The AFC North is up for grabs

By Justin Shaw

The Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North title last season and made their first playoff appearance since 1990, however it was the Pittsburgh Steelers that ended up knocking them out of the playoffs and winning the Super Bowl.  It was a very sad ending to the Bengals stellar season and the injury of Carson Palmer added insult to injury.  Now it’s 2006, but can the Bengals repeat as division champs or will the Steelers spoil the party again?

Before we get to the two big teams in the division, we need to discuss the other contenders.  The Cleveland Browns haven’t had a winning record or made the playoffs since 2002 when they lost to Pittsburgh in the Wild Card game.  What once seemed like a young, promising roster has now turned into a complete mess and it doesn’t look like they will be in any type of playoff contention for years to come.  The Browns most experienced QB is Ken Dorsey, who has only been in the league for four years and hasn’t really started for any team.  The Browns have a decent receiving core led by Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards, but without anybody to throw them the ball this season does not look promising.  The Browns will have a relatively solid defense, but it will not be enough to have a winning record.  Cleveland has a brutal schedule and will probably only win four or five games.

The Baltimore Ravens are much improved this season from their 2005 version.  They added many impact players including QB Steve McNair, RB Mike Anderson, and DE Trevor Pryce.  The Ravens still have a great defense to accompany their emerging offense, however it will still be tough for them to make the playoffs.  They have road games against Denver, Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh; all of which they will lose.  They are a good team, but in this division they will only be third best and most likely will miss the playoffs.  I just don’t know if Steve McNair can stay healthy enough to lead this team to a stellar record, and if Kyle Boller must lead the team we all know what is going to happen.  It will be hard for this team to stay healthy, especially since a lot of the Ravens’ players are getting older.  They will finish 10-6 at best and that probably won’t get them into the playoffs.

Now it comes down to the same two teams, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.  I’m going to lean towards the Bengals for now, but that all depends on the health of one man: Carson Palmer.  If Palmer returns to his old form the Bengals will not only win the division, but could make it as far as the AFC Championship.  However, if he can’t go and Anthony Wright or Doug Johnson must lead the team they will be in big trouble.  I really think this season will be either a home run or a strikeout for Cincinnati, depending on the health of their franchise player.  The Bengals have all the tools in place, but it remains to be seen whether or not it will be a success.  We will get a stronger indication once the season gets closer as to the ability of Palmer and if he can play at a high level so soon after such a horrible injury.

With Palmer sidelined for now I would usually take the Steelers in a no-brainer, but after the off-season they’ve had they are left with even more question marks than the Bengals.  Will Ben Roethlisberger return at his full potential after his horrific motorcycle accident this summer and if so, will there be a lingering of his injuries?  Along with that, how will the Steelers replace Jerome Bettis and Antwaan Randle El on the offensive side of the ball?  They drafted Santonio Holmes from Ohio State to replace Randle El, but he has been arrested twice for alleged domestic violence and assault on a woman since being drafted and his character has been called into question.  Also, with Bettis retiring Pittsburgh no longer has a third down running back to get the hard yardage when they need it. 

The best-case scenario for the Steelers is that everybody will come back healthy on offense and their awesome defense can continue last year’s form.  If the pieces fall right for them there is no reason that they couldn’t win the division.  However, there are just too many question marks in this division right now to pick a clear cut winner, but look for at least two teams from this division to make the playoffs.