perfectly happy that I’m not) I would go with Jacoby Brissett, concentrate on running the ball and playing defense, both which they should do well. I’d see if my team could hang around and make a late push for a playoff spot with Watson. They would do well to roll that cap space over to next year, when Watson’s cap hit leaps from $9,395,500 to $54,993,000. Next year would make a lot more sense to go all-in than this year, but then again, the Browns are not known for making sense.

The Ravens know who their QB will be, but for how long? Negotiations with Jackson continue to be conducted very privately (good) and slowly (bad). Baltimore owner Steve Biscotti was one of the first to complain about Watson’s $230 million guarantee because he knew that would impact the team’s negotiations with Jackson. The market, as they say, has been reset. The franchise tag could be in play for him next season, and it could be into 2023 before there is any news on Jackson’s contract status since he has said he would not negotiate during the season. The fans have been a lot more anxious about his contract status than he has, at least publicly. Fortunately, I don’t see this having any impact on the 2022 season.

Cincinnati had a scare when QB Joe Burrow needed what has been later revealed to be an emergency appendectomy cause by a ruptured appendix. He is well on his way to recovery, participating in practice once again and he should be ready to start the Bengals opener against Pittsburgh. One of my favorite scenes from training camp so far this year was Burrow, still not back at practice, joining his teammates in running sprints by driving his golf cart up and down the sidelines. Nice touch.

Notes From the North

The Ravens’ Justin Tucker is clearly the best placekicker in the NFL, but the gap is closing, especially within the division where he has some serous competition. Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell, who briefly shared highest paid kicker status with Tucker until the Ravens extended his contract, has made 90% or better of his kicks the last three season, including 8 of 9 from 50+ yards in 2021. This is especially impressive since Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) is a notoriously tough place to kick.

Cincinnati has found their kicker in second-year player Even McPherson. He made two walk-off field goals in last year’s playoffs and connected on nine 50+ yarders during the season. The Browns drafted Cade York from LSU in the fourth round this year, making him the highest drafted kicker since 2016. He is showing the kind of leg that could put him in the class of Boswell and McPherson.

The advantage remains with the Ravens, but the gap has closed significantly.

I listened to the Bengals pregame radio broadcast before their game with the Giants. They talked a lot about the Giants defensive coordinate Don (Wink) Martindale, who spent the last ten seasons in Baltimore. Broadcasters Dan Hoard and Dave Lapham brought up Joe Burrow’s success against Martindale’s defense last season three times that I heard during their broadcast. They neglected to mention the Ravens’ depleted personnel, particularly in the second game when Burrow threw for 525 yards where the entire starting secondary was out injured.

I found that quite annoying and borderline unprofessional, especially for two broadcasters who have been doing this for a while. I suppose that when your franchise has never won a championship, any accomplishment can get magnified.

Next time, I’ll be previewing the opening week of the season and looking at how the AFC North rosters were put together, evaluating injuries and cuts.

Until then, please follow me at Twitter @jimjfootball. After all, I’ve won as many Super Bowls as the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns combined.

The post AFC North – All About the Quarterbacks appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Crushing blocks, pulverizing hits, mad dashes for glory, intense stare downs, people moving heaven and earth to reach their goal, wild celebrations, and lots of bad language.

No, I’m not talking about Black Friday at Wal Mart (although I could be)-it’s time for football!

Training camps across the NFL are now open for business. Let’s take a look at the storylines I’ll be watching as the teams in the AFC North begin their preparations for the 2022 season.

Pittsburgh Steelers at St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe, PA

The Steelers return to the site they had held camp for 54 straight years until COVID-19 broke that streak. Their practice field at the school is named “Chuck Noll Field.” Pittsburgh is the only team in the division returning to a more traditional training camp setting, one that would probably make many Ravens fans nostalgic for the years at McDaniel College in Westminster.

The main storyline I’m looking at here is one of transition, particularly in leadership. The biggest story is obviously the changing of the guard at quarterback, where Ben Roethlisberger retired after 18 seasons as the Steelers’ QB and will now await his inevitable call to the Hall of Fame.

In the short term, his replacement seems obvious. Pittsburgh signed Mitch Trubisky, the second player chosen in the 2017 draft by the Chicago Bears, ahead of Patrick Mahomes (oops) and Deshaun Watson. He left Chicago with the highest career passer rating in franchise history but displayed enough inconsistency for the Bears to let him go in favor of rookie Justin Fields. After spending a year as Josh Allen’s backup in Buffalo, Trubisky signed a two-year deal before the draft with Pittsburgh.

The narrative became more complicated when Pittsburgh drafted hometown hero Kenny Pickett from Pitt in the first round. Pickett is running third string early in camp behind Trubisky and Mason Rudolph, but that won’t slow down the Yinzers from clamoring for Pickett at the first sign of trouble with Trubisky.

Will Trubisky establish himself as THE QB, at least for this season?  How will head Coach Mike Tomlin handle the situation if he doesn’t? Tomlin has acknowledged this is the first time since he arrived in Pittsburgh in 2007 that he has had a QB decision to make, and even great coaches can make a real mess out of that. Remember Tom Landry shuttling Roger Staubach and Craig Morton in on every other play during a game in 1971? Then there was Bill Walsh waffling on starting Joe Montana or Steve Young in the late 1980’s.

