Author: devinbrainch

For much of this season, the Cincinnati Bengals have been extremely inconsistent, but as of recently, they have looked like the AFC Champion Bengals again. Ever since the disastrous Monday Night Football game vs. the Browns, the Bengals have been on a three-game win streak. Now with a 7-4 record, the Bengals are in deep contention for a wild card spot and have a chance at winning their division. This Sunday will be their toughest test yet, going against the first-place Kansas City Chiefs. Last year, the Bengals went 2-0 against the Chiefs; however, it wasn’t easy as each game required a massive second-half comeback and a game-winning field goal. If the Bengals want to beat the Chiefs and put themselves in contention for first place in the AFC, they will need to do many things right with very few mistakes. Here are three strategies the Bengals will need to focus on to come out victorious.

1. Be aggressive from the first snap.

When playing the Chiefs, it’s less about beating them for all four quarters, and more about keeping up with them for all four quarters. In Joe Burrow’s last two battles with Patrick Mahomes, Burrow and the offense had slow starts in the first half. While the Bengals did come back in the second halves, and they could do it again, this is very unlikely. After four weeks of star receiver Jamarr Chase’s absence, he is set to return at the best time possible. If the Bengals want to keep up with the Chiefs, they will need to score a lot of points, and this won’t happen by running the ball, especially if Joe Mixon is out. Zac Taylor needs to make the game plan pass-heavy with Chase in mind, and take as many deep shots as possible to put points on the board. Whether it means going for it on fourth down multiple times, or abandoning the run game completely, the Bengals need to play high-risk, high-reward football.

2. Lock down the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce.

This is easier said than done. Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce, as usual, has been phenomenal and has been off the charts recently, scoring five touchdowns in the past three weeks. In the offseason, the Chiefs’ all-pro wide receiver, Tyreek Hill was traded to the Dolphins. Now that the Chiefs don’t have Hill, they have been focusing on Kelce. No matter what the Bengals do, it will be difficult to stop Kelce but the Bengals have a much greater chance of locking him down than last year with Hill gone. The focus for the Bengals’ defense is to limit Kelce as much as they can. Though this will be their main strategy, they shouldn’t underestimate the Chiefs’ wide receivers. Led by Juju Smith-Schuster, the Chiefs’ receivers can make big plays at big moments in the game. Zac Taylor will have to figure out the right balance of locking down Travis Kelce while preventing big plays from the Chiefs’ wideouts. 

3. Force turnovers.

Ultimately, the Bengals’ chance at a win in this game comes down to the turnover battle. It is very difficult to force the MVP favorite Mahomes to commit turnovers, but it can happen. Most of the time Mahomes seems like a magician but he has shown that even he can turn into a human now and then. Just look at the second half of last year’s AFC Championship game. Mahomes went from playing amazingly with a QBR of 149.9 to playing like a bottom 5 QB in the NFL with a QBR of 34.0. That gap is crazy, and shows that the Bengals have the potential to stop Mahomes. It doesn’t help that the Bengals lost their best cornerback, Chidobe Awuzie, to a torn ACL. The Bengals’ defense will need to step up in the biggest moment of a game that is destined to be a nail biter. They’ve shown they can do it in last year’s stunning wins against the Chiefs, and they can definitely do it again.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Garrett Wilson

This year’s NFL Draft was very favorable to the defensive side of the ball. It took until the eighth pick for Drake London, the first position player to get drafted. With the 10th pick, the Jets selected Ohio State wide receiver, Garrett Wilson. Wilson was electric in college and has a chance to be the number one wide receiver on the Jets. Five other receivers have a solid shot at winning this award, one being Drake London. Selected by the Falcons, London was the one receiver drafted ahead of Wilson. While I think London has a higher ceiling and could be a better receiver, the Falcons have a quarterback mess that will hold London back until fixed. The Jets are a very promising team with QB Zach Wilson poised to take a massive leap in 2022. This award is a toss-up because, among the rookies, there are tons of unknowns on the offensive side of the ball.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson

