NEOSI Previews the NFL’s AFC from Top to Bottom Heading Into 2016

AFC North

1.) Pittsburgh Steelers 11-5

The Steelers are still going to be the team to beat in the AFC North. Having Bell suspended the first three games and Martavis Bryant for the whole season is going to hurt the offense, but the trio of Bell, Brown, and Roethlisberger is enough that the offense should overcome. The secondary was the weakest part of the team and the Steelers spent time in the offseason trying to improve there. The offense is too good for them to not win the division this year.

2.) Cincinnati Bengals 10-6

The Bengals lost Hue Jackson and two of their top WRs and Eifert will be out to start the year. It could be a tough year offensively for the Bengals. What saves them is having one of the best defenses in the NFL. Cincinnati shouldn’t be taken lightly but the team this year isn’t as good as we have seen in the past. The playoffs should still be in their future but another early exit might be in the works if they can’t stack up with the other offenses.

3.) Baltimore Ravens 9-7

Injuries derailed their season last year. The team still isn’t over a lot of them as they come into the season possibly still being the most injured team in the league. While they still have the injuries it is not close to the magnitude of what they had to endure last season. They still need to improve to get back to being where they were when they won the Super Bowl but they can take a step in the right direction with a .500 season.

4.) Cleveland Browns 1-15

The Browns are the worst team in the NFL, no question. They let eight of probably their top twelve players from a three win team go. It also looks like a lot of their fourteen draft picks won’t be opening day starters either. With twelve new starters this year, having only two of them as rookies is sad. The offensive line is so bad that it looks like RGIII will get hurt at some point during the season, crushing the only hopes for most Cleveland fans. The lone bright spot could be Josh Gordon returning to form but the team needs help in every area. The first pick in the draft is looking like a real possibility.

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