Mike Tomlin is likely not having to choose between future Hall of Famers like Walsh did, but his management of the situation will be critical to the Steelers’ success this season.

Cincinnati Bengals at Kettering Health Practice Fields in Cincinnati, OH

I’ll be watching two storylines from the Bengals’ camp-how do they handle being the hunted instead of the hunter, and will they remain relatively free from serious injuries.

The second part got off to a bad start last week when QB Joe Burrow needed an appendectomy. While he should be ready to start the season, no team wants to see their franchise QB have surgery on the eve of training camp.

Additionally, two of their key free agent signings, G Alex Cappa and T La’el Collins, are recovering from injuries and have yet to see the field in camp. Neither injury is believed to be serious, but again, a potentially ominous sign since their rebuilt offensive line is a key to Cincinnati making another playoff run.

So far, there is little evidence that last year’s Super Bowl appearance has taken the edge off the Bengals’ players or coaches. To the contrary, their narrow loss to the Rams appears to be additional motivation.

They do have one holdout, S Jessie Bates, who has yet to sign his franchise tag tender. Bates’ leverage was reduced when the Bengals drafted his replacement, Dax Hill from Michigan, in this year’s first round. Cincinnati has some difficult decisions coming up over the next couple of years as their young stars finish their rookie contracts, so veterans like Bates, who would make $12.9 million on the one-year tender, could easily be a salary cap casualty next year.

How the Bengals deal with the distractions of success and potential injuries, not to mention a first-place schedule, will be the key to them returning to the playoffs, and perhaps the Super Bowl.

Cleveland Browns at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus in Berea, OH

The Browns’ quarterback mess has been THE storyline for the Browns’ tumultuous offseason. Part of it has been cleaned up with the departure of Baker Mayfield, while Browns Nation awaits the puffs of smoke coming from Sue L. Robinson’s home to see how long, if at all, newly acquired Deshaun Watson will be suspended.

The storyline I’ll be watching beyond that, though, is how this team works through the turmoil and can come together in the locker room and on the field.

Count me skeptical. I have not gotten the feeling that the Browns’ management has demonstrated they have much of a master plan, unlike the Bengals and Ravens. They have a talented team. They have playmakers on defense like Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney and one of the best running back tandems in the league with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

Yet, with that talent, they missed the playoffs last season. They identified quarterback play as a main reason for that failure and took extreme steps to resolve it for the long term by acquiring Watson. In the short term, however, I’m unclear how their culture will improve enough to come through in pressure situations and win the type of close games that they lost last year.

I believe Jacoby Brissett will be a decent replacement during a Watson suspension, perhaps even an upgrade over Mayfield last season, but this team was missing intangibles last season, the intangibles that makes teams winners. If they are unable to find those intangibles, it could be another long season in Cleveland.

Baltimore Ravens at Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, MD

Injuries, or rather, the recovery from injuries, is the storyline I’ll be following during the Ravens’ camp. Lamar Jackson’s contract extension gets much of the media coverage, but he has not shown any reason why that would impact his play, and therefore the team’s success, this season.

Who comes back when and how close to their previous level of play will they be? T Ronnie Stanley, RBs J. K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, CB Marcus Peters, and LB Tyus Bowser start camp on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, but the prognosis in encouraging for all of them to be ready at or near the start of the regular season. The most uncertainy centers on Stanley and won’t go away until he gets on the field and stays on it.

If these players return at or near their previous level and the team has a more normal number of injuries this season, there is no reason not to expect good things in 2022. Remember, the Ravens stood 8-3 and held the top seed in the AFC at the end of November last season. A healthy team would be in position to finish the job in 2022.

Notes from the North

The tearing of garments and gnashing of teeth you may have heard recently came from Pittsburgh when they announced the end of Heinz’s sponsorship of their stadium. For about $10 million a year, it will now be known as Acrisure Stadium. I saw where tears were shed when they took the giant Heinz ketchup bottle down. With the intense attachment Steelers’ fans showed to Heinz Field, I’m surprised Heinz didn’t pony up to keep their name on the stadium.

Speaking of stadiums, the Bengals are shopping naming rights to their home field for the first time. It seems more palpable that the name Paul Brown Stadium could be taken down by his son Mike, the 86-year-old team owner. At least it would be a family decision.

Don’t look now, but the Bengals are moving into the 21^st century. They are constructing a temporary indoor practice facility next to the stadium-to-be-renamed later and working on a permanent structure. I hear it gets cold there in the winter, so this seems like a good idea and one that gets them back on a level playing field with their opponents.

Teams have been coming out with their new alternate or throwback helmets. Cincinnati has a white one with black stripes, not bad in my estimation. I suppose the Ravens coming out with orange helmets would be a nonstarter-probably for the best.

Next time, I’ll whip around the division with updates from camp and the early preseason games. Until then, you can follow me on Twitter @jimjfootball.

The post Storylines for AFC North Training Camps appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.