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AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals

2013 Regular Season Schedule                                          

(via www.pro-football-reference.com)

Week	Day	Date		Opp
1		September 8	@	Chicago Bears
2		September 16		Pittsburgh Steelers
3		September 22		Green Bay Packers
4		September 29	@	Cleveland Browns
5		October 6		New England Patriots
6		October 13	@	Buffalo Bills
7		October 20	@	Detroit Lions
8		October 27		New York Jets
9		October 31	@	Miami Dolphins
10		November 10	@	Baltimore Ravens
11		November 17		Cleveland Browns
12				Bye Week
13		December 1	@	San Diego Chargers
14		December 8		Indianapolis Colts
15		December 15	@	Pittsburgh Steelers
16		December 22		Minnesota Vikings
17		December 29		Baltimore Ravens

Two straight Bengals playoff appearances for the first time since 1982 still aren't enough for Head Coach Marvin Lewis and company.  The resounding message in camp has been getting over the next hurdle, a playoff win.  That will start with Andy Dalton’s improvement, who has failed to register a TD in either one of those contests.  The team has continued to add weapons around the quarterback as he heads into his third year in the league. Jermaine Gresham continues to improve and will have additional help at the Tight End position with the franchise’s top draft selection Tyler Eifert out of Notre Dame. Eifert and Gresham give the Bengals flexibility, both are capable blockers and have the ability to split to the outside and create mismatch problems. With two pass catching TEs, look for Cincinnati to run a lot of big sets and maul the opposition with its size.  Starting running back Benjarvis Green-Ellis will certainly appreciate the commitment to the physical game; and lest you think that the Bengals have no speed, former UNC standout Giovani Bernard provides a welcome change of pace for the team. Of course, all of that pales in comparison to their prized jewel on offense AJ Green.  A truly dynamic player, his leg injury (all accounts are that he will be fine by the beginning of the season) may end up being a blessing for the team. “It’s always easy to throw it to AJ” Lewis remarked; so true. He’s impossibly good, but in the playoffs, the better teams won’t get beaten by only man.  The team could use another WR to step up and relieve some of the pressure.  

The weapons are there, but Dalton must be better in the postseason

As good as the offense is, defensively they may be even better.  It starts with the line play.  Michael Johnson, Geno Atkins, and Carlos Dunlap help form a defensive line that anchored the defense to a top 10 ranking in points allowed per game.  Moreover, they were top 10 in sacks.  Pressure on the quarterback (8^th in the league in sacks) led to a stingy amount of passing touchdowns (only 16 for the entire season—good enough to earn 4^th place in the category).  They were surprisingly mediocre against the run, so the team added formal blood rival James Harrison after he was released by division foe Pittsburgh Steelers.  At 34, the linebacker will surely be looking to prove that he is still a terror in any front seven scheme, regardless of it’s a 3-4 or 4-3 (the transition that he’ll be making going from the Steelers to the Bengals).

Sidenote: The Bengals are featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks training camp season.  I love the show; I’d just never want my team to be on there. I’m always afraid that players are more interested in being famous than getting better.  This is probably all in my head, but it’d be silly of me not to mention it.  

Estimated Regular Season Record: 11-5

Baltimore Ravens

2013 Regular Season

Team Games & Schedule

Week	Day	Date		Opp
1		September 5	@	Denver Broncos
2		September 15		Cleveland Browns
3		September 22		Houston Texans
4		September 29	@	Buffalo Bills
5		October 6	@	Miami Dolphins
6		October 13		Green Bay Packers
7		October 20	@	Pittsburgh Steelers
8				Bye Week
9		November 3	@	Cleveland Browns
10		November 10		Cincinnati Bengals
11		November 17	@	Chicago Bears
12		November 24		New York Jets
13		November 28		Pittsburgh Steelers
14		December 8		Minnesota Vikings
15		December 16	@	Detroit Lions
16		December 22		New England Patriots
17		December 29	@	Cincinnati Bengals

Congratulations Ravens fans, you won the Super Bowl.  Now enjoy watching your team get gutted. Five major contributors have left the Ravens since the end of last season’s Super Bowl run; Dannelle Ellerbee, Ray Lewis, Matt Birk, Ed Reed, and Anquan Boldin are all on other teams or retired.  Moreover, Daniel Pitta looks to be out for the season with a dislocated hip injury suffered in the preseason. With Pitta and Boldin both gone, 50% of the TD catches from last year are now unavailable.

Joe Flacco received his share of praise (and a hefty raise) after leading his team to a Super Bowl victory.  With his offensive weapons limited, he will need to continue has ascension as an elite QB.  Having Ray Rice behind him also won’t hurt.  Rice got the ball more after the team switched to Jim Caldwell as their play caller.  Look for an even bigger role for the Pro Bowler now that the options are limited on offense.  The WR corps will also have to have a definitive number one receiver emerge.  Although Boldin wasn’t a speedster like his counterparts Jacoby Jones and Torrey Smith, his physicality made him an ideal target on 3^rd down when the Ravens needed to move the chains and extend the drive. Flacco will miss his security blanket this year and Baltimore looks to avoid the Super Bowl hangover.

All eyes will be on Flacco this year, mostly because no one else is recognizable

This defensive team doesn't really resemble last year’s championship unit.  True, it wasn't the same dominant defensive presence as the Franchise’s first championship run, but the team seemed to make the big play or big stop when needed.  Now, multiple payers from different levels are gone.  Ellerbee (who made several big plays for the team) is in Miami now and their All-World safety, Ed Reed, has gone to the Texans.  Add to that their emotional leader (who also led them in tackles in the postseason) Lewis’ retirement and the defense will look unfamiliar to many fans.  They picked up Elvis Dumervil from Free Agency, who should pair well with Terrell Suggs as they look to increase on their mediocre sack total of last year. With less experience up front, Ladarius Webb and Jimmy Smith will need to return to form in the secondary for the defense to maintain its performance.

