Steelers: by Brian Abate
The Steelers are coming off an 8-8 season but the record is a bit deceiving. They started 0-3 and Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury. Instead of tanking, Pittsburgh made a big move and traded for Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Dolphins. He was electrifying and finished with five interceptions, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns. The Steelers’ defense was fantastic last season and it gave them an opportunity to make the postseason. Unfortunately, star running back James Conner suffered an injury and missed six games. That along with atrocious quarterback play doomed them. Pittsburgh quarterbacks combined for 18 touchdowns, 19 interceptions and just 3,214 years.
The Steelers should improve this season and keeping Roethlisberger healthy will be crucial. The Steelers still have a strong offensive line and their offense will rely on it. Pittsburgh drafted running back Anthony McFarland, an explosive playmaker out of Maryland. He can help spell Conner and give the team depth if Conner suffers another injury. I believe Mike Tomlin will commit to his running game and I think the strategy will pay off. It will take pressure off of Roethlisberger but still allow him to have success with play action passes. Having a strong running game will also keep the Steelers defense fresh and keep the highly skilled offensive weapons of divisional rivals like the Ravens and Browns off the field. The Steelers also have JuJu Smith-Schuster, drafted Chase Claypool and signed Eric Ebron. All of them can block and help in the running game in addition to the passing game. They also mean Roethlisberger will have plenty of weapons when he does drop back to pass.
While the Steelers should have a much improved offense, their defense is still their backbone. TJ Watt, Bud Dupree and Stephon Tuitt give them an elite group of pass rushers. Tuitt missed most of last season injured and should be able to improve the team’s mediocre run defense. They also have excellent defensive backs, including Fitpatrick and Joe Haden. They also drafted Antoine Brooks Jr. out of Maryland, a sleeper who played all over the field for the Terrapins. He is expected to play safety for Pitssburgh and could be another impact player. The Steelers defense should also benefit from having a significantly better offense than last season. They will likely spend much less time on the field.
The Steelers over/under is set at 8.5 this season. They had eight wins last season without their future Hall of Fame quarterback. Now he’s returning and they’ve added some new weapons on offense while managing to keep the heart of their tremendous defense together. It also helps that they have Mike Tomlin, one of the best coaches in the NFL. Since taking over as the head coach of the Steelers in 2007, he is 133-74-1. He has never had a losing season. I think that trend will continue this season and I expect the Steelers to finish with at least nine wins.
Prediction: Over
Bengals: by Gianluca Colageo Milea
The Bengals took Joe Burrow with the number one overall pick in the draft. As is the case with most teams who secure a top pick, Cincinnati needs a lot of help. Although all signs are pointing towards (Bayou) Joe having a great and very successful NFL career, he might be in for a difficult transition this upcoming season.
Burrow is joining a team that finished last season with a record of 2-14. He will have a healthy A.J. Green which will definitely help his case and the Bengals also play the NFC East this year which will make for some competitive games; however, the team still has a lot of holes. Cincinnati will need RB Joe Mixon to get back on track, after a below average campaign in 2019. The Bengals defense will also have to rebound after finishing last year as the 24th ranked defense, allowing 24.1 points per game and not scoring a single defensive touchdown. Overall, young head coach Zac Taylor will definitely have his work cut out for him as he attempts to turn around a struggling franchise.
The Bengals over/under is set at 5 this year. The addition of Burrow will almost certainly help their case, but the competition in their division will prove to be too much. I don’t see the team winning a division game, unless they are able to squeak one out against the Browns. Burrow should be able to lead them to a few wins against the lackluster competition in the NFC East; however I do not see the Bengals finishing with more than 5 wins in 2020. Hopefully, Bengals super fan, Jeff Lanham will not have to live on the roof of his bar for too long this year and the team will find a way to pull out a few more victories than last year. Nevertheless, I would still expect the Bengals to be in the running for one of the top draft picks in 2021 as they continue to build around Joe Burrow.
