AFC NORTH 2021 PREDICTIONS

BY ADAM GREENE

Everyone’s ready for a true changing of the guard in the AFC North. The problem is, most years the Pittsburgh Steelers simply do not cooperate. You’ll get a Baltimore Ravens every now and then and, even half a decade ago, you could sneak a Cincinnati Bengals into a title. The next year, it’s back to the black and gold all over again.

So how do I think it’ll pan out in 2021? Just about as boring as it can, minus a Baltimore shocker.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS: 12-5

That’s right. I’ve decided the team that’s won the AFC North five times since 2010 has a good chance to repeat as champions. The Steelers, unlike their counterparts in Green Bay, made the odd choice to embrace their aging star quarterback and continue to build around him, crafting one of the best defenses in the league, a stout offensive line and continually cycling through one star offensive position player after another. It’s an odd way to do business, but Pittsburgh is making it work somehow.

Sure, it might be all over when Roethlisberger retires (likely at the end of the season), but for now he’s got a great offensive line, the best running back he’s had since Le’Veon Bell was in his prime and the best receiving corpse since Antonio Brown first learned how to use Instagram live.

CLEVELAND BROWNS: 11-6

Cleveland remains the hot pick to usurp the Steelers for good reason. If you just look at the roster and nothing else, the Browns probably have the fourth or fifth best in the league. The issue is, that’s no always enough.

I do think knocking off Pittsburgh in the playoffs last season will have lasting effects. That this year, like last, will be part of the story in what Cleveland is building in this new era. I do think they’re probably one of the six or seven best teams in the NFL. I just need to see it all happen again.

BALTIMORE RAVENS: 9-8

Here is where my road seriously diverges with my fellow punditry. When I say that the Steelers have won the AFC North five times since 2010, it’s true. It’s also true that the Baltimore Ravens have won it four times in that span.

So why the drop? It’s all about their offense and, more specifically, offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Roman can’t maximize Lamar Jackson and instead treats him how we all treated Randall Cunningham on the old Tecmo Bowl video game. What’s worse is, Roman also uses all those same old Tecmo Bowl plays.

Two years ago, Lamar Jackson got the Ravens to 14-2. A year later with Roman’s offense figured out, they made it to 11-5, a three game drop. I’m just dropping them two here, but honestly, a sub .500 record would not surprise me.

Now, ironically, the last time the Ravens went to and won a Super Bowl is the year they fired their offensive coordinator in the middle and replaced him with Jim Caldwell. They went on to knock off the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl  XLVII and their offensive coordinator… some guy named Greg Roman.

CINCINNATI BENGALS: 8-9

If you think that’s too high a win total for the Cincinnati, you have nothing on actual Bengals fans. Those that I know, predicting eight wins seems like pure insanity. The only thing nuttier is selecting a Bengals position player in your fantasy draft and, I will tell you, I have done both.

At the end of the year, with Joe Burrow 100 percent (he’s probably still not), they might be in the playoff hunt and I’ll either look like a genius, or one of many “haters” who didn’t believe they could make the jump. I’ll take either moniker.

The NFL season begins on Thursday, Sep. 9 and the Week 1 Schedule is up and taking bets at BetOnline.AG.

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