Why the Cincinnati Bengals win the AFC North

Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The AFC North is full of talented football teams, but only one NFL squad can win. Here’s why the Cincinnati Bengals win the AFC North. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

DAN:

You got my feelings yesterday on why the Pittsburgh Steelers win the AFC North, but I know you feel quite differently. Neither of us truly trust the Ravens, but you are firmly on the Bengals’ bandwagon.

Cincinnati looked like a potential juggernaut early in the season, but the team has come back down to earth in recent weeks. Most people expected them to be good, but greatness is not something to associate with the Bengals, at least it wasn’t before. Is this team truly great? Does it even matter in the AFC North?

Pittsburgh is coming on and Baltimore is still playing strong. Plus Cleveland is no longer a team to be written off. Why will the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bengals, win the AFC North?

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TODD:

Hey they did win it last year you know.

But you’re right, I don’t trust Baltimore. The defense has been solid, but something is missing. The steep decline Steve Smith has taken since his torrid start is also worrisome. Not to the mention the fact that the Ravens already have two division losses midway through the year.

That is because they are 0-2 against the Cincinnati Bengals! However you feel about Cincy’s win over Baltimore in week eight, the W will remain, and this isn’t even the real Bengals team. The Bengals team to worry about, the one that will win this AFC North division, is the one with A.J. Green in the starting lineup.

Green has missed the last three games and really four total games this year. (He started the Atlanta game but left immediately.) In his three games played, he’s already grabbed 17 balls for 314 yards. Even though Mohamed Sanu has been good in his absence, Green makes the entire offense function more smoothly. Just as Matthew Stafford built a rapport with Golden Tate yet nobody thinks it’s a reasonable replacement for the Stafford to Megatron connection, the same can be said for Dalton and Green in Cincinnati.

In addition, while the defense sputtered out of the bye, much of that can be attributed to who the Bengals were playing. Indianapolis and New England are second and third respectively in the league in points per game. And although Carolina is not at that level, who are we kidding, Cincywon that Panthers game. Is it even physically possible to come closer to winning a football game without doing so than Cincinnati did there? (Cut to Ravens fans stewing angrily.)

Before that stretch, Cincy had allowed 33 total points in three games to start the season. This defense is not as good as last year’s version was. That is evident. But it doesn’t need to be. You mentioned that Pittsburgh and Cincinnati haven’t played yet. The Bengals have yet to face Cleveland either. But they have the best divisional record at 2-0, crushing Baltimore’s hopes once again. With A.J. Green set to return from his toe injury this weekend against Jacksonville, the Bengals are in prime position.

And settle down with tossing around those Pittsburgh offensive stats; they’re obviously bumped by that fluky performance. Roethlisberger isn’t throwing for half a grand again anytime soon even if he is the best quarterback in this division.

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