Tag: AFC North

Bengals ranked most likely to go from worst to first in division

Are the Bengals going worst to first?

The Cincinnati Bengals had a disappointing 2023 season riddled with injuries which ended with them finishing in last place in the AFC North despite being able to claw their way to a 9-8 record.

Now with the football season over, there’s nothing more the Bengals and their fans can do other than look forward to next season and hope next season goes better.

Jim Wyman of PFF looked at the last place teams from each division in the NFL and ranked which of them are most likely to go from worst to first in their respective divisions, and the Bengals were the No. 1 most likely to do so.

Here’s what he had to say about their chances:

The Bengals made history in 2023 by becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to finish in last place in their division with a winning record. The Bengals accomplished this feat despite Joe Burrow missing the last seven games of the season due to a wrist injury. Jake Browning played well enough to keep the team afloat in his absence, but it wasn’t quite enough for a playoff berth. With a healthy Burrow, the Bengals should be right in the thick of things for the division title once again. The big question is what they do with Tee Higgins, who is set to hit free agency but is also a candidate for the franchise tag. Due to how much cap space the Bengals are projected to have this offseason, a new contract is doable if that’s the route they choose to go in.

A healthy Burrow will certainly make their chances at winning the division again much better, and even despite the strength of the AFC North, Wyman believes the Bengals have the talent to finish at the top again.

They were projected there to begin the 2023 season, and have a full offseason and a lot of cap space to improve the roster along with a healthy Burrow so it’s very possible the Bengals get back to where they were.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

AFC North watch: Steelers QB rumors, Browns stadium drama and more

Some big headlines from around the AFC North.

The Cincinnati Bengals, at least for now, don’t have a lot of news and buzz circulating around the team.

The same can’t be said for the other teams in the AFC North, though.

While the Bengals briefly had some news in regards to coaching staff changes during this quiet part of the schedule, it’s nothing compared to say, a budding quarterback controversy in Pittsburgh.

Those Steelers have questions about the future of the most important position in sports ahead of free agency and the draft. There’s also buzz around Cleveland and Baltimore with certain items, too.

With the Bengals mostly quiet, here’s a look at some AFC North news to know.

Bengals’ AFC North rivals suffer notable coaching setbacks

Every Bengals rival had to make notable changes to coaching lineups so far this offseason.

The Cincinnati Bengals might have lost offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, but they’re far from the only team in the AFC North losing key coaches.

In fact, the Bengals have started to look like big divisional winners in this regard.

The following critical coaches have left the AFC North:

Tack on the Steelers needing to make a change at offensive coordinator and each of the AFC North teams lost a key chunk of coaching staff.

The Bengals are a part of this, though the hope is that things go much more smoothly, considering they’ve groomed new offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher for the role over the last few seasons.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

AFC North watch: Ravens latest to see a big coaching staff change

Mike Macdonald is on the way out of the AFC North.

The Cincinnati Bengals are far from the only team in the AFC North to experience change at a coordinator spot during this early stretch of the offseason.

After the Bengals lost Brian Callahan to the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers hired a new name in the role, the Baltimore Ravens have just suffered a coordinator loss, too.

As expected, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is on his way out, agreeing to become the next head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Macdonald, now the youngest head coach in the NFL (36), is one of the most respected defensive coaches in football and has been rewarded as such.

It’s minor good news from a Bengals perspective, as Macdonald’s defenses have presented major problems over the last two years. Now, the Ravens will have to readjust with an internal promotion or external hire.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Experts debate whether Bengals or Ravens should be favored in AFC North

Should the Bengals be favored in the AFC North next year?

Good luck figuring out which team should be favored to win the AFC North in 2024.

The division, after all, just sent three teams to the playoffs and made some history by having all four finish the season with a winning record — including the injured Cincinnati Bengals at 9-8.

GMFB attempted to answer this recently now that the division is fully out of the postseason, with two of the hosts siding with a Baltimore Ravens team they think will only get better next season after an AFC title game appearance.

But another host pointed out that it’s Joe Burrow and the Bengals as the only one capable of beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs, which implies plenty of divisional success, too.

The full debate is worth a watch:

For their part, Bengals fans have plenty of reason to consider their team the favorite, given what Joe Burrow showed during his very few healthy games last year. Even without him for most of the season, the team finished with nine wins and was in it to the very end.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

AFC North watch: Steelers undergo a big coaching change

A big coaching change for the Steelers.

The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t the only team in the AFC North undergoing some major coaching overhauls this offseason.

