Looking at all 4 teams in the North
All of a sudden this division has amassed
Some real grade A upper tier talent

Look at the QBS for example
Future HOF in Big Ben
Top 5 QB in Lamar Jackson who is redefining
The position.
Mayfield who broke Mannings record 2 years ago.
And now you add a QB who is being compared
To Andrew Luck

The RBS in the North are in the conversation.
Among the best ...Chubb...Mixon

WRS....all top 20 ....Beckham....Landry...a healthy AJ Green...Tyler Boyd...Juju Smith Schuster ...a emerging Marquis Brown

Oline...Pouncey..DeCastro...

Defensively best DE in the NFL..Garrett..TJ Watt..Stephon Truitt best DT in the AFC..
All Pro Geno Atkins..
Best young CB in the NFL Denzel Ward

I could go.on and on....you get the idea

I think 3 games could seperate the 1st and 4th place team

I think the NFC West is the best division in the NFL. By far.

Agree with that - NFC West is the best.

I think all are pretty good. We are good, but as others have said, the NFC west is pretty strong.

NFC west is pretty loaded. I think the AFC west is also a tough division at the moment too

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-rankings-the-top-25-players-under-the-age-of-25

Relevant here - 8 off PFF top under 25 years of age are in the AFC North. That's a healthy %. Should be strong for a few years yet.

8/32 = .25 = 25%. 6 divisions /32 = .1875 = 18.75% would be the mean.

There are 8 divisions. NFC/AFC North, South, East, West.

Yeah, what was I thinking. So that would make 25% the mean.

j/c:

Glad to see Myles and Chubb on the list, but I think Denzel Ward deserved to be on it, as well.

With 8 divisions - 12.5% is the mean. So the AFC Nth is double the average.

Minkah on that list is glaring to me. Feels like he's been around a long time. Not even 24 and the Dolphins essentially traded him for Austin Jackson, Jason Strowbridge and a 4th rd pick.


Here's hoping Minkah is on the downside of his career.

I agree with Vers on this with the NFC West.


The North? I am uncertain.

I keep thinking the the Ravens will get brought back to earth.

The Steelers. Where is Ben really at? Age and injury can can humble you quickly.

The Bengals. I expect imrovement. But when you start a rookie qb growing pains usually follow no matter who it is.

The Browns. We should improve. But we have questions and it starts with coaching and the quarterback.

I am optimistic about both however, I will reserve judgement until I see them play some games.

Dang - I have been saying Ben was going to be done for about 5 years.... one of these years I will be right.

I respect Ben as a player.

But age never sleeps. The spirit is there but the body is not.

You don't know when it hits and you are just done.

Ben could work. Feel great and then your body does not cooperate.

When?

Coming off an injury he had at his age you just don't know.

I am surprised that the Steelers didn't sign a guy like Winston as insurance given Ben's age and injury concerns.

With Mason Rudolph back there, they are totally covered, right? Right? Maybe?

LOL.

Here is how bad Mason is. My son is a Steelers fan [so is my wife] and he was actually hoping Mason would get suspended after the confrontation w/Myles.

sshhhh - that's Razorthorn's man.

The older he gets the better your odds become.

I think we simply hit "average" now that we aren't looking to be perennially in a situation where half the division sucks.

Regardless of talent, until we actually start winning, we still suck. As they say, you are what your record says you are.. .and we are below average until we prove otherwise. So is Cincy.

Actually I think signing Case is underestimated. If Baker went down he could step in a play.

Dalton is a guy who is a good backup to have.

The Steelers I agree they are on thin ice with Ben and Rudolph.

2022 or 2023 and we can agree.

Not surprised the Steelers didn't sign Jamais Winston, considering his antics just before he joined the league.
Seafood incident, and shouting in a cafeteria, oh, and The soda fountain thing.

I don't know about talent, but I'm not going to call the North the best, winning wise as long as the 2017-> and on Bengals are in it, not quite the 2012-14 ish Bengals.

The Browns, well if they some year stick with a coach and GM combo it would be good to give them props for sticking with the plan.

Ravens won the AFC North last year,

Vs the Pats and Chiefs, well the playoffs, I'm saying it's not strengthening any argument for the AFC being the best.

Have folks looked at the AFC South?
Those are fighting it out for those playoff spots the last 2 yeas, 3 of the 4, not incluiding the Jags, and 3 years ago the Jags won a playoff game, (if I'm remembering right)

Let me just say the AFC South top to bottom is a pretty solid division.

No, NFC West is the best. As for who is the best in our division? Ravens and Steelers are the best, followed by us, 3rd, and the Bengals last. Good news is I think we have improved and will challenge the Steelers for second.

I agree .. NFC west is the toughest ... our division is somewhere near the top 3 tho IMO.

Baltimore is a great to elite team
Pittsburgh is just below them, with the capability to overtake them with a healthy Ben
Cleveland is a notch below them due to lack of proven winning and QB play
Cincinnati is below that, but has the chance to join the mix now

After this year, the division may challenge. West is toughest now IMO as well. But if the Bengals improve, and we step up greatly, then we will be four tougher teams.