Heading into Week 1, here's a sample of what pundits are predicting for the Ravens' division rivals as the 2024 season begins this week:
Cincinnati Bengals: Baltimore's Biggest Threat in the Division
With Joe Burrow healthy to start the season, many pundits expect the Bengals to make the playoffs. Some like them to win the division, while a few are picking them to win the Super Bowl.
ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Cincinnati a 36.5% chance of winning the division, compared to the Ravens, who are favored at 46.4%. The Bengals are given a 78.5% chance of making the playoffs with a projected win total of 10.3, and Eric Edholm and Gennaro of NFL.com picked Cincinnati to win Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
Eric Edholm: Bengals over Lions. "No guts, no glory. The ultimate 'underdog' Super Bowl between two zero-time winners would be a blast. There are no overwhelming favorites this year, but the Bengals' defense must improve if they're to beat the fearless Lions -- or even reach the Super Bowl, for that matter."
Gennaro Felice: Bengals over Rams. "With this Super Bowl taking place in New Orleans, LSU legend Joe Burrow returns to the state where he became a Heisman Trophy-winning national champion and nabs the Bengals' first Lombardi Trophy."
Pro Football Focus makes the bold prediction that the Bengals will have the NFL’s best record.
"With quarterback Joe Burrow getting hurt and missing time last season, the Bengals' 2023 win-loss record was disappointing," PFF's Trevor Sikkema wrote. "Due to them finishing fourth in the division, they now get a fourth-place team's schedule... They already had the talent to be a double-digit-win team, even with a tough schedule. Now the NFL has given them an easier one. Fourteen wins as the top seed in the AFC is an achievable ceiling."
Not everyone is bullish on the Bengals. Seth Walder of ESPN has made the bold prediction that Cincinnati will miss the playoffs.
"This is mostly just a hunch," Walder wrote. "But the loss of offensive coordinator Brian Callahan gives me pause; I'm a little concerned about Cincinnati's guards and right tackle; and the defense was poor last season. Plus, Burrow's efficiency numbers have never quite lived up to his reputation."
Cleveland Browns: Strong Defense Is Expected to Carry Them
The ESPN Power Index gives Cleveland a 33.5% chance of making the playoffs and 9.1% chance of winning the division, with an 8.2 projected win total. The Browns gave up just 270.2 yards per game last season, which ranked first in the NFL. That defense is expected to be strong again, and Sikkema predicts the Browns could have the top cornerback group in the NFL.
"Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson and Greg Newsome make for a very talented cornerback trio, and that group could take the step into the top spot as the best cornerback room in the NFL in 2024," Sikkema wrote. "Cleveland's cornerbacks earned a 76.6 coverage grade last season, which was good for 11th. But all three of those players missed some time due to injuries. With health on their side, I can see a dominant year from that group — and the league's highest coverage grade collectively."
However, ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi raised questions about the Browns' injury concerns.
"Top tackles Jedrick Willis Jr. and Jack Conklin are returning from severe knee injuries, while running back Nick Chubb is rehabbing a knee injury that will sideline him for at least the first four games of the season," Oyefusi wrote. "And then there's quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is back from a season-ending shoulder injury. He has struggled to stay healthy and perform at his previous Pro Bowl level, posting the sixth-worst QBR since making his debut in Cleveland
Pittsburgh Steelers: Will They Overcome Tough Schedule and Questions at Quarterback?
ESPN gave the Steelers just an 8.1% chance to win the division and a 29% chance of making the playoffs, with a projected win total of 7.9.
John Breech of CBS Sports predicts Head Coach Mike Tomlin will suffer his first losing season in 18 years.
"The Pittsburgh Steelers have two of the most impressive streaks in the NFL going right now," Breech wrote. "First, they haven't finished in last place in their division since 1988. Second, Mike Tomlin has been the Steelers coach since 2007, and in the 17 seasons since then, he has NEVER finished with a losing record. As they say, all good things must come to an end and I think we'll end up seeing both streaks end this year. I think someone in the NFL scheduling office actually wants those streaks to end."
Brooke Pryor of ESPN sees the Russell Wilson, Justin Fields quarterback dynamic as a major concern. Wilson will start Week 1, but he's coming off his worst NFL season last year with the Denver Broncos.
"Although he threw 26 TDs and eight INTs, Wilson was the fourth-most sacked quarterback in 2023," Pryor wrote. "And Fields (16 TDs, nine INTs), was right behind Wilson at No. 5, taking 44 sacks in two fewer games… As the saying goes, when you have two quarterbacks, you might have none."
