The Cincinnati Bengals couldn’t avoid the team “cellar dweller” last season in the AFC North after the 2-14 finish led by a new coaching staff derailed by injuries and a whole host of other problems.
But which AFC North team finishes last in 2020? After all, the Cleveland Browns weren’t so hot at 6-10 last season and the Pittsburgh Steelers limped to 8-8 behind the 14-2 Baltimore Ravens.
Cincinnati might understandably get labeled as the favorite to finish last in the division again. Breaking in a rookie quarterback is tough regardless of the surrounding pieces — and perhaps especially moreso given the oddities of this offseason. The Bengals are hoping a lot goes right — including great health across the board, a “rookie” left tackle improving an entire line and a rebuilt defense quickly gaining enough chemistry to carry games.
But avoiding the cellar might not be too difficult. The Bengals play a softish schedule thanks to last year’s finish and have good-looking games against teams like Jacksonville, Washington and Miami. They also still managed a split with Cleveland last year.
Elsewhere in Ohio, the Browns are punching the reset button with new head coach Kevin Stefanski and praying Baker Mayfield can rebound behind an improved offensive line. But since 2015, the Browns have won three, one, zero, seven and six games — they still can’t be discounted as a fourth-place finisher.
The Steelers probably won’t finish last in the North, not after hitting .500 even without Ben Roethlisberger for most of the season. He’ll be back and while his surroundings aren’t as good as the last time he was fully healthy, we’re talking about a team that hasn’t dipped below .500 since 2003.
Baltimore has to be the favorite to win the division again, though. Lamar Jackson figures to regress through sheer statistics and the NFL adapting to him, but the rest of the roster is too good to even come close to finishing last.
While the Bengals have finished last twice in a row, it hadn’t happened prior to that since 2010 — and before that in 2002 (just four times total). Cleveland is the more consistent winner when it comes to residing in the cellar, so look for the Bengals to escape it as the new era and transitional years finally come to an end.
