All four teams in the AFC North finished the 2023 NFL season with a winning record, and three of the four teams qualified for postseason play. The division is arguably the best in the entire league, and as a result, HBO's "Hard Knocks" will document the division during the upcoming 2024 campaign.
The show will follow all four teams in the divison -- the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns -- as they compete for playoff positioning in the latter portion of the regular season. The show will officially be titled "Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North," and will debut on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
"Hard Knocks has never focused on rivalries before. We knew immediately that was the only place we can start. It's literally the best division ever after all four teams had winning records last year," Keith Cossrow, NFL Films vice president and head of content said in a statement. "The AFC North features some of the best rivalries not only in pro football, not only in all of football, but in all of sports. All of these teams are so inner connected and have been playing against each other for so long."
No shortage of storylines
There will be no shortage of storylines for the show to follow when it comes to the AFC North. After making it to the AFC Championship game last season, the Baltimore Ravens will be looking to get over the hump and get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2012, and they're hoping that the addition of stud running back Derrick Henry will help in that regard.
Meanwhile, the Steelers will surely be a team to watch after they added not one, but two, new quarterbacks over the offseason in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. The hope in Pittsburgh is that a change at the game's most important position will propel the team back into the Super Bowl conversation.
The Browns and Bengals are also both still seeking the first Super Bowl win in franchise history, and in Cincinnati star quarterback Joe Burrow will be looking to bounce back after suffering a season-ending wrist injury last season.
Thanks to this plethora of intriguing storylines, the show promises to be must-see television.