AFC North: What A Mess!

With last Monday night's showdown, the Bengals showed why they are the favorite to win the AFC North this year.

They're less bad than their division rivals. At least when they play at home.

The Steelers ... well, they showed that a fragmented offense and aging defense are not a winning combination.

Yet, there is a more than likely chance that no team will have a winning record after Week Three.

This eventual dvision race reminds me of the 2011 NFC East. No team is good enough to separate from the pack, but once in the playoffs, any of them could be dangerous. 

The Browns will likely finish the season, well, like the Browns.

The Steelers should consider it a success if they finish with six wins.

The Ravens should have let go of Joe Flacco and traded for Josh Freeman or a more qualified quarterback to lead the post-Ray Lewis era. Yes, he's got that elite-status contract now, but all that did was make him untouchable politically; it didn't improve his on-field presence or play. Like in other sports, his contract was a result of being in the right place at the right time and doing what had to be done.

But past performance is no guarantee of future results.

And that gets us back to the Bengals, who ... well, will be the Bengals and a crap-shoot from here on out.

Games within the division could be so bad this season that teams might want to think about keeping the fans entertained during the breaks by doing what the CFL's BC Lions do:

Those could be the only moves that make the highlight reels this season.