AFC North 2023 Season Preview: Bengals Are the Team to Beat in a Division of Playoff Hopefuls
The AFC North has four teams who all have legitimate reasons to believe they can make the playoffs.
Few teams spent their offseason in the spotlight more than the Ravens. Baltimore finally extended quarterback Lamar Jackson, giving him a record contract of $51 million per year, along with providing him more weapons in receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and first-round rookie Zay Flowers.
Furthermore, the Ravens’ offense will look wildly different with Todd Monken replacing offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Baltimore will be throwing significantly more, putting pressure on Jackson in new ways. Considering the losses on the defensive side, including edge rusher Justin Houston, safety Chuck Clark and corner Marcus Peters, Jackson may need to set personal bests in pass yardage to help the Ravens keep up.
One team which will have no problem passing is the Bengals, who arguably have the best collection of receivers in football. Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow is blessed with immense talent both on the perimeter and in the slot, with Cincinnati featuring Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd.
While the Bengals aren’t star-studded defensively, they’re one of the most well-coached groups around. Coordinator Lou Anarumo is spectacular at disguising and mixing up coverages. Match his intellect with a defense of smart, versatile talents, and you have one of the NFL’s most undervalued units.
Staying in Ohio, the Browns are hoping quarterback Deshaun Watson rebounds after he struggled returning from an 11-game suspension last year. Watson was abysmal, completing 58.2 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns against five interceptions.
Watson still has a good supporting cast, including an excellent offensive line, a top-tier running back in Nick Chubb, and receivers Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones. But if Watson doesn’t substantially improve, the Browns will only further regret one of the most controversial contracts (fully guaranteed $230 million) in league history.
In Pittsburgh, the Steelers are trying to get back to the playoffs after missing last year. Much of the responsibility falls on what has long been one of the league’s better defenses, particularly the front seven.
If second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett steps up alongside what appears to be a promising rookie class, including left tackle Broderick Jones, corner Joey Porter Jr. and tight end Darnell Washington, Pittsburgh could make a jump.
Ultimately, the Bengals are the division favorites. They have the top quarterback, the recent success and a roster that’s steadily added pieces over the past three years.
That said, the Ravens have reached the postseason every year but one since Jackson became the starter in 2018, while the Steelers are famously without a losing season since Mike Tomlin took over as coach in 2007. And while Cleveland has a history of falling short, the roster is good enough to make a postseason push behind a quarterback who has the talent to be a top-10 player at his position.
Baltimore Ravens
Flowers should help contribute to a passing game full of weapons in Baltimore.
Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports
Best-case: Monken gives Baltimore a fresh look alongside the additions of Flowers and Beckham Jr. The defense gets buoyed by young talent maturing, headlined by edge rusher Odafe Oweh and safety Kyle Hamilton, mitigating the offseason losses of Houston and Clark. With coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens are always a good bet to be in the mix.
Worst-case: Jackson doesn’t thrive in the new scheme, while Rashod Bateman and Beckham go through more injury plagued seasons. Meanwhile, the defense begins to sharply fall off with the aforementioned losses along with Peters hitting free agency. Baltimore has to win a litany of shootouts but doesn’t have the capacity.
Cincinnati Bengals
Best-case: The Bengals finally get cohesion and health on their offensive line, and that leads to the best season yet from Burrow. Furthermore, the youth infusion on defense pushes the unit to a new level, led by edge rusher Myles Murphy and corner DJ Turner II. Cincinnati becomes the AFC’s best once more.
Burrow comes into the season after sustaining a calf injury during training camp.
Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports
Worst-case: Orlando Brown Jr. struggles with a less mobile quarterback behind him, and Burrow takes more hits because of it. The lack of a more explosive back also hurts, and without Samaje Perine, Cincinnati isn’t able to keep Joe Mixon as fresh. More onus falls on the defense, which is good but limited after losing both starting safeties.
Cleveland Browns
Best-case: Watson recaptures the form which once gave him the richest contract in NFL history. Cleveland’s offense is a juggernaut with Watson and Chubb keeping teams off-balance, while the defense is tough up front with Myles Garrett, and stingy on the back end with first-round corners Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II.
Garrett is expected to have more help on defense this year after the Browns made some offseason additions.
David Dermer/USA TODAY Sports
Worst-case: The Browns watch Watson struggle again. Without a deep passing attack, opponents load the box and force Chubb to face multiple, unblocked defenders on most downs. The defense is too reliant on Garrett and Ward, allowing teams to work away from them. Cleveland finishes last in the tough AFC North.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pickett impressed in preseason, earning a perfect 158.2 QB rating.
Michael Longo/USA Today Sports Network
Best-case: Pickett makes a substantial jump in his second season, utilizing the bevy of talent around him—including receiver George Pickens and running back Najee Harris—to earn Pittsburgh a playoff spot. The defense continues to be dominant up front with T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Cam Hayward, but gets better with Porter Jr. and Patrick Peterson joining the secondary.
Worst-case: Pickett continues to struggle finding the big play, and the offense is overly reliant on Harris running at 4.0 yards per carry for a third consecutive season. Everything is on the defense to play near flawless football, and the back seven isn’t ready to handle such pressure with a rookie corner in Porter and question marks at linebacker.