This award was tough to decide upon. The NFL draft was so loaded with defensive talent that the first five picks were all players on defense. It’s easier to win a defensive award when you are a pass rusher, so as much as I think Sauce Gardner will be amazing, he won’t have the stats to prove it as the pass rushers will. With the first pick, the Jaguars selected edge rusher, Travon Walker. While he could be a very good player, I think they should have picked Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson was top tier in college and ended up being a Heisman finalist. Because the Jaguars passed on him, the Lions took Hutchinson, the obvious pick especially because he is from Michigan and attended the University of Michigan. Aidan Hutchinson’s college dominance will stick with him in the NFL, and he will make a big impact right away.

Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Jefferson

This award can be handed to any position on the offense, but has recently favored the wide receiver and running back positions. There are a couple of clear candidates that I could see winning this award. First, one that comes to my mind is the reigning offensive player of the year and super bowl MVP, Cooper Kupp. This is an obvious pick to win this award, because last year he pulled off the triple crown, leading the league in receptions, touchdowns, and receiving yards. Only an exclusive group of receivers have pulled this off, one of them being Jerry Rice. The second player I could see winning this award is Jonathan Taylor. Taylor took the league by storm in 2021, ending as the best running back in the entire NFL.  While I think Jonathan Taylor will be amazing again, running backs have to dominate the league to stand a chance. The last running back to win this award is Derrick Henry, who rushed for over 2000 yards. That is more than Jonathan Taylor rushed for last year, and it’s tough to do what Taylor did two years in a row. A third candidate is Ja’Marr Chase, who had the greatest rookie receiving season of all time. Even though he has a good chance, I feel the depth at the Bengals’ wide receiver position will get him fewer chances at the ball than other players. My selection for this award is none other than Justin Jefferson. Justin Jefferson has been on pace to be one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. He went from a record-breaking rookie season to an even better sophomore season. I think Justin Jefferson will break out even more with the Vikings’ new head coach, Kevin O’Connell. He has made it clear that they will have a pass-heavy offense, which will be a big change from the Vikings’ run-heavy offense in 2021. Justin Jefferson will prove he’s the best offensive player in the NFL.

Defensive Player of the Year: Joey Bosa

It’s about time Joey Bosa wins this award. He has been a dominant force on the defensive side of the ball since his rookie season. He is almost always a sack machine. This year though, he will break out. I know it sounds crazy to say Joey Bosa will break out, especially because he has already broken out, but I think he can take it to a whole new level this season. This could all happen because of one signing the Chargers made in the offseason, Khalil Mack. Now that Mack is on the same defense as Bosa, teams will have to stop double-teaming Bosa, which will lead to Bosa taking over. This year could be a significant year for Joey Bosa.

Most Valuable Player: Joe Burrow

Joe Burrow hasn’t gotten a break. From tearing his ACL and MCL in his rookie season to dislocating his finger, not missing a single snap that game, and twisting his knee later in the same season. Most of these injuries all happened because of one cause, an awful offensive line. This past offseason the Bengals fixed their o-line tremendously. While I could see this award going to players like Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, or Josh Allen, I think the Bengals’ offensive weapons are on another level than any other team and will help propel Burrow to the top. Last year Burrow shocked the world, taking the Bengals to the Super Bowl in just his second season. I think he will shock the world again, leaping from star quarterback to the most valuable player in the entire NFL.

SUPER BOWL PREDICTION: EAGLES VS. CHARGERS

There are so many teams that I could see making the super bowl, specifically in the AFC. There is no denying they are the better conference because they loaded up this off-season. In the end, there was one team that was already good but got even better during the off-season. That team would be the Los Angeles Chargers. I was shocked to see the Chargers miss the playoffs in 2021 because their team was loaded on all ends of the football. It seemed like they couldn’t improve their roster, for it was one of the best looking in football, but they did. Not just did they extend all-pro safety Derwin James to make him the highest-paid safety of all time, but they also traded for Khalil Mack to pair him with linebacker Joey Bosa. That pass rush will be elite. Then they did, even more, signing star cornerback, JC Jackson. That defense is looking like one of the scariest in the NFL. Their defense is stacked, but let’s not forget about their offense. Star third-year quarterback Justin Herbert will be throwing the ball to two elite wide receivers, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Also, they have running back Austin Ekeler, who has been one of the best receiving backs in the entire NFL.

