AFC North: strength of schedule
Big Question: Can Bengals tame schedule?
Can the defending AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals overcome a first-place schedule to duplicate last year's success?
Frank Victores/US PresswireCan Marvin Lewis coach the Bengals through a first-place schedule?Will the Bengals hold up against the NFL's elite?
Cincinnati has the league's fourth-toughest strength of schedule this season and will play 10 games against opponents that had winning records a year ago. Four will be within the AFC North division against the Baltimore Ravens (9-7) and Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7).
On paper, this is the deepest and most talented team head coach Marvin Lewis has had in eight seasons in Cincinnati. The defense was ranked No. 4 last season, and the offense added weapons to the passing game to balance its already stout rushing attack.
By all accounts, the Bengals appear to have better chemistry than the 2005 playoff team. That group tasted one year of success and unraveled. Cincinnati suffered through three consecutive non-winning seasons from 2006-08, before finally turning it around last year.
"First and foremost, the teams are totally different," Bengals captain and offensive guard Bobbie Williams said recently. "The maturity on this team, even though it's a younger team, is phenomenal. Guys are way more focused, more hungry and way more professional. The hunger never dies. So it's totally different."
It has been well-documented that the Bengals haven't had back-to-back winning seasons in 28 years. The talent is there to end Cincinnati's streak, but a first-place schedule could be the team's biggest hurdle.
Here is how the AFC North ranks:
Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
SOS: No. 4
Opponents’ win percentage: .539
Toughest games: New Orleans Saints, at Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers
Cleveland Browns (5-11)
SOS: No. 10 (tie)
Opponents’ win percentage: .516
Tough games: at New Orleans, New England, at Cincinnati
Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
SOS: No. 12 (tie)
Opponents’ win percentage: .508
Tough games: New Orleans, at New England, at Cincinnati
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
SOS: No. 21
Opponents’ win percentage: .492
Tough games: at New Orleans, New England, at Cincinnati
If you want to see the full list of AFC North opponents in 2010, click here.
» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South
Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker
Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 9:
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| AP Photo/Nick Wass | |
| Can Cedric Benson top 100 rushing yards against the Ravens twice in one season? |
Andre the Giant: Sunday could mark the much-anticipated debut of Bengals rookie first-round pick Andre Smith, who is listed as questionable. The right tackle missed all of training camp in a contract dispute and the first seven games of the regular season with a broken bone in his foot. Although Smith is practicing, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has been mum on the subject all week. But the Bengals plan to bring him along gradually, as opposed to rushing him into the starting lineup.
Second chance: Can the Ravens' secondary do it again? After struggling all season, Baltimore's pass defense was solid in last week’s 30-7 victory over Denver. The Ravens had two weeks to correct their issues, and for one game, they appear to be heading in the right direction. An improved pass rush also helped, which is an area Baltimore struggled in its first game against Cincinnati. Doing it a second time on the road against the Bengals' passing attack will make a statement that Baltimore's defense is back to its usual form.
Extended break: Not only did the Pittsburgh Steelers have a bye. But playing on "Monday Night Football" will give the team 15 days of preparation before they meet the Broncos. The Steelers are well-rested and they heavily emphasized ball security during the break. Pittsburgh fumbled the football five times, losing four, in its last two games. The fumbling didn't result in any losses for the Steelers but could in the second half of the season if the trend continues. Pittsburgh is handling the football kind of similar to the way I'm handling it here.
A look ahead: Strength of schedules are hard to quantify before the season. But now that we separated some of the contenders and pretenders through eight weeks, we have a much better indication of the challenges ahead for the four AFC North teams. Right now the Ravens have the toughest strength of schedule in the division for the remaining games with a .523 winning percentage, which is also fifth in the NFL. Pittsburgh’s is No. 13 with a .462 opponent winning percentage. The Cleveland Browns (.439) are No. 15 and the Bengals (.433) are right behind Cleveland at No. 16. This could play a huge factor as three division teams vie for the playoffs down the stretch.
Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker
I'm going to let the AFC North community in on a little secret: The NFL writers at ESPN.com turned in our first power rankings for the 2009 season.
Sure, it's May, and a lot can change between now and training camp. But with 90 percent of the rosters pretty much finalized, ESPN.com thought it would be great to give football fans an idea of where your teams stand heading into the summer.
