Predictions for the 2022 NFL Season: AFC North

With so many new players, there are a lot of unknowns in the AFC North this season. This makes predicting outcomes a little tricky. Let’s focus in on the quarterbacks to tease out the differences between the four teams.

The Cincinnati Bengals are the reigning AFC Champions and their team just got better. For the past two years, the Bengals’ offensive line has been the joke of the NFL, and for good reason. In 2021, Joe Burrow was the most sacked quarterback, getting sacked 51 times. The atrocious offensive line led to Burrow sustaining many injuries, including a torn ACL and MCL. During the off season this year, the Bengals addressed the situation and signed many highly skilled offensive linemen in free agency, headlined by La’el Collins, Ted Karras, and Alex Cappa. With their biggest weakness addressed, things should only go up. A stronger offensive line will give Joe Burrow more time to throw the ball and it will open up the field for Joe Mixon to run. I don’t see how the Bengals will not repeat as AFC North Champs. But how about the other teams?

Next up, we have the Ravens. Is Lamar Jackson a quarterback or a running back? Can the Ravens win in the playoffs with Lamar? Should the Ravens give him a big contract? These are all questions that come up when talking about the Ravens. Many people think Lamar is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL while some love to call him overrated. I think of him as a former MVP who can do it all, except the one thing his position is meant to do – throw the ball. Don’t get me wrong. He isn’t terrible at throwing the ball; however, he is many levels below the elite players at his position. Even though he struggles at times, he is still Lamar Jackson, a proven winner who can lead his team to the playoffs. Additionally, the Ravens had an exceptional draft this year in which they selected the best safety, Kyle Hamilton, and a highly praised center, Tyler Linderbaum. They had to trade their breakout wide receiver Marquise Brown to draft Linderbaum. Though many were upset about this trade (including Lamar Jackson who took his anger to Twitter), I think it will be a positive move because Brown was very inconsistent last year. All this said, I think the Ravens will remain relatively the same in the standings as the last couple years, and will miss the playoffs due to the overall strength of the AFC.

Now let’s move on to the Steelers. Lets just say, this year will be a new experience for a ton of Steelers’ fans across the globe. Since 2004, the Steelers have had Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. This off season, Roethlisberger announced he was retiring from the NFL. For the first time in 18 years, the Steelers had to address their quarterback situation, and they did just that. With the 20th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Heisman Finalist, Kenny Pickett. This pick did not surprise many people, especially because Pickett went to University of Pittsburgh. The Steelers also signed Mitchell Trubisky who will start an interesting QB battle. The Steelers also signed Minkah Fitzpatrick, one of the highest paid safeties in NFL history. They also have star second year running back Najee Harris, as well as defensive player of the year, TJ Watt. The Steelers have a team full of talent this year which will win them games. However, I think they will have trouble adjusting to a new quarterback, whether it’s Trubisky or Pickett, especially because they’ve had the same quarterback for the last 18 years.

Finally, let’s talk about the Browns. The Cleveland Browns are extremely tough to predict. They acquired one of the league’s  former best quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson. With the Texans last year, Watson didn’t play at all due to a lot of personal controversy which forced him to sit out the season. When he did play, he could do it all and he did it well. Then he was traded to the Browns with a massive fully guaranteed contract. The NFL recently announced that he will be suspended for eleven games this upcoming season. With Watson out, the Browns will have to rely heavily on their running backs, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. This running back duo is the best in the NFL, but we don’t know if it’s enough to win games. Once Deshaun Watson returns, he will have to adjust to playing with a new team, and playing football for the first time in two years. Even though I predict the Browns will end up last in this division, I wouldn’t be too surprised if they squeaked out a third place finish. Their defense is filled with stars, including one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, Myles Garrett, and the young and promising cornerback, Denzel Ward. They also have former Pro Bowl player and talented wide receiver, Amari Cooper. By the time Watson comes back though, it may be too little and too late for the Browns.

The AFC North is on my list of divisions to watch out for in 2022 and beyond. The quarterback chaos will be the center of attention for these teams, making this division even more interesting to watch this season.