It’s finally time. The NFL season can really get under way now that Week 1 of the preseason is here. While battling for positions in training camp is one thing, actually getting on the field and battling it out adds a whole new layer to these battles.
The AFC North is sure to get plenty of national coverage this year. Johnny Manziel could be one of the most popular players in the league now and he hasn’t even taken a single snap, and Ray Rice’s story will be followed around the whole season.
Oh, and let’s not forget Andy Dalton’s new contract, Joe Flacco fighting to prove that he deserves his big deal and Josh Gordon’s potential suspension.
Let’s take a look at the matchups for each of the AFC North teams, and what to watch for from the Browns, Bengals, Steelers and Ravens in these matchups.
San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens, Thursday at 7:30
This is officially the Harbaugh bowl that no one knows/cares about. Coaching likely won’t come in to play, but for the first preseason game, the Ravens will be interesting to watch in the backfield and in the secondary.
With Rice missing the first two games, Bernard Pierce, Justin Forsett and rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro will be competing for touches. We don’t even know what Rice is going to look like when his suspension is up because of the poor season he had last year, so this could be a competition for some major touches even when Rice is back. Pierce is the early favorite here, but Taliaferro might have something to say before it’s all over.
If the Ravens want to be successful this season, they’ll need someone in the secondary to step up. Their linebackers are stacked, but stopping the pass could be an issue. Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith are the likely starters when the season starts, but someone else is going to have to step up between Asa Jackson and Chykie Brown. So far, Webb has been disappointing in camp, and Smith is dealing with some legal troubles of his own, so paying attention to the defense in this matchup, especially in the first quarter.
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs, Thursday at 8
It’s all about the run for the Bengals. Giovani Bernard is securely in the No. 1 spot, but rookie Jeremy Hill and BenJarvus Green-Ellis will be competing for backup roles.
Green-Ellis might even find himself out of a job with the younger Rex Burkhead and Hill on the roster.
After bringing in Hue Jackson as an offensive coordinator this offseason following Jay Gruden’s departure, the Bengals will presumably take the ball out of Dalton’s hands more often in favor of a run-first game.
Bernard showed he can be a speedster who can make a lot of guys miss in his rookie year, Green-Ellis is a powerful goal line back and Hill has a similar skill set to Bernard. Burkhead is also a sleeper guy for a roster spot because he can catch the ball out of the backfield and is overall just a tough football player. Seeing how all the backs work in Jackson’s game plan will be interesting.
Marvin Jones will also miss this game with an injury, so the otherwise disappointing Mohamed Sanu and late-round selection James Wright will get a chance to compete for some targets in the regular season after A.J. Green.
Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions, Saturday at 7:30
No secrets here: everyone will be tuning in to see Johnny Football. With the way things have been going for the Browns in training camp, the number of snaps for Manziel and Brian Hoyer won’t mean much in the quarterback battle, but the performance from both signal callers will.
Besides the obvious choice for the quarterback position battle, seeing Terrance West and Ben Tate battle it out for touches in the backfield should be a compelling battle all preseason, for fantasy owners and for Browns fans. West has garnered a ton of hype in camp, and Tate is known for being injured more than he is healthy.
At wide receiver, this could be the only action Josh Gordon sees all year, so it could be worth tuning in to see if he breaks a huge touchdown. Miles Austin, Nate Burleson, Andrew Hawkins, Travis Benjamin and now even Santonio Holmes, who the Browns have shown interest in, will all be looking to take control of a starting spot, should Gordon miss part or all of the season.
On defense, the secondary will be good to watch throughhout the whole game. Besides Joe Haden, first-round pick Justin Gilbert will be competing against Buster Skrine for the No. 2 corner spot, and Isaiah Trufant, Aaron Berry and rookie sleeper Pierre Desir will all be competing for playing time and roster spots.
Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants, Saturday at 7:30
Following the common theme for the division, and the entire league, looking at the wide receiver spot for Pittsburgh will be a good storyline to follow all preseason.
Antonio Brown is obviously the No. 1 option for the Steelers, but after that it’s every man for himself. Lance Moore has produced as a No. 3 guy in New Orleans, Markus Wheaton is entering what is basically his rookie season after only recording six receptions last season and Darrius Heyward-Bey is an athletic guy, but has never been able to stick with an NFL team.
Rookie Martavis Bryant and Justin Brown are also in the mix, so they’ll be plenty to watch for even late into the game.
In the backfield, the backup role for Le’Veon Bell will be up for grabs. He missed the first half of last season (his rookie year) and he already has left practice early once this training camp because of a hamstring injury.
The Steelers signed LeGarrette Blount in the offseason, and he shined last season in New England, but there’s three rookies — Dri Archer, Jordan Hall and Josh Harris — should not be counted out, especially Archer, who was drafted in the third round.