S10E29: Being Mr. Rodger's Neighbour (AFC North Preview)

This week we turn our attention to the AFC North, a tough-nosed hard hitting slobber knocker of a division. The Ravens have won the last two years, the Bengals the two years before that. The Steelers haven’t won the division since Big Ben was with the team in 2020 (And the browns have never won it!). Who could take it this year? The Bengals are struggling to sign their first round rookie Shemar Stewart, but have paid both Chase and Higgins, have Burrow, and are working to reach terms with Hendrickson. The defence has a new DC in Al Golden, but not a huge turnover of a sub-par roster so the offence will need to lead out if they are to be contenders this season. Can they avoid the slow start of other years that have often left them chasing their tails in the division race? The Ravens have Lamar Jackson and Derek Henry as the faces of an offence that sports good young receivers, some safe old hand like Andrews, and a solid offensive line. Their defence will need to keep up their consistent pass rush to get back to their heights from 2023 but still have talent on that side of the ball (albeit getting a little longer in the tooth). Will Henry have one more season left in the tank and help Lamar to ring them to the promised land? Its Superbowl or bust at this stage right? The Steelers haven’t had a franchise passer since Big Ben, and are hoping that the aged body of Aaron Rodgers can lead them to postseason success. While he’s been a lightning rod for controversy and underwhelming results in recent years, will he deliver in what he has said himself is likely his last season in the NFL? They’ve added DK Metcalf to help him on the outside, Kaleb Johnson to push Jaylen Warren in the RB room and a solid, if not overwhelming offensive line. The defence has been their calling card for years and still packs a bunch of blue chip talent, but that group is aging. Can aging vets like Darius Slay contribute, or possibly rookies like Harmon or Black step up? It’s a long shot, but Rodgers was once known for his Hail Marys, could this be his greatest one? The Browns, an often overlooked little brother of this division, have decided to go from having one QB that is a problem, to having 4 QBs and that’s the problem. Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett represent the “safe veteran” options, Dillion Gabriel and Shedeur “vroom vroom” Sanders are the upstart rookies. They have Jerome Ford and bunch of rookie RBs, a WR room led by Jerry Jeudy, and a middling to poor offensive line. The defence has Miles Garrett paired up with rookie Maason Graham…. And Denzel Ward? There is not a tonne to love on paper here, but all they need is one of the rookies to step up and the outlook changes drastically. It will be nice to be able to cheer them on again following the Watson debacle, but is there any chance of that cheering happening into late January? All this and much, much more on your one-stop shop for news, views and overreactions to all things NFL, the All Four Quarters podcast!