Elsewhere, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally nailed down their next offensive coordinator on Tuesday, hiring Arthur Smith in the role.

Smith last spent time with the Atlanta Falcons as head coach from 2021-2023. Before that, he served as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.

Speaking of the Titans, that team is the reason the Bengals have undergone the first major coaching change of the Zac Taylor era. Brian Callahan left to take the head coach position there, with the Bengals promoting Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator in order to fill the void.

Based on the reaction of Steelers players to the Smith news, the team is looking forward to the new era.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Will Ravens QB Lamar Jackson finally silence the critics?

Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson can redeem his post-season struggles and advance to the AFC Championship this weekend.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has played exceptionally in response to his five-year $260 million contract this spring. Will Jackson finally silence his critics by advancing to the AFC Championship?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NFL (@nfl)

Jackson’s 1-3 record in the post-season is a stark contrast to his counterpart, Houston Texans quarterback C.J Stroud. Stroud is now 1-0, thanks to the Texan’s win in the AFC Wild Card.  Jackson complimented Stroud this week in the media but did so with an undertone that implied his aspirations.

Jackson knows that Regular season success won’t be enough for his critics to merit him the MVP award. The Ravens finished the season on a high note with locker-room celebrations and tons of raves in the media. It can be all for naught if they are one and done.

It is imperative that Jackson avoids turnovers and makes accurate passes against the Texans’ blitz. The Texans are allowing just 3.5 rush yards per carry this season. To counter the Texans’ run defense, Jackson may look for wide receiver Zay Flowers in 1-on-1 situations.

Ideally, the Ravens will want to avoid turning this game into an offensive shootout and sustain offensive drives to keep the home crowd engaged. Jackson must exemplify poise and precision to prevail. That is if he wants to advance to the AFC Championship.

Bengals Twitter reacts to ugly playoff losses for Browns, Steelers

Bengals fans had thoughts as the Browns and Steelers exited the playoffs in ugly fashion.

The opening round of the playoffs was an interesting one for the AFC North.

Especially so for Cincinnati Bengals fans. Their team went 9-8, the same record that sent other teams to the playoffs this year. Yet all three other AFC North teams went to the postseason instead in what turned out to be one of the strongest divisions in modern NFL history.

But those other teams started dropping in ugly fashion when the playoff bracket started. The Browns got blown out by the Texans and the Steelers lost to the Bills, raising more concerns about Mike Tomlin’s program.

As of this writing, that meant the Bengals were still the team from the division to most recently win a playoff game. And fans had thoughts, including some of the below.

AFC North watch: Steelers go down vs. Bills in playoffs

Two down from the AFC North in the playoffs, one left.

Two of three AFC North teams to make the playoffs have tumbled out of the bracket without a win so far.

For Cincinnati Bengals fans, the what could have been perspective on the season continued Monday as the Pittsburgh Steelers went to Buffalo and took a 31-17 loss to the Bills.

There, the Steelers fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and never really recovered, coughing up four total touchdowns to Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

As such, the Steelers continue to have one of the league’s more notable playoff droughts as they’re winless in the postseason since 2016.

That might explain why Mike Tomlin ended up walking out of Monday night’s postgame presser.

This followed the Browns getting blown out of the building by the Texans in the playoff opener this past weekend, leaving the Ravens as the only AFC North team left standing and the Bengals still the most recent team from the division with a playoff win.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Entire AFC North finishes over .500, making modern NFL history

The Bengals had a winning record despite major hits from the injury bug.

It was obvious at the beginning of the season that the AFC North would be one of the best divisions in football, if not the best. Now, at the end of the season, there’s an argument to make that it was the best division in history.

Since the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Cleveland Browns in Week 18, four teams in the division finished over .500. This is the first time since 1935 that an entire division had a winning record — and there were only nine teams in the league back then.

The Bengals finished last in the division with a record of 9-8. The Steelers went 10-7, the Browns finished 11-6 and the Ravens won the division and secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a 13-4 record.

The last division to have all teams finish over .500 was the West division 88 years ago, when the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Chicago Cardinals all had winning records.

The collective success of this year’s AFC North is more impressive because the Ravens are the only team to have the same starting quarterback the entire season, other than Week 18, when they rested Lamar Jackson.

After winning the division the past two seasons, the Bengals capped their third straight year finishing over .500, and they were able to do so despite starting quarterback Joe Burrow playing in just 10 games. However, Cincinnati is the only team in the division that will miss the playoffs.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]