Drive9.9.26AFCNorth: Who Wins the AFC North?

0:00You are tuned to the drive on your 24-7 home of the Black & Gold Steelers Nation Radio. All right, Matt. This is what the people want. This is what the people came for. It is the final division for us to predict in the AFC before, of course, we will give our wildcard teams here as well. Of course, our very own AFC North. Last year, Steelers first, Ravens, Second, Browns Third. And as is their birthright, Matt, Williams and the Cleveland Browns and fourth. I think we can start there. I think we're both picking the Browns last. Yeah, I was just going to say, unless you're throwing a real curve.

1:01No, no, we can get that out of the way. And I'll take you to step further. I trust Berset, Gino, Mendoza and Ward, Willis. I'm talking about like the teams are projected to be the worst in a league. I can't. I mean, you take all of them over the Browns quarterback room. Easily. Yeah. I mean, easily. I think they're a distant 30 second as it stands right now. Like I bet we see tailing green started game and we 15. I almost do know what it would be malpractice for Cleveland if they didn't. Yeah. Now I do like a lot of stuff that that organization's doing. I think some of their trades, including the Garrett one and their drafts all are setting up nicely for that. They are starting to build a nice little nest. Yeah. And they got a lot of future picks. But I just encorred her backs too important. And there's a bad. Yeah. I mean, when it's all said and done, someone will get hurt and no of worst quarterback play in the Browns. But as it stands right now, I would take 31 other rooms easily over what I'm expecting from the Browns quarterbacks. And that's too much to overcome. I especially a tough division.

2:03Especially in a tough then a tough to be. Yeah. Absolutely. And the other teams don't have that. You know, who's all right. So we agree on that. Who's going first here, Matt? I'll do it, I guess. So I know what I'm picking this segment in terms of the top three in the North. And I assume we'll do a C wild cards in the segment. Yes. Yes. But I'll be honest. I mean, I know my answers. But this is going to be one of my hardest segments of radio that I can remember because I just can see so many angles for the three wild card teams and the top three in this division. I'm picking the Ravens to win it. I'm not as we've said this many times. I'm not as high as Vegas is on them. I would definitely take their over or under win total. But I do trust. Well, I don't trust mentor. I think he's a good hire. I don't like betting on rookie coaches. Yep. But I think he will help that defense significantly. Their own line and their weapons scare the heck out of me. But I do trust

3:08the organization top to bottom. They know how to win football game. And I expect Lamar to have a very high quality much better than he was last year. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I have a Steelers 2. We talked with Steelers for enough. Yeah. They come up here and there. I definitely do believe Rogers is the third best quarterback in the division. And that worries me whenever you're battling since he and Lamar because those two are awesome. It might be. And that's not a Rogers knock. It's those two are awesome. Even with Cleveland's Albatross. It might be the best quarterback division in the NFL. Maybe. I mean, it's the best. It's the best. Alan and May are are tough to beat. But I don't think there's a third strongest. Right. Right. Right. Right. More than think through it. You might be right. Maybe the AFC West, if you're saying like Bonyx is the third best quarterback. But I don't know if it's down just one game. I would might still take Rogers over Bonyx at this point. Yeah. I mean, Caleb Gough love. That's a pretty good.

4:09It's not a star studded, but it doesn't have weaknesses. You know, it's a pretty good one. And I'm taking since he third. I absolutely should see a path where the Bengals win the division. I think their defense is better, but not enough better. I know he's the only incumbent head coach in the division. I'm up low and away by him and his staff and his scheming and nothing's really blown me away from their coaching staff since he's been hired. He does a fine job. But Buro could win MVP. Chase is a monster. I think their offense could be number one in the league. But if you're going to tell me which organization do I trust, the Ravens or the Bengals? No, it's always the Raven. No doubt. We've been around a while. If you're talking about trust and organizations in that division, yeah, it's the two Ohio teams in the bottom half of the division. Exactly. And I'm going to kind of go with that. All right, Matt Williamson. It's about it's about stinking time. We

