Lurker > KCF0107

The Solitaire Conspiracy (Switch)

I had to laugh that I started this a couple days ago, and soon after, someone had just beaten it. I don't care for normal solitaire, but there have been numerous video game versions that I do really enjoy. This one is probably the best. It has a great presentation, nice mechanics, and it felt challenging without being unfair or overwhelming. It's probably my favorite Mike Bithell game, and I've liked all of them (this is the fifth one that I've beaten).

Once Upon a Jester (PC)

I love how the developers just did most of the voices. The amateur feel of it really adds to the charm of a dumb and silly game whose tedious loop would have been larger felt otherwise.

Metal Slug 4 (PC)

Of the four or so games from the series that I've beaten, this might be my least favorite? IDK. It just seemed it was more egregious with the aggressive enemies who come out of nowhere that you can do nothing to avoid their attacks, which sucks when its one hit, and you die and lose your weapon.

Aggelos (Switch)

I had been playing this off and on for about a year or two and finally got through it. It's a mostly solid retro-style action game. It has some random difficulty spikes, and as a non-precision platformer, I think some of the platforming has some unrealistic demands of the player.

Gravity Rush 2's story is more in the way and more eye-rolling, and I'd say that the gameplay is downgrade. They never made an attempt to fix things up as a game built for console this time around. It comes across as more sloppy and imprecise. At least the first one had an amusing charm as a handheld game that was later ported to console.

I would definitely bury playing 2 on your priority list.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (XB1)

Beat it as Kim. If I had to do it over again, I would not play it solo. It is really rough at the beginning and grindy doing it solo.

Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior (PC)

Unlike the previous game, I couldn't get a handle on some of the more elaborate moves, so I stuck to a pretty plain gameplan, and it somehow worked.

The King of Fighters (2003) (PC)

I didn't know any of these characters, but the two that I picked out ended up being pretty good, or at least good enough to get me through single player. It was pretty nimble for a 20-year-old 2D fighting game.

Macbat 64 (PC)

Short, sweet platformer without fail states that obviously is meant to emulate some of the N64 platformers in appearance.

Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 (XS/X)

I beat the first one around my birthday, and nearly seven months later, I have also done the second. It's just a good, simple and addicting tactical dungeon crawler without an actual dungeon (it makes sense to call it a dungeon crawler if you play it). It's a cookie cutter plot and cast of characters, so I get just enough of a sense what's going on to get the context and skip the rest. It helps keep the pacing humming.

Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge (PC)

I never truly got a handle on this one, but I still somehow beat it.

When games mention point of no return, that doesn't necessarily mean that you can't go back and collect stuff, and it might be more likely that you can with more recent games. In many cases from my experience, a game that says there is a point of no return will mean that after you beat the final boss or whatever, you will return to the point of no return and you can go back and do stuff or proceed to go through the final segment(s) of the game again.

Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle (PC)

Stands out more than most 90s fighters that I've played. I chose two fighters that looked like they could be fun, and they ended up being my favorites from the roster. It is unfortunate that this follows the trend of ending the arcade or whatever mode on a very poor note with an infuriating final fight.

Metal Slug (PC)

I've played a couple of the sequels, and I think that they are more interesting than this, but it's still a fun hour.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PS4)

Still one of the most disappointing and complete misfire of a game that I've played

Ninja Commando (PC)

I've been playing several old SNK games lately trying to see what's mediocre and what sticks. This is one of the few that stuck, and despite the sometimes terrible boss fights, I got through it.

Journey (PS4)

I thought that I went through most of the game with the same person, but I apparently had my companion switched at some point, and I never realized it.

Goldeneye: 007 (XS/X)

I was going in thinking that I was going to think much less of it than when I last played it maybe in the 00s. This is still a very good FPS, even though some of the levels are too frustrating due to some really stringent requirements/failstates and when there are endless enemies when you can deplete ammo like crazy. Frigate has always been and still is my favorite.

Cassette Beasts (XS/X)

I didn't take full advantage of what the game offered, but this was a nice twist to the creature collecting RPG genre.

lost bits (PC)

It appeared on my Steam discovery queue, looked interesting, and it was free, so I thought why not. It's a solid and simple action/platformer. The intro level wasn't promising, but the others were good.

Gibbon: Beyond the Trees (Switch)

When everything clicked, it was exhilarating. Too often though, the finicky physics and uncertainty surrounding grabbable objects derailed momentum.

RIP gibbon dad

Overboard! (PC)

For such a condensed game, there are a lot of variables in it. I thought multiple times that my plans and efforts were solid to evade being charged for murder, but I failed each of my first few attempts before getting a decent conclusion. Soon after, I finally got the best. I might still play it some more as there some things that I'd like to accomplish regardless of the outcome out of curiosity.

Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer (XS/X)

This isn't a great game by any means, but for a joke spin-off game, it is a solid retro-style FPS.

Supraland: Six Inches Under (XS/X)

While it still has no business for existing, combat is much improved this time, especially since enemies are fixed and finite. It's been a few years, but I want to say that I preferred the puzzles from the original game over these, but overall they are still solid. The games are of comparable quality, but I think that I do slightly prefer the original due to the more open-endedness vs the linearity of this one.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands (XB1)

This map is humongous, and it is also quite detailed. I'm impressed on that front, but I wish that they had helicopters and fast offroad vehicles everywhere. I wish this game scaled back in terms of content though. It seems bloated and unfocused, so I left almost half of the story missions untouched when I went to beat the game.

