I've plugged this a little bit already as the summer winds down, but the annual Pigskin Pick 'Em contest is back for its seventh year, and for the fifth year in a row Adam Quinn and I will present our picks every Thursday of the season. It's a project I'm once again looking forward to.
But in the meantime, I'm going to go through every team over the next eight weekdays and make my predictions. As usual, I will go division by division, alternating conferences until I end with the division holding the defending champion. The way I originally scheduled this had my home division predictions going up on Labor Day, and because I'd like to have a little more chance for web traffic, I'm opting to start in the north, and since an NFC team is champion, that means we start this series with the AFC North.
AFC North
Common opponents on schedule: AFC West, NFC South
2017: 13-3 (1st), Lost in AFC Divisional Round
It's only been about eight months since the Steelers looked past the Jaguars to a potential rematch with the New England Patriots... and then they got taken behind the woodshed by Blake Bortles and company. But this group returns largely intact. Ben Roethlisberger isn't showing any signs of slowing down at 36, he has an elite receiver in Antonio Brown, and presumably Le'Veon Bell will be looming in the backfield to wreak some havoc. The defense remains pretty good overall, and since most of the cast from last year's 13-3 team is back, there's no reason why this team can't be back threatening for not only the division, but also the top seed in the AFC.
2018 Prediction: 12-4
2017: 9-7 (2nd), missed playoffs
Maybe it's me, but I'm not really sold on this Ravens team. They had a winning year in 2017 but didn't quite do enough to make the postseason. Quarterback is an interesting position for this group with Joe Flacco presumably keeping the reins as starter, but rookie Lamar Jackson is waiting in the wings... and then you have RGIII looming in the quarterback room as well. The weapons are all right in Alex Collins at running back and Michael Crabtree as the top receiver, but I'm not sold behind him. The offensive line looks pretty decent, especially with Marshall Yanda coming back. I don't know what it is, but I'm just not particularly sold on the defense. Jimmy Smith is a very good corner, and there's other good pieces like Terrell Suggs, C.J. Moseley, and Eric Weddle. But collectively, I feel like this group may be a little overrated. And yet with their schedule, they might still be somewhat in the playoff mix.
2018 Prediction: 7-9
2017: 7-9 (3rd), missed playoffs
I'm not sold on the Bengals either, to be honest. You still have that Andy Dalton and A.J. Green connection, and there's some decent young backs in Joe Mixon and Gio Bernard, but this unit just doesn't really scare me like it might have in years past. Maybe it's a defense that just doesn't seem like it has much in the way of teeth anymore. But there's also the fact that sometime this year, I will get to say the words "Vontaze Burfict is a thug" again when he gets suspended for yet another malicious hit. Also, Marvin Lewis is still the head coach. Say no more.
2018 Prediction: 5-11
2017: 0-16 (4th), missed playoffs
A year after joining the 2008 Lions in infamy, the Browns overhauled their team in the offseason. Tyrod Taylor should provide some stability as a bridge quarterback to Baker Mayfield, though who knows how that will go because this is Cleveland we're talking about. But they've got some decent weapons with rookie Nick Chubb in the backfield and Jarvis Landry and Josh Gordon split out wide (the latter of whom assuming he stays off the weed). But they've also overhauled the defense with some decent pieces like Damarious Randall, and you've got sophomore years from Jabrill Peppers and Myles Garrett. This group will not go winless again, but I don't think they're in much of a contention position yet either.
2018 Prediction: 4-12
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