Estimated Regular Season Record: 8-8

Pittsburgh Steelers

2013 Regular Season Schedule:

Week	Day	Date		Opp
1		September 8		Tennessee Titans
2		September 16	@	Cincinnati Bengals
3		September 22		Chicago Bears
4		September 29	@	Minnesota Vikings
5				Bye Week
6		October 13	@	New York Jets
7		October 20		Baltimore Ravens
8		October 27	@	Oakland Raiders
9		November 3	@	New England Patriots
10		November 10		Buffalo Bills
11		November 17		Detroit Lions
12		November 24	@	Cleveland Browns
13		November 28	@	Baltimore Ravens
14		December 8		Miami Dolphins
15		December 15		Cincinnati Bengals
16		December 22	@	Green Bay Packers
17		December 29		Cleveland Browns

The Steelers seem to be the same old team they've always been.  And that’s the problem.  They started off a solid 6-3 before faltering down the stretch to a 8-8 finish.  They may have worn down, or might have just been over-matched as they had entered the heart of their season.  The heart of their season included five divisional games in arguably the most physical division last year. Those divisional opponents are still there, even if the Steelers aren't as strong as they were last year.

Mike Wallace has taken his talents to South Beach after leading the Steelers in receptions TDs and reception yards last year. Heath Miller, long time TE for the Steelers and Ben Roethlisburger’s security blanket, went down at the end of the season with a gruesome MCL, PCL, and ACL tear.  Between those two departures, over half of the Big Ben’s 26 passing TDs are no longer on the active roster.  Even their late season addition of Plaxico Burress has turned out to be a bust. Burress recently went down with a torn rotator cuff that could sideline him for the season and possibly end his career. Draft pick Markus Wheaton will bolster the thin WR depth, and the offensive line is starting the year off healthy after suffering some major injuries down the stretch of last year. Former Michigan State standout Le’Veon Bell (one of the steals of the draft) has wowed spectators in camp and looks to be close to earning the starting gig.  With backup TE Matt Spaeth also sidelined, the passing attack will be severely constrained.

Bell (34) will have to beat out Isaac Redman and Johnathan Dwyer in a talented RB corps

Defensively, Troy Polamalu’s decline has been obvious.  He’s had trouble staying on the field (he missed nine games last year) and has been less effective when he has played.  His physical, caution-to-the-wind approach to defense has made him a legend; it may also mean his reign as a force in the league has come to an end. The secondary is bolstered by the continued presence of Ryan Clark, but the rest of the secondary (namely on the corners) is a mystery with several new faces poised to get significant minutes.  The front seven will look different without James Harrison, but his play could be replaced by Jarvis Jones.  Jones led the country in sacks his final season at Georgia, and looks to take that pass rushing ability with him to the professional ranks.

Estimated Regular Season Record: 9-7

Cleveland Browns

2013 Regular Season Schedule:

Week	Day	Date		Opp
1		September 8		Miami Dolphins
2		September 15	@	Baltimore Ravens
3		September 22	@	Minnesota Vikings
4		September 29		Cincinnati Bengals
5		October 3		Buffalo Bills
6		October 13		Detroit Lions
7		October 20	@	Green Bay Packers
8		October 27	@	Kansas City Chiefs
9		November 3		Baltimore Ravens
10				Bye Week
11		November 17	@	Cincinnati Bengals
12		November 24		Pittsburgh Steelers
13		December 1		Jacksonville Jaguars
14		December 8	@	New England Patriots
15		December 15		Chicago Bears
16		December 22	@	New York Jets
17		December 29	@	Pittsburgh Steelers

Fair or not, this is probably Brandon Weeden’s make or break year.  The signal caller will have QB guru Norv Turner overseeing the offense this year and he will expect more from the 2011 first round draft selection.  Weeden led the league in passes batted down and has shown a propensity to be inaccurate and too conservative.  His 57.4 completion percentage was in the bottom 5 of the league, and his paltry 6.55 yards per attempt was similarly ranked (keep in mind, his backup is Jason Campbell, a player that has been a quality starter in the league for years and could take over if Weeden struggles). Turner will want more attacking down the field, but it would help if they had the personnel to support a more aggressive offense.  Greg Little is their most threatening pass-catcher, and even he has the huge flaw of drops that plagued him throughout last year.  If he can harness his phenomenal freakish ability, then Weeden could have a legitimate star to throw to.  At least the team knows who he is going to hand the ball off to, Trent Richardson is aload with deceptive speed.  He’s had his share of nagging injuries early in his career, but look for him to be featured prominently this season.

Expect a steady diet of Richardson all year, provided he stays healthy

The defensive unit’s numbers aren't great, but they shouldn't be given how anemic the offense was at points.  The biggest “star” on this side of the ball for Cleveland is probably cornerback Joe Haden.  After making a splash his first year in the league with 6 interceptions, Haden has had less opportunities to duplicate his success (because of opposing Quarterbacks shying away from him, and because of injury). Barkevious Mingo from LSU and Paul Kruger will join team sack leader Jabaal Sheard as the primary pass rushers as the team transitions to a 3-4 defense.  A front seven that can pressure the opposition’s quarterback may cover up deficiencies present in the secondary.

Estimated Regular Season Record: 3-13