NFL Predictions 2018: AFC Division, Wild Card winners

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PITTSBURGH, PA – JANUARY 14: Antonio Brown #84 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after a 43 yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter during the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Heinz Field on January 14, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

AFC North

Division Champion: Pittsburgh Steelers

No surprise here either. With an elite trio of rare talent in Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, this team has been tough to handle but underachieving overall for some years now. The issue has been simply that they can’t get by the Patriots, but the division, while always tough shouldn’t be to high of a hurdle, for the high-powered offense and up-and-coming young defense to overcome.

What’s being overlooked with this team because of the star power on offense is the young talent on defense. They’ve piled on young talent in recent drafts like Stephon Tuitt on the line, Sean Davis at safety, Artie Burns at cornerback and seemingly a new linebacker high in the draft every year. Having the talent to run man coverage with a solid pass rush is the key to them getting past the Pats in the AFC.

The Ravens will be better than people think this year and are always a tough foe for Pittsburgh. It’s extremely rare that they put together a string of bad years. The Bengals will be a distant third and the Browns are still bringing up the rear.

I get that Cleveland added flashy weapons, but adding high-priced free agent running backs and wide receivers simply is not a recipe for success, nor is Tyrod Taylor the answer. Let’s not forget, they lost their best player and their secondary is fully reliant on rookies turning things around this season. The team would trade Jarvis Landry, Josh Gordon and Carlos Hyde for a healthy Joe Thomas in a second if they had that option.

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