Over the past few years, we have had an in-season version of Hard Knocks premiere towards the end of the season. With past seasons following the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins, there hasn’t been much winning to showcase. This year, NFL Films is taking a new strategy with Hard Knocks AFC North.
Debuting on MAX tonight, the 2024 in-season Hard Knocks will follow four different teams: Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. With four teams to follow, and two being essential locks for the playoffs, we will get a look inside a successful building, as well as a couple of teams who could implode.
There will be a lot to follow with four teams, and it will be interesting to see how NFL Films decides to interweave them all. Let’s take a look at the five most intriguing storylines to follow for Hard Knocks AFC North, which debuts tonight.
5 Most Intriguing Storylines For Hard Knocks AFC North
Famous Jameis Winston
Let’s be honest — the star of the show will be the quarterback who is starting for the current last-place team in the AFC North. Jameis Winston has taken over for the easily-hatable Deshaun Watson. In doing so, he has taken over on social media across the league.
Whether it be pregame speeches, postgame celebrations, or praying to God to rescue him from throwing pick-sixes, Jameis Winston knows where his camera is and he is going to be electric. The relationship between Jameis and Myles Garrett could also become must-watch television, because you know Winston is terrified of the defensive stud.
Justin Tucker’s Struggles
Arguably the most talented kicker in NFL history, it has been a crazy year for Justin Tucker. Hell, in the recent NFL Power Rankings, I noted that he is both a future Hall of Famer and the biggest weakness of this Ravens team. Tucker has missed eight field goals and two PATs so far this season. Is the issue all mental, or is there something else at play? Who knows, but this will likely be one of the biggest storylines of in-season Hard Knocks AFC North.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Implosion
The Cincinnati Bengals missed their Super Bowl window already and have handled the construction of this football team terribly over the past couple of years. Giving Tee Higgins the franchise tag, so he prioritizes his future health over team success, was enough to know this team was doomed.
Now, it looks like Joe Burrow is playing a fully healthy season and is putting up MVP numbers. However, the defense and special teams are doing enough to cost them games, essentially eliminating them from postseason contention. Over the final few weeks, it will be very interesting to see the vibes inside the building and see if players start to check out.
Front Office Inadequacies
Building off of the last point with the Bengals’ handling of Tee Higgins and other players, there are both inadequate and very old-school front offices in this division. While we won’t see as close of a look into them as the offseason Hard Knocks did with the New York Giants, hopefully, we take a look at how they operate.
The Baltimore Ravens’ front office is top-tier, so an inside look there would be great for the football nerds. The Pittsburgh Steelers are also solid, though there is no doubt that they conduct business in a more old-school way. The Cleveland Browns hand out money to anyone who doesn’t deserve it, so showcasing them for everyone to see could be fun as an outsider. Finally, there is no front office more old school than the Cincinnati Bengals.
This is a team that has not yet adapted to the 21st century. They will keep around bad coaches because they don’t want to pay someone who doesn’t work for them. Cincinnati also typically refuses to talk business about much of anything during the season. Their scouting department is close to nothing and they don’t invest much into the team, but they are a historic football family. There’s a lot that can be showcased here, whether it is the central focus or the underlying theme of what is happening to the Bengals.
True Rivalries of the AFC North
Of all eight NFL divisions, there is no division whose teams hate each other more than the AFC North. Whether it is hate for a team, like Steelers vs Browns, or a positional rivalry, like TJ Watt vs Myles Garrett, showcasing the divisional rivalry can be a top-notch storyline that should be front and center for a Hard Knocks that is choosing to follow an entire division.
With an old-school division, I want to see old-school hatred.
