AFC North: Ranking top 2019 storylines by team
By Dan Salem
The AFC North will either be great, or terribly average in 2019. We rank the best storylines of the new season for this upside down division.
Recently, ESPN unveiled an article detailing the most important storylines, utilizing the beat writers for each team under their umbrella to highlight the big stories for each franchise. As the offseason continues and we get nearer to the 2019 NFL regular season, let’s tackle these stories division by division — today concerning the AFC North — and answer two questions.
1. Which team has the best story? (“Best” means whatever you want it to mean.)
2. Which story is least likely to become a dominant tale of the season?
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the AFC North in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
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AFC North
Baltimore Ravens – The development of Lamar Jackson
Cincinnati Bengals – Is Zac Taylor the right choice?
Cleveland Browns – Can the dream team make the playoffs?
Pittsburgh Steelers – Can Big Ben produce as the last Killer B?
Best Storyline
Todd Salem: This is a quality quartet of storylines. I find all four at least as interesting as any coming out of the AFC East. The best story has to be Cleveland’s though. The Browns have been the laughingstock of the NFL for years, and this is the turning point. Though the roster is still building and their window for contention shouldn’t end after 2019, this season certainly feels like an all-in play.
Dan Salem: The mediocre nature of this division as a whole definitely waters down my excitement for these AFC North storylines. Everyone is pumped for the Browns to not be bad. History says that any team with such lofty expectations and a history of ineptitude will fail to live up to the hype. That’s why the best story is in Baltimore.
Jackson’s development will make or break the Ravens’ season. He can push them to a division title or sink them to the bottom of the AFC North. We know Baltimore will salvage its defense, so Jackson’s ability to improve his passing game is literally everything. He already runs well, so I love this story. Can he steal the division from Big Ben and Big Brown, a.k.a. Cleveland?
Least Likely Storyline
Todd Salem: Zac Taylor’s hiring will be a fascinating one from either end. If the Bengals are bad, they look stupid for making such a risky hire. If they are good, Taylor becomes the next McVay just like that.
Pittsburgh is similarly on the precipice of major headlines. Ben Roethlisberger is the last star remaining, and if the offense succeeds this year, the story will be about him overcoming the departures (or maybe excelling because of the absences) of Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Likewise, a bad Steelers offense will constantly be compared to its heights when all three Bs were around.
The only story that seems less than a major NFL-wide talking point is Jackson’s development. As I said, this is a good quartet of stories, because Jackson will be the hinge for Baltimore’s playoff hopes. My choice for making Baltimore the least dominant story is a belief that Jackson will be kind of mediocre this season. He will make plays, both on the ground and through the air, but won’t be good enough to win games on his own. That moves the spotlight onto the revamped Ravens defense and off the quarterback.
Dan Salem: I don’t believe anything having to do with Cincinnati has legs. The Red Rifle could elevate them to contention, but this is likely a bad football team, no matter how their new coach fares. Big Ben’s success in Pittsburgh also has little to do with his own performance. Is the Steelers’ defense any better? Will the offense be one dimensional? Big Ben can do great and the team can still be average.
Top AFC East 2019 Storylines Ranked by Team. dark. Next
The story with the least legs is Cleveland. I don’t believe this division is very strong, making the competition between Baltimore and Pittsburgh and the Browns a who’s who of .500 football teams. Cleveland is going to be in the playoff discussion because there is no dominant team in the AFC North. The story will be exciting if the Browns still stink, but a rise to .500 or better is expected. What kind of story is that?