Dawgs By Nature
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a good record, currently 3-1-0. They lead the AFC North Division, which isn’t saying much since all of the other ballclubs are not doing well this year.
The Cincinnati Bengals were supposed to be good this year, but ultimately stink after they lost their starting quarterback, Joe Burrow, and their backup, Jake Browning, has played awful. Their offensive line has been ranked towards the bottom, and they can’t cover a pass. Maybe former Browns signal-caller Joe Flacco can spark their offense.
RELATED: BROWNS VS. STEELERS NEED TO KNOW
What in the heck is wrong with the Baltimore Ravens? A ton of media outlets had them competing with either the Kansas City Chiefs or the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game this year. But Holy Caramba Batman, how did this group become such a mess?
And of course, this school project we call the Cleveland Browns. Great punter, great defense, great rookie class, and a sprinkling of good to mediocre players on offense.
The Browns’ offense simply stinks. They cannot move the ball and finish drives. Punter Corey Bojorquez is so far this group’s MVP.
One of the big factors has been the inability to keep their offensive tackles healthy, without any dependable backup help. RT Jack Conklin has missed 36 games since coming to Cleveland in 2020. This is LT Dawand Jones’ third season, and he has been hurt how many times? Three. So, if he plays 20 years in this league, he will become injured 20 times – is that how the math works?
And by the offense using three to five plays on drives, this does not allow the defense to get any adequate rest on the sideline. So, come the fourth quarter, they are spent and can’t be depended upon to have the energy to stop their opponents from driving down the field and get in field goal range.
The current AFC North Division standings:
Steelers 3-1-0, division 0-0
Before the season began, basically, nobody was talking about the Steelers other than the team media and fan pages. They were perceived to be a middle-of-the-road franchise and win somewhere around seven to nine games. After QB Aaron Rodgers was signed, FOX Sports set an over/under win total at 8.5 victories. Others offered a more cautious approach, with a “wide range of outcomes” being the consensus.
And now, right out of the gate, they are 3-1. But let’s look at their record a bit.
Week 1: Defeated the New York Jets 34-32. The Jets are now 0-5-0 and have been beaten by good, average, and bad teams. At one point, New York was winning 19-10 in the first half and 26-17 going into the final quarter, and outscored their opponent 17-6 in the final stanza. Rodgers was sacked four times. 53 yards rushing.
Week 2: Lost to the Seattle Seahawks 31-17 at home. Seahawks are now 3-2-0. Rodgers...
