In the AFC North I expect to see the Pittsburgh Steelers who went 16-2 in a row and 11-7 ATS overall last season win a close divisional battle over the Baltimore Ravens who finished their 2004 season with a 9-mark. 7. up and the ATS mark and over a much-improved Cincinnati Bengal team that finished with an 8-8 straight record for the second straight year in 2004, the Brownies once again look to take up the rear in what should be the toughest division yet. . in the NFL in 2005.
Pittsburgh has a tough row to beat this season — the Steelers only have five games on the 2005 schedule against the 2004 playoff teams — but four of those affairs take place on the road and that includes Monday night road games. night in San Diego and Indianapolis, overall the Steelers will play 10 of their 16 games against teams that posted records of .500 or better last year, so that’s due to the projected drop in regular season wins.
Like most teams, Pittsburgh lost quite a bit of talent in free agency, notably the Steelers lost a total of five linemen along their offensive and defensive fronts, which could cause depth issues if the issue of latitudes hits. injuries and those losses add to the star WR. Plaxico Burress leaving for the Big Apple to play catch with Eli Manning.
Baltimore has a very favorable schedule in regards to playing seven games against playoff teams from a year ago, however five of those seven games will take place in Baltimore and two of those games are against dome teams (Vikes and Colts). The Ravens drafted WR Mark Clayton from Oklahoma and overall had the best draft of any team in the AFC North, the addition of free agent WR Derrick Mason from the Titans along with the pick of WR Clayton should bolster an attack of Stuck Raven pass that was completely exposed last season.
The Bengals finished 2004 with an 8-8 record for the second year in a row under the management of HC Marvin Lewis, the Bengal faithful should be delighted with their season finishes in the last two years when you consider that these same Bengals posted a total out of 8 combined wins. during his 2001 and 2002 campaigns.
With quarterback Carson Palmer starting his second full season under center and guns WR Chad Johnson and RB Rudi Johnson happy with new contracts, Cincinnati has all the pieces on offense to make the playoffs in 2005, the biggest bad. The Bengal’s operation during their 2004 campaign was their run defense, but the selection of Georgia DE David Pollack who will play LB for the Bengals and Georgia LB Odell Thurman should correct that problem.
A new era begins in the land of the Cleveland Brownies with the arrival of new HC Romeo Crennell who replaces the ousted Butch Davis, the Brownies are actually an expansion team once again when you consider that they have a brand new front office , an all-new coaching staff and they’ve replaced most of their offensive and defensive starters, the saving grace is that the new quarterback will get the experience of re-reading Trent Dilfer, who should be able to provide much-needed leadership. .
The Brownies added a lot of talent through the free agent market and actually had a pretty good draft that stood out with WR Braylon Edwards as their top pick, but in the overall scheme of things there’s been too much turnover in this organization to wait. a lot in 2005, look to play the Brownies every time a home dog over an FG after the fourth week of the regular season, at this point the team should start to freeze a bit and the public won’t be ready for the opportunity .
In closing, the AFC North is a three horse race between Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Baltimore for first place, the difference maker will probably be who catches the injury bug and who avoids it, with that being said Pittsburgh gets the nod good to win the division due to his depth at the QB and RB positions.
Regarding betting opportunities, Pittsburgh played 12 non-division games in 2004 and went 6-6 ATS in those matters, a closer look reveals that the Steelers were betting underdogs in five of the six non-division games they covered. Meanwhile, the Steelers were favorites in five of the six non-division games they couldn’t cover.
In other words, as a dog playing a non-divisional game, the Steelers were pretty much a safe bet to cover the spread, however, as a favorite in a non-divisional game, the Steelers had a hard time getting up and therefore showed be almost safe. I’ll bet NOT to cover the posted number, a check back in time reveals that these Steelers have failed to cover 6 of the last 7 times they’ve hit the road as six-point or fewer favorites against a non-divisional opponent… things that make you say hmmmmm!!
