Cincinnati Bengals: AFC North doesn’t look as daunting as expected

Prior to the Cincinnati Bengals‘ 2021 regular season, I presumably was like most people in assuming the team would finish last in the division.

Now, after three weeks of the NFL season, it looks like the Bengals won’t be the AFC North’s punching bag, especially after the Bengals just went to Pittsburgh and punched the Steelers in the mouth. The Bengals have the Jaguars coming up on Thursday night and if they can win, they’re looking at 3-1 and maintaining their lead at the top of the division.

Obviously, the first obstacle in the North was the Steelers. However, clearly, the Steelers are not the same team everyone fears from just a few seasons ago. It all seemed to start last year when they started 11-0 and finished the season 1-4 and got blown out in the playoffs despite being the home team.

Big Ben looks old. The Steelers are banged up on both sides of the ball. The coaching decisions don’t make sense.

When you have a rookie running back, why throw 58 times with a quarterback who’s pushing 40 and dealing with a pectoral strain? I know they were playing from behind, but that is still a recipe for failure. Week 1 games can be anomalies, and in the Steelers case, that appears to be the situation.

Cincinnati Bengals have better chances in AFC North than expected

The Ravens are a fumble and a lucky bounce from being 0-3. I’m still wary about calling the Raiders legit but they’ve been playing well and in Week 1 it looked like two good teams trading blow for blow. Week 2 the Chiefs had the Ravens dead to rights, but a costly fumble in the Chiefs’ own territory late in the fourth ended that game.

Last week the Lions had the Ravens beat. Lamar Jackson had to convert a 4th-and-19, then after one incomplete pass had to attempt a 66-yard field goal. If the Ravens didn’t have future Hall of Famer Justin Tucker, and the ball didn’t take a lucky bounce, that’s a missed field goal and the Ravens are 1-2.

Honestly, the biggest opponent this season in the North are the Browns. They have a heinous pass rush but, their offense is one-dimensional. The Bengals are only allowing 79 rushing yards per game and the only game they allowed over 100 yards was the game they lost.

If Cincinnati stops Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt on the ground, force Baker Mayfield to throw for over 300 yards, and protect Joe Burrow, the Bengals can beat the Browns. They almost did last year TWICE despite being a much weaker team. They can absolutely make this division interesting in 2021.