5:10have some differences here. Okay. I thought we might last night when I was laying awake deep into the night thinking about this exercise. I told you, I spent a ton of time in my mind thinking about the NFC North. Yeah. Because I think all four. I think that's maybe the only that is the only division where you could make a legitimate argument for all four teams. Right. You have much different than that three instead of four. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. And just I told you, I was kind of like I was thinking you're doing the all right. Does he think that I think what he thinks? Does he know that I know? And I'm like, I'm going to I'm going to catch Matt off guard picking the Packers to finish last in that division. He'll never see it coming. I wouldn't even be surprised if Matt picked green beta win that division. I know he loves Jordan love. And then we both picked them. Nailed it. Exactly the same. But obviously the other one that I was thinking about most was the AFC North. It's tough. What I'll tell you here is I also have the Steelers finishing second in the division. Okay. I bangles. Why didn't I just I think yes, it is a it is a new coaching staff

6:12at Mike McCarthy is so experienced in this league. Yeah. And he knows what it's like to coach milestone landmark franchises in this league where you not only have pressure in your own hometown in your own city. But you also have pressure from across the country because you've got a fan base from across the country expectations expectations and all that. I was like the Steelers are deep in terms of with standing the rigors of the season. I also think and now hey, this is with Joey Porter Jr. in mind and some other things. But I also think the Steelers roster got better than it did than it was last year. Oh, I definitely believe that and that was it. Some wider sea versus corner. There's some key positions. The offensive line. If it takes any monochrome of step forward, I think that this I think that this team is going to win double digit games once again. But I have the Cincinnati Bengals and I almost want to throw up as I say that. Yeah, I get it. Winning the AFC North. And I think honestly, mad at what a lot of what you just alluded to. I think that it's going to take Jesse Mentira a year. It's it might. It's not it's not his it's not a

7:20new head coaching job for him. It's his first head coaching job for him in a market where I'll kind of a lot like Joe Brady and Buffalo. I don't envy those two. If you don't win the Super Bowl or at least go there. Really good head coaches got let go because they couldn't win the Super Bowl. Now the new guy has to win the Super Bowl. Exactly right. That's tough. It's I mean, it is, you know, it's it's when you get hired at Alabama or when you get hired at Ohio State. Yeah. And you lose the Michigan three times a row. Yeah. A nice 10 win season is great. But if you're not winning the national championship, nobody really cares. Yeah. If you're in Buffalo and if you're in Baltimore, anything shy of I think probably at least getting to the AFC championship game is going to be considered a colossal failure. And Cincinnati, I'm with you. I don't love Zach Taylor as a head coach, but he has taken his team to the playoffs before. Yeah. He's taking his team to a Super Bowl. Yeah. He knows what it takes. He's the lone one in the division with continuity. And I just think we have heard I go back and forth on. Do I think Burrow or Lamar will have a

8:22better year because I think that's a big part of this conversation too. Yeah. I don't know the answer. So much of what we've heard the rhetoric, if you will, from Joe Barrow over the last couple years is like, I don't have time to be patient. Yeah. In this lead, it could be a total blow up year for him. It could be a 50 touchdown. And I think finally, for the first time since they were in the Super Bowl six years ago or five years ago, whatever that was, I think Joe Barrow looked around and he saw his organization really push some chips in that Lawrence move is not their style. That is not their style at all. I mean, they seem to give like boy a mafia $20 million. I like the things like that. I think Joe Barrow has preached urgency from that organization for the better part of two years now. And I think this off season, he finally got it a little bit. I think that they know that we better put up some results on the field this year or this organization, this roster, this locker room could look drastically different than it did last year. I also think their schedule is a little bit easier. And I just again, I couldn't get away from it.