The team that I predict will come out of the NFC is a team that made a lot of big moves during the offseason. That team is the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2021, The Eagles were alright, finishing with a record of 9-8 and losing in the first round of the playoffs. Even though they lost, they showed a lot of promise. During the NFL draft, the Eagles were the winner of the biggest trade in the entire draft. They only traded their 18th overall pick to receive young star receiver, AJ Brown from the Tennesee Titans. The next big move the Eagles made was signing cornerback James Bradberry. Bradberry is a 1x pro bowler who will be a big addition to the Eagles’ secondary. The final big move they made was trading almost nothing for saints cornerback CJ Gardner-Johnson. Gardner-Johnson has been one of the top slot cornerbacks in the league. Pairing Bradberry and Gardner-Johnson with Eagles all-pro cornerback Darius Slay will make for a scary defense for opposing teams. The only thing that could hold the Eagles back in their third-year quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Hurts hasn’t been bad, but it is not like he’s been spectacular either.

In the end, the Chargers will pull away proving to be the better team. They are better than the Eagles in almost every position except for cornerback. It will be clear by the end of the season that the Chargers are the best team in the NFL on every side of the football, and for the second year in a row, the Lombardi Trophy will be heading to Los Angeles.

Super Bowl LVII Champions: Los Angeles Chargers

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.

The Bills will win the AFC East division and it won’t even be close. In 2021, they had the best defense in the NFL, and it improved in the offseason with the signing of future Hall of Fame linebacker Von Miller. I expect that defense to be just as elite as last year, if not more. As strong as the Bills’ defense is, the Bills’ offense brings all the excitement. Superstar quarterback Josh Allen is already a top five QB in the NFL. He will be throwing the ball to All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and possible breakout wide receiver, Gabriel Davis. Josh Allen and the Bills will be extra motivated to make a deep playoff push this year because of their heartbreaking loss against the Chiefs during the divisional rounds. The Bills will have a solid chance to finish first in the AFC and secure the first round bye.

The runner up in this division will likely be the Miami Dolphins. An easy schedule allowed them to reach a 9-8 record in 2021 and left them just out of the playoffs. The Dolphins defense was amazing last year, and that shouldn’t change. What will change this year is their offense. They acquired arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, Tyreek Hill, and also signed the best available offensive lineman in free agency, Terron Armstead. Not to mention, they also have second-year standout wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. While this offense has much potential, it all comes down to how quarterback Tua Tagovailoa performs. He’s been struggling in the NFL after being selected with the fifth overall pick three years ago. This is his chance to turn around his career. It will be close because of how competitive the AFC is, but the Dolphins will probably make the wildcard game.

The team that should finish in third place is the New York Jets. The Jets loaded up in the draft and filled every position they needed in both offense and defense. This team looks promising but they are still very young, led by quarterback Zach WIlson, whom they drafted with the second overall pick last year. “I’m really expecting playoffs or bust,” Jets linebacker CJ Mosley stated in an interview with AL.com. In that case, this season will most likely be a bust. This may not be the Jets’ year but their time will come. 

Finishing in last place, I predict the New England Patriots. I know what you’re thinking – they made the playoffs last year. While that’s true, they were hanging by a thread all season long, and their roster considerably worsened during this offseason. They lost their best player, cornerback JC Jackson, which will hurt them more than you might think. Also, they traded wide receiver N’keal Harry for practically nothing. Even though Harry wasn’t that great for the offense, his trade hurts the team overall because of the overall weakness of their wide receivers. While I think the Patriots will finish last, you never quite know when Bill Belichick is the head coach.

Next up: AFC North