Prediction: Under
Ravens: by Gianluca Colageo Milea
The Ravens are coming off of their most successful regular season, finishing with a record of 14-2. The team was able to keep much of its core and make a few nice additions through the draft and free agency which should allow for this upcoming season to be nothing short of Lamarvelous. Baltimore shocked the NFL universe when they acquired star cornerback, Marcus Peters from the Rams this past year. The team added Peters to a group that already included Earl Thomas, Marlon Humphrey, and Brandon Carr. While the secondary had a great year the Ravens’ pass rush was lacking. There was one bright spot up front as Matt Judon led the team with 9.5 sacks on the year, which was good enough for the Ravens to place the franchise tag on him. Baltimore was able to get Judon some help in the form of Pro-Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell who was acquired in a trade with Jacksonville this off-season. Campbell definitely provides an upgrade in a spot where the Ravens were thin and will almost definitely make them an even scarier opponent than last year.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Ravens will continue to be the most entertaining team in all of football, thanks to number 8. Lamar Jackson is now an NFL MVP at just 23 years of age and it doesn’t look like he’ll be slowing down anytime soon. His speed is unmatched and seemingly Michael Vick-esque, he also showed the ability to make some nice throws down the field during the regular season, which is what many of his critics highlighted as his biggest weakness. As he continues to develop his arm and become a true dual threat, Lamar is going to help the Ravens put up a lot of points, just as he did last year. The only knock on Lamar is his postseason performances. He has struggled severely in his two playoff losses to the Chargers and Titans. While Lamar is definitely the nucleus of this offensive unit, he has received much assistance in the form of young WR, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and budding TE Mark Andrews. The team also added Ohio State star RB, J.K. Dobbins who should be a nice complement to RB Mark Ingram out of the backfield and will hopefully be able to find success behind a line who lost future hall of fame guard, Marshall Yanda.
The Ravens over/under is set at 11 this season. The team is coming off of an incredibly successful regular season, but I guarantee that devastating playoff loss has been on the minds of the Charm City faithful all off-season. The Ravens will definitely have a chip on their shoulder this year as they attempt to finish what they started last year. Having the easiest regular season schedule and going up against the subpar NFC East should help this year’s campaign. I’d look for the Ravens to run through the competition during the regular season yet again. “And if anyone's got an issue with that, come see me… Big Truss”
Prediction: Over
Browns: by Chris DiGeronimo
The Cleveland Browns entered 2019 as one of the best teams on paper. They acquired Odell Beckham Jr. in a trade with the Giants, Baker Mayfield was coming off a solid rookie year, and they hired the coach that all the players wanted in Freddie Kitchens. The Browns had put together an off-season Super Bowl contender. It was all fun and games until they remembered they were the Browns. Odell had arguably the worst year of his career, Mayfield regressed, and Kitchens was run out of town after 17 weeks. The Browns will now try to live up to the hype that was set for them in 2019 in 2020. This off-season they hired former Vikings offensive coordinator, Kevin Stefanski to run the show. Stefanski will look to build a competent offense that utilizes and maximizes the talents of Mayfield, Odell, and Jarvis Landry. The Browns offensive line was also a big problem in 2019 and they have made some decent moves to address this problem. The biggest free agent acquisition was former Titans OT Jack Conklin. Conklin signed a three-year, $42 million deal with $30 million guaranteed. Conklin is that young veteran that could help turn this offensive line around. Another big free agent signing was tight end Austin Hooper. Hooper signed a three-year, $42 million deal after a productive 2019. Hooper finished his last season with the Falcons with 787 yards and six touchdowns. He will look to be another weapon in Mayfield's arsenal. The Browns also did a good job in the draft as they took Alabama offensive lineman Jedrick Wills with the 10th overall pick. Wills will help fill their void at left tackle and is another big piece that will help improve their desperate offensive line needs. The Browns addressed another need by drafting LSU safety Grant Delpit in the second round. Delpit is a young, hard hitting safety that fits well in any secondary. Some experts have him projected to be better than LSU alum Jamal Adams. Overall, the Browns have made the moves and have shown the willingness to get better, but the real question is can they get over the stigma of being the Browns?
The Browns over/under is set at 8 this season. Cleveland has the fourth easiest schedule in 2020 but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything when it comes to the Browns. They will lose games they are supposed to win, and vice versa. The AFC North is always tough and competitive, so they also have that to contend with. I believe if Mayfield takes a step forward and is able to use all of his weapons to the best of their ability, they have the opportunity to be a solid team. If he repeats his struggles from last season, it is going to be a long year for the Cleveland faithful. I think they will improve on their six wins from last season but only by one win. I believe they will go 7-9.
Prediction: Under
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