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(CBS Pittsburgh) — The Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC North past year, lone to look the Cleveland Browns successful the Wild Card round. The Browns, making the playoffs for the archetypal clip successful astir 20 years, dispensed with the Steelers astatine home. Then they astir toppled the Kansas City Chiefs the adjacent week. The Baltimore Ravens besides won their Wild Card game, lone to get handled by the Buffalo Bills. The part whitethorn precise good extremity up with 3 playoff teams again, but expect the bid to beryllium a small different.
Cleveland is the aboriginal favourite to triumph the AFC North, arsenic CBS Pittsburgh sports anchor Bob Pompeani sees it. “…they’ve truly fortified themselves and they’ve stayed distant from important injury. The Steelers person a batch of things they are dealing with from the wounded constituent of view, arsenic they caput into Week 1, and Baltimore aforesaid way. Cincinnati is simply a squad that’s up and coming. But I don’t deliberation they person capable yet. So I would deliberation Cleveland, this is their part to lose.”
“They are stacked,” Pompeani continued, “and they are acceptable to instrumentality the adjacent measurement aft they came to Pittsburgh and bushed the Steelers past year.”
Quarterback Baker Mayfield improved connected his archetypal 2 seasons, and helium has the players astir him to marque different jump. The violative enactment is among the champion successful the league. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for implicit 1,900 yards and 18 touchdowns connected the ground. After an injury-shortened season, Odell Beckham volition erstwhile again enactment up other Jarvis Landry.
The Browns defence was a middling portion past season, contempt the beingness of Myles Garrett. But offseason additions whitethorn elevate it capable to marque them a perennial contender. The squad was progressive successful escaped agency, bringing successful antiaircraft extremity Jadeveon Clowney, antiaircraft tackle Malik Jackson, linebacker Anthony Walker, and information John Johnson. The NFL Draft besides yielded cornerback Greg Newsome and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. A loaded defence should assistance them incorporate the backmost endowment they volition look wrong the part alone.
That starts with Ben Roethlisberger, a aboriginal Hall of Famer nearing the extremity of his career. He has the weapons to enactment up numbers, including a trio of talented wide receivers successful JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and Chase Claypool for first-round enactment Najee Harris. But it’s unclear if helium volition person the blocking to execute.
“With the Steelers, the question is violative line,” Pompeani pointed out. “Just today, Zach Banner went connected IR. He’s a tackle. They’ve shifted guys around. They person a rookie starting astatine near tackle. That’s ne'er casual successful a part that has a batch of guys who tin get to the quarterback. And Ben Roethlisberger, astatine 39, tin beryllium successful, but that enactment volition dictate however palmy helium volition beryllium oregon not.”
The Steelers defence has led the NFL successful sacks with implicit 50 for 4 years running. And past twelvemonth T.J. Watt had 15 of them, bully capable to pb the NFL among players. The runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year appears adjacent to getting a declaration extension, which would marque him the League’s highest-paid antiaircraft player. The squad mislaid a big of contributors this past offseason, including linebackers Bud Dupree and Vince Williams and cornerbacks Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton. But it inactive lines up lineman Cameron Heyward, information Minkah Fitzpatrick, and cornerback Joe Haden.
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The Ravens enactment up down Lamar Jackson, 1 of the astir dynamic players successful the NFL today. And their success volition beryllium connected his success. But he’ll request the pieces astir him to triumph games, and injuries person already started to impact the team.
“As acold arsenic Baltimore, Lamar Jackson is an MVP,” Pompeani notes. “But past twelvemonth the numbers dropped off. I deliberation the league whitethorn beryllium catching up to him. And they lost J.K. Dobbins, and others connected their defense. So Gus Edwards volition beryllium a antheral who volition beryllium looked astatine very, precise earnestly arsenic a feline who tin tote the ball. Can helium bash it arsenic a regular featured back?”
The Ravens led the NFL successful rushing past season, with Jackson topping 1,000 yards connected his own. Edwards volition person to prime up the slack, on with Justice Hill and Ty’Son Williams. The Ravens’ passing discourtesy was past successful the NFL past season. Jackson has plentifulness of weapons, however, including choky extremity Mark Andrews. Injuries person been an contented present too. Receiver Marquise Brown saw constricted enactment successful grooming camp, and plentifulness of different receivers besides missed time. Sammy Watkins, signed this past offseason from the Kansas City Chiefs, should beryllium capable to agelong the tract with his speed, if he’s healthy.
The Ravens defense, which was apical 10 against the tally and walk past season, remains 1 of the NFL’s amended units. They added linebacker Justin Houston, who has a beardown past of getting to the quarterback, arsenic good arsenic linebacker Odafe Oweh precocious successful the archetypal round. Cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters are some among the NFL’s best. Linebacker Patrick Queen and is improving, and tackle Justin Madubuike has looked bully successful the preseason. In fact, the full defence has impressed successful the preseason (for what it’s worth), allowing nether a touchdown per crippled successful the preseason.
The Bengals stay acold down their part rivals, though they are making progress. Welcoming backmost Joe Burrow is simply a large measurement guardant for them. He’ll person wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase to propulsion to erstwhile again, aft the Bengals drafted him successful the archetypal round. Guard Jackson Carman, taken successful the 2nd round, volition assistance support Burrow upright. Additional changes on the violative enactment could assistance support Burrow, though it’s unclear however effectual they volition be.
“In Cincinnati, it’s each astir Joe Burrow, his wellness coming backmost from his wounded and surgery,” says Pompeani. “They’re inactive awhile distant from being a competitory team, but however helium goes volition dictate however they go. And if helium has a bully twelvemonth bouncing backmost from that country — and that’s ne'er casual — past you tin look to them, maybe, adjacent twelvemonth arsenic a squad that is adjacent to being a playoff team, but not this year.”
The Bengals defence struggled past season, particularly against the run, wherever they gave up 148 yards per game. They should amended somewhat this play with the summation of antiaircraft extremity Trey Hendrickson from the New Orleans Saints and antiaircraft tackle Larry Ogunjobi from the Cleveland Browns. The Bengals besides drafted antiaircraft extremity Joseph Ossai successful the 3rd round, but helium volition miss the play with a genu injury. Ex-Dallas Cowboy Chidobe Awuzie takes implicit 1 of the country spots.
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The AFC North kicks disconnected the play successful the spotlight arsenic the Browns look the Chiefs successful CBS’s Week 1 Game of the Week
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