AFC North Early Predictions 

With Le’Veon Bell missing potentially the first three games of the season, the Browns figuring out who their quarterback will be and the Ravens losing wide receiver Torrey Smith, he AFC North has had a few “shake-up’s” to say the least. Here are the early predictions for the AFC North standings:

With a veteran roster, the Bengals to me seem like the early favorite to win the division this year. The only bump in the road is that the Bengals will have to play in prime-time away games for weeks 15 and 16 (Bengals are 1-12 in prime-time games on the road). With A.J. Green healthy, Andy Dalton’s numbers should take a slight incline this upcoming season.

The Steelers won’t be too hot at the start of the season considering Le’Veon Bell could miss up to three games this regular season for violating the leagues personal conduct policy. Reports have stated that Antonio Brown is unhappy with his contract, although he still has three years left on it. Big Ben will be a top five quarterback this year, mark my words. The Steelers may not win the division, but expect a wild card spot.

The Ravens lost wide receiver Torrey Smith during free agency, leaving Joe Flacco against the odds. The team will start off with five road games in the first seven weeks, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Ravens actually missed out on the playoffs this year. In Harbaugh’s eight seasons of coaching, this may be the toughest schedule for him yet.

I don’t even know where to start with this team. The roster lacks a star player as Josh Gordon will be serving yet another suspension. In an era of offense, the Browns will have one of the least efficient offenses this year. A  5-11 record is a stretch simply because they would a top 15 defense to keep up.