The AFC North is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
Steelers: Is Kenny Pickett the answer at QB? Pickett sometimes showed promise during his rookie season, leading the Steelers to comeback wins on last-minute drives against the Las Vegas Raiders and Ravens.
As thrilling as the good moments felt for Steelers fans, there are concerns about Pickett's accuracy throwing the football. Pickett's 76.4 quarterback rating was the second-worst in the league behind former New York Jets starter Zach Wilson. Fortunately for Pickett, he doesn't have a future Hall of Famer likePickett will have lots of help as he develops. Running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are talented rushers, and they combined for 69 catches last season. Tight end Pat Freiermuth had 63 catches for nearly 750 yards and two touchdowns last season and 60 catches and seven touchdowns in 2021 rookie season. Freiermuth provides a classic security blanket, while wide receiver George Pickens showed flashes of being a deep threat last season as a rookie. T.J. Watt is the rare type of defensive player that makes everyone better. Watt missed seven games last season with a torn pectoral muscle and his absence was noticeable. The Steelers gave up 389.9 yards and 25.3 points per game without Watt against 288.8 yards and 16.9 points per game with him on the field. If Pickett can build on his 2022 performance, there's lots of reason for optimism in the Steel City. If he doesn't play well, not all hope is lost. Tomlin continues to be in the gold standard of coaches, extending his streak of never posting a losing record. It's difficult to picture a Tomlin-coached team not being in the mix for a playoff spot.Watson entered the 2022 season serving an 11-game suspension for violating the's personal conduct policy and sitting out the 2021 campaign. After finally taking the field, he often looked like a quarterback who hadn't played in two years. Watson's legal saga makes it easy to forget that in 2020 he led the league in passing yards. That didn't come through in his 2022 performance. He failed to break 300 yards passing in any of his six games and finished with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. If the Browns are going to succeed, he has to take advantage of having a full preseason build-up with his offensive unit. Nick Chubb is one of the best running backs in the league. He's part of a Browns offense that includes talented wide receivers Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore. If Watson can regain his Pro Bowl form, it's a formidable unit. The pressure is on for Watson to justify a guaranteed $230 million contract. If he doesn't produce, the Browns will struggle to get out of the AFC North basement.Jackson has posted a 45-16 mark since 2018 when he became the Ravens starting quarterback. Defending Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is the only quarterback with a better record over that time. When Jackson is healthy, the Ravens have a chance to beat any team in the league. Jackson is a dynamic rusher. Since becoming the starter in 2018, he has 699 rushing attempts, more than 11 per game. His 4,437 career rushing yards are the most for any quarterback in league history over their first five seasons. In the last four seasons, Jackson has been the leading rusher on the team. However, running the ball too often makes quarterbacks vulnerable. Jackson missed nine regular-season games the last two years. According to reports from Baltimore, new offensive coordinator Todd Monken hopes bring more of a pass-oriented scheme for Jackson. A game plan based on Jackson reading the defense, making the right throw, knowing when to get rid of the ball, and the occasional designed run could keep Jackson on the field more often. Monken will still use Jackson some in the run game, but not nearly as much. Jackson expressed excitement about the possibilities in the pass game. "Less running and more throwing," Jackson said to reporters in May via the Ravens website."Running can only take you so far. I feel like, with this new era of teams and offenses in the league, I feel like we need that. And Coach Todd Monken, what I'm seeing in his offense so far is looking tremendous."Questions surround Burrow's health as he recovers from a knee injury suffered in training camp. The quarterback uses his legs to extend plays and create opportunities to beat opposing defenses. When healthy, he's one of the best quarterbacks in the league with deep playoff success to prove it. His return to practice Wednesday was a hopeful sign for another competitive season. Even when healthy, Burrow has vulnerabilities. In his three seasons, he has consistently ranked among the league leaders in sacks taken. In 2022, he took 41 sacks in the regular season, sixth in the league. The season before, he was tops with 51. If he's protected, the Bengals are hard to beat, posting a 17-3 when Burrow is sacked fewer than three times. In an effort to protect their star, Cincinnati added left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. from the Chiefs to protect Burrow's blindside. If Burrow can't consistently stay upright, and on the field, the Ravens, Steelers and Browns have a shot at catching the Bengals.
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