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The Pittsburgh Steelers' hopes of claiming the title of AFC North were a resounding success when they announced quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would miss the rest of the 2019 season with an elbow injury. Sitting at 0-2, the Steelers were already facing a tough climb, and now they seem to be in danger of recording their first season as a defenseman under head coach Mike Tomlin. According to the SportsLine data scientist, Stephen Oh, the Steelers only had 33.3% of the odds of participating in the playoffs with Roethlisberger, and those odds are now down to 13.7%.
New Pittsburgh starter Mason Rudolph played well on Sunday and completed 12 of 19 passes for 112 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He has a chance to prove that he is the future of the franchise this year, and there is no doubt that he has potential. Still, the Steelers just do not have the same talent they have in the past. That's why recording their first season of defeat since 2003 seems like a possibility.
Even if it is early, the only team in the AFC North region to prove it could be a legitimate candidate is the Baltimore Ravens. Quarterback Lamar Jackson looks like a nominee for the Most Valuable Player and has 596 yards and seven touchdowns in two games. While the match was a little tighter than many thought, the Ravens nonetheless managed to hold Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals, 23-17, in the second week.
Could Big Ben have played his last slam as Steeler? Will Brinson, Ryan Wilson, John Breech and Sean Wagner-McGough discuss the consequences of Ben Roethlisberger's end-of-season injury in the emergency number on Monday afternoon of the Pick Six podcast. Make sure and subscribe to receive our daily NFL pod, now with seven (!) Episodes a week, M-F.
To say that the Ravens are an offensive heavyweight is probably an overestimate, but they have one of the most versatile offensive attacks in the league. With Jackson's ability to race and his arsenal of able-bodied, it seems the Ravens are just going to get better. That said, their first two opponents, the Miami Dolphins and the Cardinals, are not in the running for the winning seasons, but the Ravens remain my choice to win the division. Nevertheless, with new attacking coordinator Greg Roman designing an offensive system adapted to Jackson's skills, as well as the addition of Marquise Brown, the wide play receiver, Baltimore looks like a top-10 overall.
It's too early to rule out the Cleveland Browns, who are playing their second game of the season Monday night against the New York Jets. They were embarrassed by the Tennessee Titans on home ground early in the season, and Baker Mayfield threw three interceptions instead of his only touchdown. The real story, though, was the lack of discipline we saw with this team.
The Browns scored 18 penalties for a total of 182 yards last week, resulting in more than $ 70,000 in fines by Cleveland News 5. Those who are crowned off-season champions usually do not win in the regular season, and the Browns' first game may well indicate early on that the team is doomed to disappointment.
The fact that the Browns did very little to remedy their offensive line in this off season – pass protection was a major problem in the first week.
We will be tempted to use what will happen during their Monday night football game to answer unanswered questions, but it may not be such a good idea. Jets starting quarterback Sam Darnold came out with mono, running backer The & # 39; Veon Bell may not be 100% healthy and the team suffered several injuries on the defensive side of the ball including linebacker C.J. Mosley and No. 3 defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.
The Browns are supposed to kick out the Jets Monday night, and if they do, are we going to act as if everything were going well in Cleveland? We may have to wait at least a week to get a better idea of what this Brown team is capable of in the grand scheme.
Unfortunately, the Cincinnati Bengals seem to be the favorites to finish last in AFC North for the second year in a row. First-year head coach Zac Taylor had a promising start to the season. He lost one point against the Seattle Seahawks. The attack seemed to have improved a lot, Andy Dalton threw for 418 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bengals then regressed in Week 2 after being swept by the San Francisco 49ers, 41-17, on their court. Dalton has always managed 311 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, but the Bengals have only 25 yards on the ground. While Taylor wants his unit to score more than 17 points in a game, defense was the real problem. The Bengals gave up 572 total yards, including 259 rushing yards, while the 49ers rushed 27 times.
Things will improve over time, but the Bengals have no chance of succeeding in 2019 if their defense can not stop anyone.
When looking at the North AFC as a whole, the Ravens seem to be the team set up to succeed in the near future. The Browns and Bengals have major coaches for the first year, and only time will tell if they have made the right choices. The Steelers, on the other hand, seem to be down. We do not know if Roethlisberger, 37, will be able to return to 2020 after this injury and maintain his ability to lead the NFL to the pass. Roethlisberger signed during the 2021 season after accepting an extension of contract earlier this spring.
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