Steelers AFC North Report: What Division Storylines Are Ahead of Week 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers kick off their season Sunday when they host the Atlanta Falcons. However, fans won't just be following the results of head coach Mike McCarthy's first regular-season game in Pittsburgh. There is an entire division filled with intriguing matchups, and some of these Week 1 games can come back to haunt teams during late-season playoff pushes. The Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, like the Steelers, enter Week 1 with a new head coach. Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is now the most tenured coach in the division as he enters his eighth season. The entire division enters the season with multiple storylines to follow. Here is each divisional foe's notable story to watch heading into the first week of the regular season: Honestly, quarterback has been a question for the Browns ever since they returned in 1999. The only time it wasn't was from 2018 to 2021, when they had Baker Mayfield. His injury-riddled slump in 2021 led to the Browns shipping him off in 2022. All of that just to end up trading a king's ransom for… 2026 Week 1 starter Deshaun Watson. If you were in a coma since the Watson trade and woke up to see he was still starting, it probably sounded like a good trade. That's not reality. The Browns have no answer at quarterback despite seemingly having decent talent on the roster. Head coach Todd Monken now gets to see what he can do with the ghost of Watson. All of the attention for the Ravens' coaching staff is on head coach Jesse Minter. However, Declan Doyle is an intriguing choice at offensive coordinator. He has worked under both Sean Payton and Ben Johnson, both of whom are now head coaches with high-powered offenses. Lamar Jackson has to be happy with the selection at coordinator. Todd Monken helped him elevate his game, and the Ravens and Jackson are hoping Doyle can elevate the rest of the offense. The Ravens also selected two notable wide receivers in the draft while selecting the top offensive guard in the first round. Baltimore returns a lot of the same personnel from last year but has undergone some significant retooling. Don't look now, but the Bengals have some optimism on defense. They traded for an established All-Pro defensive player and signed another Pro Bowl-caliber defensive tackle. They also have some high-upside EDGE rushers and added new pieces in the secondary. Will this be enough to turn a putrid defense into at least an average one? That remains to be seen. The Bengals need Joe Burrow to stay healthy, but even then, most of their issues have been on defense regardless of the quarterback since 2022. This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.