The Baltimore Ravens belong to the AFC North division in the NFL, a division typically regarded as one of the toughest in the league. Besides the Ravens, it is home to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns. For the next few days, we will be breaking down each opposing team in the AFC North that the Ravens will be facing. This includes an in-depth analysis of their strengths and weaknesses, along with predicting their final record and evaluating their playoff chances. Tomorrow, we will be addressing the Cleveland Browns, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, and wrapping it all up with the Steelers on Friday.
Last season was a bit of an off year for the AFC North. The Pittsburgh Steelers won the division after a thrilling Christmas Day showdown with the Ravens and were the only representatives of the division in the playoffs last season. The Ravens missed the playoffs for the third time in four years, and the Bengals were also absent from the tournament since the last time they missed the playoffs in 2011. The Cleveland Browns were the biggest losers of the division by far, only managing to find one victory the entire season.
The AFC North for the 2017 season, however, is gearing up to be a tough division again. The Ravens are making great strides to close the gap between them and the defending division champion Steelers, while the Bengals are also looking to bounce back from a disappointing season last year, and make the playoffs. The Browns are also stirring things up in Cleveland, by making some major additions in the draft and free agency. They drafted three players in the first round, defensive end Myles Garret, safety Jabrill Peppers, and tight end David Njoku. They also drafted quarterback DeShone Kizer in the second round. They also brought in free agents wide receiver Kenny Britt, and cornerback Jason McCourty. Cleveland also was able to obtain quarterback Brock Osweiler through a trade with the Houston Texans. Through all these moves, Cleveland is looking to improve on a long term plan. The AFC North is looking to be a very competitive division next season, and it will be exciting to see how it all unfolds. Make sure you check in from Wednesday to Friday at 6 PM Eastern to find out how all of Baltimore’s rivals will fare in 2017.
