Fire from the Hip: Thoughts on Sports & Real Life

AFC North Standings

BALTIMORE RAVENS 4-2
CINCINNATI BENGALS 3-2
PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2-3
CLEVELAND BROWNS 1-4


It was a mere six and a half weeks ago that the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers handled the Miami Dolphins with ease in a 28-17 victory. Soon followed were impressive road wins by the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals against the Tampa Bay Bucs and Kansas City Chiefs respectively. Suddenly, people like Rod Woodson were calling the division the toughest in football. FootballLock.com commented on the Cincinnati win in Week 1: "Few teams win in Arrowhead, let alone hold the Chiefs to one TD and Larry Johnson under 100 yards. If Cincinnati's defense turns in performances like this all season, look out rest of league." ESPN was especially complimentary of the big three of the AFC North, ranking the Steelers number #1, the Bengals #4, and the Ravens #6 in the Power Rankings following Week 1. Praise for the Ravens included: "They sure looked like a team that is back among the AFC's elite..."

But here we are six weeks later and the Steelers are 2-3 and have yet to beat a top tier team. The Cincinnati Bengals were the consensus pick to dethrone the Steelers, especially after defeating the defending champs at Heinz Field in Week 3. However, the Bengals have dropped two straight, the latest loss coming at the hands of the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers who started rookie Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback. The Ravens are also a team recently thrown into turmoil. Besides dropping Sunday’s game to Carolina, their second defeat in six days, the Ravens also lost starting quarterback Steve McNair to a concussion. The Ravens could not have asked for a better time for their bye week and thus, McNair is unlikely to miss any further action. But losing two straight has forced football experts to take a hard look at the Ravens issues on the offensive side of the ball. Breaking down the struggles of the Ravens, Steelers, and Bengals is a manageable task but predicting how the 2006 season will play out for each team presents a much greater challenge.

The 2006 Steelers season remains in the hands of Ben Roethlisberger. At Carolina, home for Baltimore, and on the road against the Bengals in Week 16, the Steelers face a brutal finish that will most likely decide their playoff fate. The offensive line is no longer a dominant force and defenses are keying on the Pittsburgh rushing attack, forcing the Steelers to beat them through the air. However, Roethlisberger has been under duress most of the season. Having already been sacked 11 times through four games, that number is projected at 35 for the season. Entering the 2006 season, he had been sacked only 53 times in his career. As a result of the pressure, Roethlisberger has made poor decisions with the football, having already thrown seven interceptions in four starts. Perennially a league best, the rushing attack led by Willie Parker has struggled at times this year. The offensive line has been unable to control the line of scrimmage as in years past. All that recognized, the Steelers still boast a Top 10 defense statistically. A consistent performance from the offense and Roethlisberger down the stretch should assure them a Wild Card berth.

The Cincinnati Bengals are a team that was thought to be far and away the best team in the division a few weeks ago. With all-pro talent at all of the skilled positions on offense, it is hard to understand how the team managed only 13 points on Sunday against the Bucs. A string of distractions off the field may have contributed to the stunted growth of the surprise team of 2005. The organization endured one embarrassing incident after another in the past ten months with multiple Bengal players caught on the wrong side of the law. Despite the turmoil, the team jumped out to a 3-0 start and looked poised to run away with the division. After beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh, the team has befuddled football pundits with two disappointing losses in a row. On Sunday, the Bengals were only 3 -14 on third down. Rated 23rd in third down conversion percentage, the explosive Bengals have failed to sustain drives, converting less than 33% of their third downs. As a result, the Bengals are ranked 28th in the NFL in time of possession. Opposing teams have been able to wear down Cincinnati's defense recently as the Carson Palmer led offense has failed to put together time-consuming drives. The answers must come soon for the Bengals as 8 of their final 11 games are against teams who currently have a winning record.

It's not hard to pinpoint the major area of weakness for the 2006 Ravens. The offense, despite the addition of Steve McNair, has struggled to put up points consistently. The Ravens who are currently ranked 28th in the NFL in total offense fired offensive coordinator Jim Fassel today. The rushing game, traditionally the lynchpin to the success of the offense, is ranked 24th in the league. Former 2,000 yard rusher, Jamal Lewis is on pace to rush for less than 1,000 yards and looks in need of an early retirement. Their 4 wins to start the season seem less impressive when you note the 6-14 combined record of the opponents. Though the defense seems to have returned to its 2001 form, opponents have found the secondary susceptible to the big play. In their last four games, the defense has given up touchdown passes of 31, 44, 58, and 72 yards. Even with a favorable schedule down the stretch, the Ravens problems on offense and flaws in the secondary leave them unlikely to compete for the division crown. Though, a Wild Card berth is not of the question.

Six weeks into the season, more questions than answers have appeared about the top teams in the AFC North division. Concerns surrounding each offense are well-founded and how well the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals address these problems will ultimately decide who wins the division in 2006. Having pointed out the weaknesses of each team, I still see the Bengals and Steelers qualifying for the playoffs with the Ravens on the outside of the playoff picture.