In the lead up to the kickoff of the 2015 NFL season, I’ll be taking a look at each NFL team’s chances, division by division. First up is always competitive and tough to predict AFC North.
Baltimore Ravens
2014: finished regular season 10-6 (3rd in division), lost Divisional playoff to the New England Patriots 35-31
Offence: An efficient offence, who was just outside the top 10 in yards last season but just inside the top 10 in points. Quarterback Joe Flacco manages his team well. The receiving corp of Steve Smith Sr (who has announced this week that this will be his final season), Kamar Aiken and rookie Breshad Perriman could be a concern, Smith is getting old and much pressure is on him to deliver again. Running Back is a position where the Ravens will rely heavily on Justin Forsett to continue his outstanding form from his breakout season a year ago.
Defence: an area of strength for Baltimore they were 6th in the NFL in points conceded in 2014. They will feel the loss of Defensive Tackle Haloti Ngata no doubt, but will continue to base their game on a solid defence.
Fantasy player to watch: Perriman comes into the league with big wraps, touted as a direct replacement for Torrey Smith, and has gone as high as the 3rd or 4th round in some fantasy drafts. Some doubts to remain on his ability to have an impact in his rookie season but he remains a great prospect, particularly in dynasty drafts.
Key to their success/failure: the ability of Flacco to make best use of the weapons around him. The Ravens are always there or thereabouts and I expect this season to be no different.
Predicted regular season finish: 9-7
Cincinnati Bengals
2014 : finished regular season 10-5-1 (2nd in division), lost Wildcard playoff to the Indianapolis Colts 26-10
Offence: the Bengals had a good offence in the regular season in 2014, finishing mid table in most statistical categories. Led by Quarterback Andy Dalton, the Bengals offence offers the twin running back set of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard, A.J Green and Mohamed Sanu out wide and the effective Jermaine Gresham at Tight End. Green missed much of 2014 through injury and was sorely missed.
Defence: Cincinnati’s defence is steady without being brilliant. Also mid table in points and yards conceded a year ago. Suprisingly, the defence was not bolstered through the draft until the 4th round where Linebacker Paul Dawson was taken out of TCU.
Fantasy player to watch: RB Jeremy Hill is coming off the back of a sensational rookie campaign, where he ran for 11,24 yards and scored 9 touchdowns, and is going very high in some fantasy drafts. That Hill has surpassed Bernard in the depth chart so quickly is a testament to the esteeem he is held in by Bengals management.
Key to their success/failure: who else but Dalton. The Around the NFL podcast measures all QB’s by the “Dalton Scale” where Dalton is the prime meridian of players. He needs to guide them to another divisional title and a playoff win this year, or ramifications will abound for player and coach Marvin Lewis.
Predicted regular season finish: 10-6
Cleveland Browns
2014: finished regular season 7-9 (4th in division), lost Wildcard playoff to the Indianapolis Colts 26-10
Offence: a solid running game is about all Cleveland has going for it. A three way battle between Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West and highly touted rookie Duke Johnson will be waged through training camp. The Wide Receiver position is a real worry, with no obvious #1 target, as is, as always with the Browns, the Quarterbacks. Josh McCown has been brought in but he is not the answer. The Browns need to play Johnny Manziel and find out what they have.
Defence: the defence carries this team. Conceded just 21.1 points per game a year ago, the 9th best in the entire league, largely off the back of a great outside back group, led by the outstanding Cornerback Joe Haden. Addressed the defensive line in the draft this year taking 339lb monster Danny Shelton in the first round. The Browns will be hoping desperately that this first round picks works out better than most of their recent picks.
Fantasy player to watch: the dynamic between the RB’s of Crowell, West and Johnson will be interesting to watch from a late round/waiver wire perspective depending on the depth of your league.
Key to their success/failure: getting something from the QB position, be it McCown, Manziel or someone else.
Predicted regular season finish: 6-10
Pittsburgh Steelers
2014: finished regular season 11-5 (won division), lost Wildcard playoff to the Baltimore Ravens 30-17
Offence: the litmus test for this team. The offence is stacked with talent from the evergreen Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to Wide Receiver Antonio Brown and Running Back Le’Veon Bell, who are considered to be in the top five in their respective positions. The offence must score points to reduce the pressure on the defence.
Defence: will be relying on their front seven to stop opposing teams as their secondary is not very good. Teams scored on the Steelers with ease last season, especially out wide. Against the pass the Steelers were a bottom six defence in 2014.
Fantasy player to watch: Markus Wheaton. While most experts expect Brown and Bryant to attract a lot of targets, this could open the door for Wheaton. Could be a solid late round pick as a WR3 or Flex player.
Key to their success/failure: Roethlisberger’s health. If Big Ben goes down the Steelers are in a world of trouble.
Predicted regular season finish: 8-8
Predicted Divisional Standings
1. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
2. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8)
4. Cleveland Browns (6-10)
Next up is the AFC South
A good read Chris, as a Bengals fan from down under I find the criticism of Dalton unwarranted but I predict a solid season and of course with fit weapons a playoff win. The Dalton years have been exciting and full of hope unlike the last decade. Cheers Peter