And the solo leader of the AFC North after Week 1 is (drumroll please), the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yes, after kicking six field goals to beat the Falcons 18-10, the Steelers (1-0), a team that was a popular pick to finish last in the division and with no definitive starter at quarterback, currently sit alone atop the AFC North, a division that was the best in the NFL last season — and maybe the best in all of the four major North American sports last year. The Ravens (who were the division favorites entering the season), Browns and Bengals all lost, leaving the AFC North upside-down.
Granted, the 2024 NFL season is only one week old, but the results from the season’s opening week should have at least two of the AFC North teams concerned, according to the SportsLine Projection Model.
No AFC North team is more under pressure in Week 2 than Cincinnati. Quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals shockingly lost 16-10 to the Patriots as 7.5-point favorites in Week 1, torpedoing many survivor pool players. Cincinnati was limited to just 234 yards of total offense while allowing 170 rushing yards to a New England team that won just four games last season and was projected to be one of the worst in the AFC.
The loss, combined with other scheduled opponents playing better than their preseason expectations (namely the Chargers, Cowboys, Steelers, Eagles and Chiefs) cut the Bengals’ playoff chances almost in half, from 53% to 27%, according to the SportsLine Projection Model. The model — which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception — projects Cincinnati to win just 8.1 games this season, down from 9.4 prior to Week 1.
Stephen Oh, SportsLine’s principal data engineer and the man behind the model, says the Bengals already face a near must-win game this week at the Chiefs if the team hopes to make the playoffs….
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2024-nfl-futures-why-the-sportsline-projection-model-still-loves-the-ravens-in-the-afc-north-after-week-1/
Author : Gene Menez
Publish date : 2024-09-11 18:11:04
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