9:26I was not going, maybe this is just hand up. This is me wearing black and gold glasses. I was not going to pick the Ravens to win the division with a first time head coach. I was obviously not going to pick the Browns to win the division. Yeah. And so that kind of left it to me as a tie breaker. And I'm going to give Cincinnati. I'm going to give them the slight edge this year. I can't believe I'm doing it, but I'm picking the Bengals to win the AFC North Steeler's second Ravens third Browns, of course, where they belong in the basement. I think the Bengal ceiling is winning the whole thing. I don't know if the defense is good enough to win the whole thing. Yeah. But I think they could certainly make some noise. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I can't fight you on the Bengals in any way, shape or form. If Dexter Lawrence is one of the two or three best interior defense of Lyman and the league and Cassius Howe has a great rookie season and some of those things DJ Turner, who you and I go like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, step forward. Then maybe I'll change my tune on Cincinnati's ultimate ceiling. I think for them, it could crash and burn in the postseason. But I think they're going to get there. I think I think they're going to be champions of the AFC North.

10:26Yeah. I totally get it. Again, I can make a strong case for all three. The Ravens might be the most volatile of the three. I think they are. I mean, like what if Zay flowers could turn who's catching the ball? I mean, like there's a couple things like that that I look at the Ravens. What if Kyle Hamilton or Trey Hendrix and Mrs. Ty now. I mean, there's and you can say about all teams, of course. I'm not saying like Barrow gets hurt. I'm just talking about like a good player, not, you know, what if Matt and bouquet is not back or you know, Derek Henry takes a step back. I think they're already on like their third center since Lindorbonne. Yeah. Like there's some things there that are fragile. Matt, since you went first there, do you want me to go first with the wild card team? Sure. We wound out this exercise. So real quick to recap the AFC. Matt has bills Houston Buffalo, Houston Denver and Baltimore is his four division champions. I have Buffalo, Houston, LA and Cincinnati. So we do have I like that. Some differences. Yeah. In our division winners, Matt, my three playoff teams, two of them were very easy. And kind of like the NFC, the third one took me some time and some contemplation,

11:30but I'm picking the Broncos, of course, to go back to the playoffs. Yeah. I think they have a, I think they're in a super bowl window right now and they could certainly win the division even though I picked LA, but I'm definitely picking the Broncos to go back to the playoffs. I'm also picking the Jacksonville Jaguars to go back to the post season again. And then my third and final team, your Pittsburgh Steelers into the playoffs as the seventh seed and as the wild card and year one of the Mike McCarthy era. Minor similar. I also have Jacksonville. I think Jackson ville can be 10 level wins. Yeah. I also took the West number two. I'm taking the Chargers. Okay. I just think carbon knows how to win games and they have a really good quarterback. Then I took the Patriots slightly over the Steelers. Okay. You know, but Patriots were a tough one for me to leave out as much as I think Plexiglass with them a little bit. I think that they will take a step back. I don't think they'll take five steps back. Now I'm going to come in tomorrow and be like, why did I pick the Patriots? They just blown up my Seattle again. You know, that's like subject to

12:34change tomorrow, 22 hours. Switch that. And frankly, like if you asked me, which so many people do, Matt, do you think Steelers are gonna make the playoffs? Yeah. I think they will. But I mean, if you ask me with the chiefs, do you think the chiefs are gonna make the playoffs? Yeah, probably. But there's like 10 teams in the AFC that all have pretty strong cases. Matt, I have the Patriots, the Ravens and the chiefs all missing the playoffs. Two of those teams could be in the AFC championship game. Yeah. I mean, we just talked great things about the Bengals. I didn't have them either. You know, I mean, the Colts could sneak in. So you left out Steelers and Bengals as as and chiefs as you're kind of big name ones out. I left Patriots, Ravens and chiefs. And again, this segment of radio is one of the ones that I feel most unsure of what I'm saying. So. So your wild cards again were LA Jacksonville and New England. All right, Matt, it is written in the Notes app. And we will revisit. Part of the New England theory was if you can get four wins

