For the second year in a row, the Pittsburgh Steelers secured the crown in AFC North with a clear lead. However, an aging Ben Roethlisberger cannot guarantee lasting success. Behind them, the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals want to return to the playoffs. Much more desperate, however, the Cleveland Browns are looking for success. Can Dawg Pound finally turn the corner? The SPOX preview of AFC North.
Balance 2017: 8-8.
The most important entrances: WR Michael Crabtree, QB Lamar Jackson, TE Hayden Hurst, WR John Brown.
The most important retirements: C Ryan Jensen, WR Mike Wallace, OT Austin Howard.
Last season under CEO Ozzie Newsome, the biggest guarantee of success seems to be once again the defensive side of the ball. The Ravens have managed to hold one of the best defenses of the entire league together in the off-season and therefore rely on their strength in passport defence.
Baltimore could not even rely on a great pass rush in the pre-season, but the Ravens from their 3-4 formation mostly played very successfully with seven men in coverage. In the secondary, the Ravens primarily varied between cover 3 and cover 4, allowing their defensive backs to work enormously opportunistically. This paid off as the team led the 2017 League at Takeaways (22 interceptions, 12 fumble recoveries).
Despite all the additional posessions, however, the Ravens were not in a position to capitalize on them last year. Besides disappointing quarterback play, the running game didn’t really work either. Running back Alex Collins slipped into the starter position in the second half of the season and finished the year with an impressive 973 yards, 6 scores and 4.6 yards per attempt. A positive sign in many ways, because Collins should also be able to help in the passing game.
The biggest and most important reason why the Ravens will succeed in 2018 is Joe Flacco. After an unhappy year, the veteran feels a lot of pressure from his own camp and this message seems to have an effect: Flacco is said to have completed a great training camp and has with the new wideouts Michael Crabtree and John Brown also quite capable pass-catchers at his disposal.
The total receiving corps, including the new tight ends, should be significantly better than last year, while in the line with Marshal Yanda the most important player returns after an injury break.
But: If one unit of the offensive last year was not responsible for the meager offensive production, then the offensive line. And it was here that the Ravens lost one of their most valuable players: Center Ryan Jensen left the team for Tampa.
The departure is to be compensated by the repositioning of Matt Skura from Right Guard to Center. Skura, however, was one of the weaker members in the otherwise convincing line of the Ravens. Besides Jensen, the departure of veteran Austin Howard could hurt. The right tackle was one of the most unmentioned performers in Baltimore.
These losses could turn out to be heavy hits for an already shaky offensive. Last year the Ravens had big problems in both areas of the offense. The Free Agency was unable to secure any of the first-class solutions, and Hayden Hurst, who is currently struggling at the first-round tight-end, is not a secure top performer of the future after a short football career to date.
The flacco factor can also be applied here. If he does not improve again or even take a step backwards, the trend could quickly go down. The impression in the preseason is that Lamar Jackson will still need time.
The Ravens continue to build on one of the best defenders in the NFL. This will allow them to close the gap to the Steelers halfway – when the offensive finally gets underway. Baltimore will benefit from an improved run and pass open. The signs are good for a play-off after last year’s dramatic last-minute failure of this task. Forecast: 2nd place in the division.
Page 1: Baltimore Ravens
Page 2: Cincinnati Bengals
Page 3: Cleveland Browns
Page 4: Pittsburgh Steelers