Week 1 of the NFL is always an interesting time to see what can occur in the early portions of the season. The AFC North will be another tightly contested division as it always is. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Cleveland Browns seem to be the top three teams in the grouping.
The Cincinnati Bengals are still rebuilding and will be a couple of years away from true contention going forward. They will still cause issues when their rivals play them. But those three teams above them could finish in any order at this point.
All three are playoff-caliber talent and many expect them all to be in the hunt during 2021. Perhaps all three will make the playoffs like they did last year as they showed the NFL why they are the toughest division in the sport currently.
The Steelers won the North last year and it has been a long time since a team has won in back-to-back seasons. The Ravens should be one of the top teams yet again this year and might pull off the divisional crown when you look at recent history.
The Browns are still a young team but they now have some playoff experience and some stepping stones to make another move forward this season. They have to prove themselves yet again as there are still some skeptics on them entering this year.
They should be able to push this division going forward and possibly challenge to win this time around. It will be a huge fight for supremacy to call themselves kings this year but it will take a lot to accomplish that feat.
Minnesota Vikings vs Cincinnati Bengals (Home), Sunday at 1 P.M.
This is an interesting matchup as the Bengals could win this game as the Vikings seem to lose what little relevance that they held in the NFL. The tigers from Cincinnati seem primed to win at least a couple more games than they did in 2020 with Joe Burrow back into the fold.
This team has a ton of weapons on offense and many should expect them to win some games like this against some more even opponents. This is not a slam dunk but it is a favorable matchup for the Bengals to start the season on the right foot.
The Bengals have a terrible defense and that will cause them to lose many games this season but that offense will keep them in contests. They should be able to challenge for a victory here against an average Vikings team. This game at home should help as well as the Bengals hope to go into the win column in that AFC North standings chart.
Expect Joe Burrow to light up this secondary but the pressure he gets because of his poor offensive line will be another issue. The protection that fails him and the defense won’t make stops consistently. This will be a good game for the Bengals to see where they’re at this year.
Cleveland Browns (Away) vs Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday at 4:25 P.M.
This Week 1 rematch will bring reminders of the last playoffs divisional round when these two last faced each other. It was a close one after Patrick Mahomes left the game with an injury. The Browns saw their successful season come to an end as the Chiefs would move on and eventually make it to the Super Bowl.
That was a close game then but now with a healthy quarterback, it will be even more of a challenge for the away team in this battle. The Browns are expected to push for the AFC North crown this season and a win here would start them off on the right path.
The Browns had a relatively quiet offseason as they focused on the draft to improve their team. They brought back a lot of the same group as they had in 2020 and that is a good thing. They have a solid foundation there and it should make them a playoff contender in 2021.
The Chiefs have made a wide array of signings and draft choices to improve their team a lot since these two last met each other. It is going to be tough for these dogs from Cleveland to overcome an improved team from Kansas City. It should be a decent game with the home club pulling away at the end. This will be a fun game to watch as that playoff atmosphere should be there but the Chiefs are just the better of the two teams currently.
Baltimore Ravens (Away) vs Las Vegas Raiders, Monday at 8:15 P.M.
The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2021 season as one of the favorites to win the AFC North and that is for good reason. They constantly have a good offensive attack and their defense is stout. The biggest issue for them will be all of the losses they faced over this offseason.
The Ravens lost some major components to their defense and finding their replacements will need to be shown quickly. They made some moves this offseason and in the draft to plug those holes so it will be interesting to see how those players perform. This is still going to be a run-heavy team that compliments that with passing. Lamar Jackson will continue to bring his explosiveness to this offense and cause havoc against every team he faces.
The Las Vegas Raiders are always in limbo anymore between becoming a playoff contender and irrelevancy. They either need to take that next step up or rebuild this team after 2021. The away football club will be the favorite and for good reason.
They have the better roster and coaching but the Raiders have caused bigger upsets than this matchup before. The birds from Baltimore are just too explosive on offense for this Raiders defense to handle on Monday. Expect the Ravens to win this game rather easily after some initial fight-back by the home squad.
Pittsburgh Steelers (Away) vs Buffalo Bills, Sunday at 1 P.M.
The Steelers open their 2021 season with a tough AFC game at the Buffalo Bills. They played last season and it spelled the beginning of the end for Pittsburgh as they slipped away into the twilight of their year. It should be another game with a playoff-like atmosphere as these two teams seem to be playoff contenders heading into the season.
The Bills hold more promise and expectations than the visiting club. They won their division last year and this young Bills football team has shown that they are ready to take the next step as Super Bowl contenders for a while.
The Steelers will give them all they got and it should be a good game on Sunday. The biggest issue the black and gold face is the offensive line and the new offensive coordinator, Matt Canada. It normally takes time for the offensive coordinator to get his new game plan ironed out and going full force.
Ben Roethlisberger should help settle any waves sent his way but even then it will have some bumps and bruises this season. The game should be close at times with the Bills having control of the lead for the majority of the game.
Most don’t expect much for the Steelers at all this season, let alone this game, despite them winning the AFC North last year. It will take an upset to happen for the away team to escape with a victory in Week 1. The AFC North gets their schedules underway in Week 1 and it should be interesting with these matchups. It will be fun to see football kickoff yet again as these teams hope to start 1-0 after this first game.