NFL Preview: AFC North

Yesterday I predicted that the Patriots would get back to their dominating ways in the AFC East. Today I take a gander at the North, where reigning champ Pittsburgh will look to hold off the Pats and win their 3rd Super Bowl in 5 years.

Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens bucked the trend last season with a rookie head coach and and a rookie quarterback by winning 9 of their last 11 regular season games and making it all the way to the AFC championship game. They fell short against division rival and eventual champion Pittsburgh, but the Ravens showed a lot of promise for the future.
I mentioned quarterback Joe Flacco coming out of nowhere to lead this squad to the conference title game. The Ravens game planned for him in such a way that he was able to just manage the game and limit mistakes. Baltimore threw the 9th fewest interceptions in 2008, which made up for a meek 28th ranked passing attack. The Ravens spared Flacco having to make big plays by running the ball constantly. Their three-headed running monster of Ray RIce, Le'Ron McClain, and Willis McGahee led the league in rusing attempts, were 4th in yards, and 5th in touchdowns. Rice will probably have a much larger role in the offense in his second season, and the team is excited about his dynamic ability to pick up nice chunks of yards on the ground and through the air.
The defense was once again ferocious for Baltimore. They finished 2nd in the league in total defense and 3rd in scoring defense. Led by All Pro linebacker (and alleged murderer...no wonder running backs are scared of him) Ray Lewis and All Pro safety Ed Reed, the Ravens finished 2nd in pass defense and 3rd in rush defense. They didn't give an inch in any part of the field to anyone, and it carried them to within a game of the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, defensive coordinator Rex Ryan accepted the Jets head coaching position and took a couple Ravens starters with him. Three-fourths of the starting secondary from last year are gone, and it will be up to young corners Fabian Washington and Domonique Foxworth to replace two of the best cover corners in the league in Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle. If the Ravens secondary can hold their own, their fearsome front seven will wreak havoc on opposing offenses once more this season.
The Ravens will be mighty similar to what they were last year. The offense should take a step forward with Flacco and Rice having a year of experience under their belts, but the losses incurred on the defense should offset those gains. The Ravens will challenge Pittsburgh for the division crown once more, but it will be a shocker for this team to get all the way to the Super Bowl this season.
Prediction: 10-6, 2nd in the AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals lived up to their nickname of the "Bungles" last season as injuries and unhappiness led to another miserable season in Cincinnati. They had just one win in their first 13 games, but finally decided to show up late in the season, winning their final 3 games.
This team was only 3 years removed from being a top 5 offense. Last season however, the Bengals fell to last in the league in both total and scoring offense. With quarterback Carson Palmer going down early in the season, there was no one to get Chad Ochocinco (Teehee, it was fun typing that) the ball, and he had the worst season of his NFL career. Throw in that they had no running back and had to resort to signing Cedric Benson late in the season to carry the ball and you can see why the Bengals finished last in offense. This season Palmer should be back healthy, and even though leading receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh is gone, Ochocinco is supposed to be motivated and Laveraneous Coles steps in opposite him to get this once prolific passing game back on the map. They'll be throwing almost all the time as Benson is still their primary back, so it will be important for deep threat Chris Henry to spend more time on the field than behind bars.
For once, Cincinnati actually fielded a decent defense. It was the 12th best defense overall and allowed less than 7 points per game in their 3 game win streak to finish the year. Rookie linebacker Keith Rivers was a budding star before getting injured and this year he will be joined on the linebacking corps by his former college teammate at USC, Rey Maualuga. That should improve a run defense that ranked 21st in the NFL last year. If they can put some pressure on the passer, this defense could be a good one.
The Bengals are destined for improvement provided their offense remains healthy and motivated (And if Ochocinco isn't too busy Tweeting to catch passes). If their defense is solid again they'll have a decent season, but their division opponents and schedule will keep them down for another year.
Prediction: 6-10, 3rd in the AFC North

Cleveland Browns
The Browns were the Cinderella team of 2007, going 10-6 with breakout offensive stars Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards. The clock struck midnight for them though before the 2008 season began, as the Browns finished 4-12, losers of their last 6 games.
Anderson's Pro Bowl 2007 campaign didn't give him too much room for error last year, as he was replaced as the starter by Brady Quinn during the season. It doesn't matter who it will be this year, because they have no reliable targets. Edwards had a monster 2007 season, but caught a bad case of the drops in 2008, leading the NFL by a wide margin, and saw his touchdown catches drop from 16 to 3. Mercurial tight end Kellen Winslow is gone and their other starting wide reciever Donte Stallworth killed a man while driving drunk during the offseason. Needless to say, he won't be contributing for the Browns this year. They're hoping rookie wideout Brian Robiskie can help a passing attack that was 2nd to last in the league last season. Jamal Lewis will once again be the feature back, but entering his age 30 season and running behind this offensive line won't help him improve his numbers from last season, when he led Cleveland to the 26th best rushing offense and the 2nd fewest rushing scores.
The Browns couldn't take solace in their 26th ranked defense either. Despite the contributions of Pro Bowl nose tackle Shaun Rogers, the Browns finished 28th in rushing defense and gave up the 2nd most rushing touchdowns in the league last year. Linebacker Eric Barton will try and improve that, while corners Brandon McDonald and Eric Wright will look to build on the modest success they achieved in 2008. They'll be facing some potent offenses this year though, so a significant improvement is not expected.
The Browns are hoping that new head coach Eric Mangini will be the glass slipper that fits and transforms them into royalty again in 2009, but if that's the case I'll change my name to Cinderella. There are just too many holes for this team to fill, and they have no shot at getting it done this season.
Prediction: 5-11, 4th in the AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers
The Super Bowl champion Steelers last season under head coach Mike Tomlin looked a lot like the squad who won it all 3 years earlier under Bill Cowher. They still ran the ball a ton and dominated games with a suffocating defense. It was good enough to hold off a resurgent Cardinals squad and pick up a 6th championship ring for this great franchise.
The Steelers tried to force the ball down the throats of opposing defenses with their running game, which amassed the 9th most carries in the league last year. Alas, starter Willie Parker was banged up throughout much of the season and rookie backup Rashard Mendenhall was lost for the season early in the year. Pittsburgh still managed to score the 11th most rushing touchdowns and get just enough out of their passing game led by Ben Roethlisberger to get by. Wide receiver Hines Ward had another ho-hum 1,000 yard season and his outside running mate Santonio Holmes lived up to his hype in the postseason with a Super Bowl winning catch in the end zone to seal the deal. This same group will be back in 2009, and with healthy backs will look to improve that 22nd ranked offense.
The defense last year was sensational to say the least. They were the number one defense in the NFL, both in total yards and in giving up the fewest points. All Pro linebacker James Harrison was named Defensive Player of the year in 2008, and he made one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history when he picked off a pass and returned it the length of the field for a score that proved to be the difference in the game. All Pro safety Troy Polamalu (and his hair) was everywhere at once and Pro Bowl linebackers James Farrior and LaMarr Woodley swarmed ball carriers all over the field. Veteran corners DeShea Townsend and Bryant McFadden have departed, but that dangerous front seven is back to haunt the dreams of opposing offenses.
The Steelers should get a little better on offense with healthy running backs and their defense will be as dominant as ever. They will challenge the Patriots for the right to repeat as champions in 2009.
Prediction: 12-4, 1st in the AFC North