AFC North Preview Part I: The Baltimore Ravens.

Looking around the league there is almost no division tougher than the AFC North. Every team from the division had a top ten defense and three out of the four teams made the playoffs last season. Add the hostile weather climate which plays a factor in all four locations, combined with rabid fans and the AFC North is not for the faint at heart. Now that the Draft is complete and free agency has died down we will look at this division team-by-team. We will look at their strengths and their weaknesses and analyze their chances for success in this tough division. This will be a four part series and we will start with last year’s division winner, the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens have seemingly been a contender year in and year out for what seems like forever. Much of their success has been the result of excellent drafting by their General Manager Ozzie Newsome.  This year was no different as the Ravens added some excellent talent including linebacker Courtney Upshaw from Alabama. Taken 35th overall in the second round, Upshaw will be a pivotal selection for the Ravens. The expectations on him have increased since the draft after learning that Baltimore will be without Terrell Suggs due to a torn ACL. Upshaw is an excellent run stopper, but lacks in agility and speed. He is exposed when in pursuit but makes up for this with above average football intelligence and good play recognition. He is an excellent fit in Baltimore and will no doubt grow into an excellent outside linebacker for them well into the future.

But the success or failure of the Baltimore Ravens has, and always will rely squarely on the shoulders of Joe Flacco. The question that is asked, and always has been asked is have they surrounded him with enough playmakers? Clearly he has an excellent back in Ray Rice, and a dynamic playmaker on the edge with Torrey Smith, but what else have they done to improve their offense? Flacco is a decent quarterback but he cannot win a game by himself like fellow QB and AFC rival Ben Roethlisberger. He has a strong arm but has difficulty “at times” in his progressions and still struggles somewhat throwing and moving to his left. If opposing defenses can stop Rice, the game will rely on Flacco and he must prove this season that he is up to the challenge. Newsome did add another speedster at wide out with Tommy Streeter from Miami in the 5th round (198th overall), but I’m not sure he will be an immediate contributor to this offense.

But at the end of the day the Ravens will continue to rely on their defense. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are like immortal superheroes continuing to make plays and continuing to look like veterans in their prime. But the competition in the division will heat up this season. Pittsburgh has beefed up their offensive line, Cincinnati has continued to build on their success from last season, and Cleveland has added a big time rushing threat in Trent Richardson. This season will be a bigger test than any other they have faced in the past. Can they continue their dominance in the North? Or will the loss of Suggs be too much?

Much like the rest of the division, the Ravens have a tough schedule including the Patriots, Giants, and new-look Broncos. Also on their schedule is Philadelphia which will have a much better season than last year. All-in-all I expect the Ravens to go 9-7. That includes 4-2 within the division probably winning both against the Bengals, and splitting between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. If the void left by Suggs is marginal, then they could do better, but I don’t see this offense as an explosive group, thankfully with their defense, they don’t need to be. But if the Ravens suffer any more key injuries, it will be a long season.

Next we will look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and see where they have improved, and where they are likely to struggle.

What do you think?

Michael W. Youngman--Lead Analyst AFC North
Michael is the Lead Analyst for the AFC North Report and the Cleveland Browns Report. He has written many articles that have been featured by playerpress.com, cantonrep.com, FoxSports.com, and of course this site. Michael has also written a book titled “The Dayton Project” published in 2008 by PublishAmerica. He makes his home in the Hall of Fame City of Canton Ohio with his wife Lisa and his two children Joseph and Jennifer. To learn more, visit his Website