5 Burning Questions Facing the AFC North
Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson Lead Rosters Capable of Mounting a Super Bowl Charge
The AFC North may be the most compelling division in the NFL.
From bitter rivalries, to MVP caliber quarterbacks and bruising defenses, there’s a reason why at least half of the teams in this division have legitimate reason to believe they’ll be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy next February in New Orleans.
But, there are some major questions facing the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns, as well …
Will Either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields Be Effective Enough to Overcome Arthur Smith’s Offensive Deficiencies?
General manager Omar Khan, head coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers knew that substandard quarterback play wasn’t going to get it done.
So, the Steelers went all in this offseason by signing veteran Russell Wilson for pennies on the dollar and took a flier on trading for former first-round pick Justin Fields as a reclamation project.
While Wilson enters training camp as the grizzled favorite to win the starting job, the Steelers’ quarterback competition will be among the most watched and scrutinized in the league.
Whoever winds up behind center Week 1 in Atlanta, will have the challenge of proving Steelers — and Falcons fans, that Arthur Smith is in fact a competent playcaller capable of overseeing an offense that can lead a playoff charge.
The Steelers’ offense barely had a pulse under Matt Canada, averaging a meager 17.8 points per game, but, Smith seemingly forgot that Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts existed and his usage of elite and explosive rookie running back Bijan Robinson was downright quizzical as Atlanta managed just 19.3 points per game and never quite found an offensive identity.
Smith, though, isn’t the only unknown in the Iron City.
Wilson was certainly miscast in Sean Payton’s offense with the Denver Broncos, but, the former Super Bowl champion has thrown 42 touchdowns to 19 interceptions the past two seasons while looking like a shell of his former self from the pocket. Meanwhile, Fields played some of the best football of his career down the stretch last season but still managed only 2,562 passing yards (a career-high) with 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
If Smith makes more effective usage of running backs Najee Harris Jaylen Warren than he did Robinson, and Pat Freiermuth continues to emerge as a vital weapon, the pieces are in place for the Steelers to have at least a competent offense.
But, whether Wilson or Fields are up to the task of maximizing the pieces around them in a system that hasn’t exactly set the world on fire remains to be seen.
Can the Ravens Seamlessly Reload Along Front Seven?
The Baltimore Ravens lost a lot on defense this offseason.
Perhaps the biggest question facing any AFC contender as the 2024 season looms is whether the Ravens’ defense can thrive in the absence of former defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald, now the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s easy to see why MacDonald was one of the most coveted head coaching candidates this cycle. Under his watch last season, the Ravens finished sixth in total defense and were the stingiest unit in the league, holding opponents to just 16.5 points per game.
However, MacDonald isn’t the only big loss the Ravens’ defense must overcome.
Patrick Queen defected to the bitter-rival Pittsburgh Steelers, leading sack artist Jadeveon Clowney is now a Carolina Panther, and Geno Stone, with his seven interceptions, will square off with the Ravens twice each season with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Ravens will be asking a lot of linebacker Odafe Oweh, who’s going to have to build on his five sacks in 2023 this fall. Likewise, Trenton Simpson is going to play a more vital role in the linebacking corps in his second season.
There’s a reason Baltimore is among the Super Bowl favorites, thanks to Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry leading the charge on offense, and the Ravens boasting one of the more dominant secondaries in the NFL. But if the Ravens are going to deliver on the lofty expectations in Charm City and in the Las Vegas sportsbooks, the defense will need to prove that new pieces are capable of building on last year’s stellar campaign.
How Will the Bengals Replace Joe Mixon?
There’s a longstanding belief in the NFL that running backs are interchangeable.
I’m not certain I subscribe to that theory, especially when it comes to teams that already boast relatively complete rosters and are on the cusp of competing for championships. The Cincinnati Bengals are about to test the theory.
Joe Mixon’s departure to join the high-flying and electrifying Houston Texans, where he’ll share a backfield alongside wunderkind quarterback C.J. Stroud and an offense with playmakers Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell, has left the Bengals hoping a committee of Zack Moss, Chase Brown, and Trayveon Williams can replicate Mixon’s production and impact.
Over the past three years, Mixon averaged 1,017 rushing yards and 9.7 rushing touchdowns per season, including a career-high 13 rushing scores in 2021 as a focal point of the Bengals’ mad dash to the Super Bowl.
In what could prove to be a pivotal season before Joe Burrow’s cap number balloons and with elite receiver Ja’Marr Chase on the brink of a massive contract extension, Cincinnati is betting big that the duo of Moss and Brown can punish opposing defenses with their varied skill sets.
It is a sudden about-face to go from Mixon’s barreling, bulldozing running style and prowess in the red zone to Moss’ elusiveness and Brown’s promise. Moss has never surpassed 800 rushing yards in a single season, and while Brown showed plenty of promise in a limited role as a rookie, it’s hard not to see this as a gamble.
Can Deshaun Watson Both Prove He’s Fully Healthy and Return to Form?
It’s been a minute since Deshaun Watson was one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the sport.
Given Watson’s off-the-field issues and suddenly lengthy injury history, the Browns’ $230 million fully guaranteed contract is starting to look more and more like an albatross. There’s a reason NFL owners have seemingly banded together to avoid giving out such deals to quarterbacks.
That’s especially the case after a shoulder injury ended Watson’s 2023 campaign after just six games, during which he passed for 1,115 yards with seven touchdowns to four interceptions in his second season in a Browns uniform.
Watson hasn’t played a full season since 2020 and has surpassed 4,000 passing yards just twice in his first six seasons.
But the stage could be set for Watson to experience a renaissance in 2024.
Cleveland is going to go as far as Watson can lead them, and the 28-year-old quarterback will have the benefit of throwing not only to Amari Cooper but also offseason pickup Jerry Jeudy, with explosive running back Nick Chubb primed to return as well.
If Watson can take advantage of the weapons around him on offense, make a push for 4,000 yards, and show he’s capable of protecting the football, the Browns are going to be in the mix for a division title.
Watson just hasn’t looked like that player for nearly half a decade.
Will Either the Bengals or Ravens End the Chiefs’ Super Bowl Three-Peat Bid?
There’s a strong argument to be made that the AFC North is the most talented and competitive division in football. Would anyone be surprised if the AFC Playoffs featured three teams from this division?
With a healthy Joe Burrow returning in Cincinnati and the explosive weapons surrounding Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, the Bengals and Ravens seem best positioned to halt Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ bid for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl championship.
To that point, the Ravens open 2024 with the second-shortest Super Bowl odds in the AFC, at +1000 at FanDuel SportsBook and the Bengals aren’t far behind at +1400 as the AFC’s third-place Super Bowl favorite.
However, Jackson is 1-3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and while Burrow has bested Mahomes and Kansas City in three of four tries, he needs to prove he’s fully healthy in 2024 and won't have Tyler Boyd as part of his receiving trio this season.
Burrow is one of the more cerebral quarterbacks in the sport, while Jackson’s significant progress toward becoming a complete quarterback last season, in large part by using his mobility to create big plays in the vertical passing game, can’t be ignored.
Neither, though, can Mahomes’ unmatched ability in clutch moments.
The Chiefs’ biggest threat may be the two teams they have faced in the past three AFC Championship Games. Whether the Bengals or Ravens can kick down the door and get back to the Super Bowl will be one of this division’s biggest storylines to watch this fall.