The full results are still being tabulated in Bristol, Conn. and won't be finalized until early next week. But here is how I ranked the four AFC North teams:
My ranking: No. 1
Why: I'm not the type of voter who always believes the defending Super Bowl champion automatically deserves the top spot the following season. But in my mind, the Steelers earned this No. 1 vote. They kept last season's title team together and return 20-of-22 starters. Players who were banged up last season are once again healthy, and the team will have a much easier strength of schedule this year (from No. 1 to No. 29). I think the Steelers are in a great position to defend their title, much better than they were in 2006.
My ranking: No. 7
Why: The Ravens were a hard team to gauge in these power rankings. They lost a lot of talent this offseason (Bart Scott, Jason Brown, Chris McAlister, Jim Leonhard, Willie Anderson), but also gained a lot of talent in return (Domonique Foxworth, Matt Birk, Michael Oher, Chris Carr, L.J. Smith). Trying to gauge how well all these new pieces fit before playing their first game in Baltimore is a difficult task. But from what I saw from second-year quarterback Joe Flacco this offseason and assuming the defense remains elite, the Ravens are once again looking good and worthy of a No. 7 ranking. I won't get into the six teams I ranked ahead of Baltimore and why. I will leave some suspense for next week.
My ranking: No. 19
Why: There is no secret that I like the Bengals as a potential NFL sleeper, which is why I'm guessing that I have Cincinnati ranked higher than most on our panel. Of the few power rankings I've seen, the Bengals were somewhere in the mid-to-high 20s, which is about where they finished in our rankings last season. It is well-documented that Cincinnati added a lot of talented players via the draft and free agency. But I still question if this team is good enough and tough enough to beat Pittsburgh and Baltimore four times a year, which ultimately will determine how far the 2009 Bengals go. Right now, my ranking at No. 19 is good enough to where it recognizes the Bengals' improvements but doesn't go overboard without them first earning respect on the football field.
My ranking: No. 29
Why: The Browns have too many lingering questions for my liking, which is why I ranked them fourth from the bottom in the NFL. Who's the quarterback? Who's the No. 2 receiver? Will Braylon Edwards bounce back? What's the deal with Joshua Cribbs? Can coach Eric Mangini build a solid defense? Can the Browns beat Pittsburgh and Baltimore? I do think the Browns have a chance to be in a lot of close games, especially if they play smart and mistake free like Mangini wants. I'm just not sure they can win a majority of them. Talent counts for a lot in the NFL, and when I compare Cleveland's roster next to other teams, the Browns are going to be outmanned more often than not.
Do you agree or disagree with the early rankings? Sound off in the comment section or in the AFC North inbox.
Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker
With the NFL set to release its full 2009 slate of games Tuesday night, we have received several inquiries regarding next year's strength of schedule for all four AFC North teams.
Following a brutal run in 2008, all four teams are expected to have much easier schedules based on last year's results. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the 29th easiest schedule in the NFL with an opponents' winning percentage of .434. The Baltimore Ravens (.438 opponents' winning percentage) are No. 28, followed by the Cleveland Browns (No. 25, .449 opponents' winning percentage) and Cincinnati Bengals (No. 22, .465 opponents' winning percentage).
ESPN.com has a link for the strength of schedules for all 32 teams here. Check back with the AFC North blog later this evening for more analysis of the 2009 schedule release.
Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker
The four AFC North teams combined for the toughest strength of schedule of any division in football in 2008. But next year will be a welcomed relief because, in 2009, the AFC North has one of the league's easiest schedules.
Last year the Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 1), Baltimore Ravens (No. 5), Cincinnati Bengals (No. 7) and Cleveland Browns (No. 9) were all in the top 10. Baltimore and Pittsburgh survived and were battle tested for the postseason. The Bengals and Browns couldn't handle the brutal schedule and both were four-win teams.
Ironically, the Steelers and Ravens have the easiest schedules in the division next year and are No. 29 and No. 28 in the NFL, respectively.
Here is a look at the strength of schedule for the entire league in 2009:
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Jamison Hensley
Hensley joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun for 11 years. A graduate of the University of Maryland, he lives in the Baltimore area with his wife.