13:38against the Jets and dolphins, you know, and maybe end up with five in your division split with the bills. Hard to keep you out. You get five. It's hard to keep you out. So let's recap here real quick before we go to break. We'll hit your reaction to get us out of here. You have a super role prediction. Oh, did you not do that? Do you want to go? We could do it tomorrow. We could. We could see how Seattle and New England look tonight. Now I feel like if we're going to do that, I feel like we have to do it now. I know mine. Go ahead. Give me a second to think about it. You go ahead. I'm picking the Rams. I know that's boring over the Texans. I was torn. I went with Denver. I came down to Denver, Houston or Buffalo. I thought this might be Josh Allen's year. And I was really torn. I was Houston all along. I still know if they can run the ball well enough. I went with Denver. But I don't feel strong about the AFC. I don't either. I think it goes. At this point, yes, is it chalk of all chalk to pick the Rams totally? Yeah. I also, why not? Why not? Right. Matt, ask me who I think

14:40is going to win the World Series. The Dodgers. Yeah, yeah. That's just that's who I'm picking. Um, I am going like the Dodgers. They have the best players. I am. It must be a Southern California thing. I am going Rams beat the Buffalo Bills. I could definitely see us being the bills here. And for for whatever reason, not for whatever reasons, it's a new head coach. It's a lot of questions. I don't think this bill's team is as strong as some of the bills teams of the last three or four years. Especially on defense. But I just, you know how sometimes it's weird in sports. Obviously, it's not always the best team that wins. And for whatever reason, Buffalo's been knocking on that door a lot of playoff experience. So long. Eventually, eventually, they got to kick that door in. And I think the AFC is wide open this. And so for that reason, why not? I'm going to, I'm going to pick the bills to represent the AFC. Maybe Kansas City's the only one that could compete with this. They are a real wild card in this equation. But I think the bills are the team you want to travel

15:42to least in the AFC playoffs. Totally. I mean, playoff time in Buffalo. Even in that new stadium where there won't be as much snow. I don't even care about that. I still think that's the game. Playoff tested with a massive quarterback, all kinds of home. And a rabbit crowd. I mean, who would you, who's the team at Pittsburgh in the conversation? But who's the team you'd least want to travel to in the AFC championship game? I think the answer is Buffalo Buffalo. Yeah. Yeah. Matt now that the New York Knicks have ended their championship drought. Yeah. The bills, the bills might have the fan base and all of North American sports who's starving for it the most. And frankly, Steelers love aside. I'd like to see him get one. I would too. Yeah. I mean, they deserve it as a fan base. Go under your head. The Steelers can't win the Super Bowl this year. Who wins it? I think I'd say I want the Josh and the girls fans. I'd feel really happy for Detroit if they ever got a lot of that. That's good one too. But I especially because it would piss off those Bostonian so much if the bills finally got one. I just for whatever reason, it's like it's so often in sports,

16:43it feels like when people start to write you off and they're going to take a step back, that's when you can really kick in that door and get it done. I saw that in 2018 when I was in Philadelphia. Everyone thought the Eagles were done when Wents went out and they went on and won the Super Bowl. I mean, I think there's countless examples of the Washington capitals when they finally won their Stanley Cup. Everyone thought that they were going to blow up and fall apart that year. And Ovechkin finally got his ring. I think sometimes when the chips are down in a little bit of the not a lot because again, Buffalo's expectations are still through the roof, but they're not the proverbial favorite like they've been for a handful of the past years. You can make a case for a lot of others. Absolutely. And hey, maybe there's something to be said that for Kansas City too, where the pressure is off a little bit. But I just for whatever reason, I'm going to go Buffalo getting there, but ultimately falling to the Rams. Okay. I hear you. They were they were very much in my case. Maybe the most maybe the most starved fan base in North America. I got to thank. I don't know the other sports well enough, but definitely in the NFL. So many of those long. In the

17:45last decade, right, the Cubs finally busted their streak. The Red Sox did it before that. The Nicks have done it. The Eagles finally got there for Super Bowl eight years ago. My, my, my Buffalo bills might be the fan base that's most of the thing is they go, they're not like the browns. You know, like they're at least close a lot. I'm old enough to remember. We're going four straight two rolls, which is just insane. Yeah. One more segment. So there's our predictions. You've all been asking for it. Jones and for it of how Matt and I think this thing will play out here in the 2627 NFL season. We will wrap up the show when we return by getting to your questions, comments, concerns and reactions. You'll learn Williamson. It's the drive. Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.