The big news of today is Ray Rice, how the Ravens have terminated his contract and that he has been suspended indefinitely from the NFL. A new video was issued today by TMZ Sports showing Ray throw a couple punches at his wife knocking her old cold in the elevator. Coach Harbaugh was interviewed after the Ravens team practice, but he avoided most questions about the personal issues with Ray Rice and wanted to focus on questions about the team and moving forward. The Ravens have lost a big piece of their offense and team in general, as Rice was icon of their franchise though he has been declining recently. Rice was already suspended two games, but thanks to the new video that showed his actions, more punishment has come into place . This has left Baltimore with Pierce as their main option to run the ball, though he was benched in the week 1 game after losing a fumble to the Bengals. This is not a good start to the season for the Ravens, as all this extra drama will only serve as a distraction from the real goals of the team. Though Joe Flacco has been improving and with the addition of Steve Smith, as they showed us in week 1, the Ravens offense will still not be at its best for the rest of the season. Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones joined by Steve Smith with Owen Daniels at TE provides Flacco with good options to throw to, but as we saw in week 1 their running game will be a big weakness especially against opponents such as Pittsburgh, Carolina, and Houston. I expect the Ravens to go 7-9, which many will consider ridiculous, but I think this issue will affect them all season mostly on a mental level.
The Cincinnati Bengals started the season 1-0 with their victory over the Ravens in week 1 thanks to five field goals from Nugent and a touchdown pass to A.J. Green. Green made a juggling grab and a good move to get into the end zone. I think that is just the beginning to a great year for Green and Dalton making connections and deep touchdown passes. I consider Andy Dalton to be under rated and with Bernard in the running game, that Bengal offense will be well balanced as teams need to worry about Bernard as much as Green. The Bengals however do not have an easy schedule with Patriots, Colts, Saints, Broncos, and Panthers all to be dealt with outside of their tough division. If the Bengals defense can play at an elite level all season, they should be able to overcome the high power offenses on their schedule. I expected them to go 9-7 and to make a push for the playoffs, as I now consider the Ravens out and the fight to be between the Bengals and Steelers.
The Cleveland Browns have had a lot of attention throughout the preseason, well basically since they drafted Manziel. The talk surrounded them and who they were going to make their starting QB. Well Hoyer ened up getting that job and ended up throwing for 230 yards and one touchdown in week 1 against the Steelers. In other drama about the Browns, their leading wide receiver from last season, Josh Gordon was suspended for the season. But things are in talk now and that suspension may be lifted which would be very beneficial for the Browns. All the talk when it comes to Cleveland is still about the QB situation and when will Manziel come in to start. I think seeing Manziel play would be fun, but I doubt it would make enough of a difference to get the Browns into the playoff picture. Now they did have a great comeback against Pittsburgh, though they did end up losing. But to comeback when down by 27 and tie it is impressive. Now I expect we will see Manziel within a few weeks at the starting spot unless Hoyer throws 33 yard games with multiple touchdowns. But do not expect Manziel to pull a Tebow and somehow magically get his team to the playoffs. Look for Cameron to have a good season however, as I believe he will become the main target in Cleveland. I expect the Browns to pick up four wins and go 5-11 overall as their division is tough along with the NFC South that they have to deal with.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had their ups and downs over the past few years with injuries and other issues, but no matter what Big Ben Roethlisberger, boot or no boot is always out their trying to bring hom the wins. I think this looks like a great season for the Steelers, as things are a bit different for them. They are known for having a great defense, but after losing a couple names to retirement or free agency I believe they will be known more for their offense this season. Antonio Brown was a huge receiver last season and he is picking up right were he left off from. His whole kicking the punter in the face stunt was hilarious, but accidental. But through that play you can see he has amazing speed and moves, a lot like his fellow running back Bell. Both got over 100 yards and were very impressive against Cleveland. The only problem with the Steelers is a bit of a lack of defense and they will need their scoring machines to compete against other powerful offenses. The Steelers will runaway with the AFC North this season and take it with a 11-5 record, competing for a bye week.
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