Robo Army (PC)

I'm glad that these SNK re-releases have included game customization so that you can counter some game designs that plagued some older games, especially arcade titles that were built on the consumer continuously popping in coins.

Dunk Lords (XB1)

Very unbalanced, unfair at times, and it was a mess discerning everything on the screen at certain times, but goddamn did I want something to scratch that NBA Ballers itch, albeit in a 2v2 format.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole (XB1)

A little uneven, and my gut feeling is that it isn't as funny as the first game (it has been a long time since I played it), but the wide variety of abilities and the mix-and-match of them plus allies makes this the superior game. I did encounter a gamebreaking bug about 5 hours in that forced me to start over.

Well Anniversary is a faithful remake of the original, so you effectively played one of the "old-school" ones

The Super Spy (PC)

The novelty wore off after awhile, especially once I realized that enemies will infinitely respawn. I'm glad that I had the foresight to lower the difficulty before beginning or I probably wouldn't have had the patience to see it through.

Garou: Mark of the Wolves (360)

I know these 80s/90s arcade fighters are notoriously for being unfair to get players to keep popping in coins, but this one seemed relatively tame on that front?

While not the case with every 2D fighter in this mold, I did do my usual approach of:
1. Get a few moves down pat since I'm not going to get a good enough feel to memorize every move for a character
2. Move and jump while flailing around
3. Intersperse my wild antics with genuine knowledge of the character (aka #1).

I ended up losing just two rounds, in separate matches, the entire game, so I am a little proud of not needing to continue.

Treasures of the Aegean (PC)

I've been playing this off-and-on for several months now, but I finally got through this. This is a time-looping, fast and fluid puzzle-platformer whose game structure will definitely remind people of Outer Wilds. It wasn't until I was well into the game that I realized that the game doesn't track treasures (which increase the time for each loop) and key objects on the map, and the marker system isn't very good. It was a bit of struggle to finish late game stuff as a result. As a whole though, this was a great time. I may return to it to finish off the treasures of remains of the game's prophecies.

Kirby's Dream Land 2 (Switch)

There were a lot more relentless enemy types and auto-scrolling segments than I remembered

Hot Wheels Unleashed (XS/X)

I think my favorite thing about the game is that even though cars have various, explicit stats, all the cars feel unique due to shape and size having a tangible effect on the course that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. This encourages experimentation, and some vehicles that I added to my favorites list were ones that I wasn't expecting based on their stats.

WIth that out of the way, it's kind of a shock that this came from a veteran racing studio. The racing mechanics are fine, but there are just some baffling design choices that I just wouldn't think a studio that has been making racing games since the mid-90s would make including, but not limited to, track designs that render many vehicle builds useless (long jumps and loops make vehicles with low speed/accel. combos a liability), poor and inconsistent collision physics, intentional sun glare and other hazards that can be indistuishable among the track, and the worst kind of rubber band AI.

BurgerTime Deluxe (Switch)

I really liked this game that reminded me of Donkey Kong a lot, but then the frustrating final worlds put a little damper on my outlook on the game. Still a good and enjoyable Game Boy game that I'm glad I finally got to try!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80472056

New topic

Lost in Random (XB1)

Felt like a mix between American McGee's Alice (more Madness Returns than original) and Zoink's previous games (specifically Stick it to the Man and Flipping Death). It took awhile to come up with a deck that worked very well for me. Pacing still felt uneven, especially with combat scenarios. I think I spent around 15-20 hours on it, and I think 10 would have suited it better.

Kirby's Dream Land (Switch)

It's been so long since I played this that I did not remember there being a boss rush at all

Peggle Nights (PC)

Always glad to go through Peggle games

I'm thinking Tue/Thu or Wed/Fri sim dates, and we will likely start next week. I will hopefully make up my mind within the next few days and also post a new topic too.

Mass Effect 3 (XB1)

I can't believe that I finished this trilogy (again) in just three months. Looking at the games I have beaten since I started, I've probably put fewer than 40 hours in non-ME games since the end of February.

NFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. Minnesota Vikings
2. St. Louis Rams
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. San Juan Orcas
6. Chicago Bears

Playoff Contenders
7. Seattle Seahawks
8. Washington Commanders
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. Toronto Wildcats
11. Green Bay Packers
12. Atlanta Falcons
13. San Francisco 49ers
14. New York Giants

Better Luck Next Season
15. Carolina Panthers
16. Detroit Lions

NFC South

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. San Juan Orcas
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Carolina Panthers

The Buccaneers lack the talent of the Orcas and Falcons, and their QB and HB are real question marks, but what the hell, let's be playful here at the end and say they shock the league to a division crown. They have a really good OL, an underrated receiving corps, and they overhauled the defense quite a bit. They are coming off of an 8-8 season with a team that was far less talented than this one. I think that they can get additional wins here to take the division. It will depend on former #1 overall pick QB Trevor Largent to do a hell of a lot better at living up to his draft status and for third-year HB Alvin Kamara to make a big statement in his first season as a starter. It might come down to their ability to beat divisional foes as they end the season with facing the Orcas once and Falcons twice in the final four weeks.

The Orcas went all-in on a Super Bowl run last season, and it paid off. Now they are under AI control and players like HB Knowshon Moreno, WR Ted Ginn, and RT Andrew Whitworth are now retired. The defense sans MLB Telvin Smith remains in place, but the offense will need to keep up to remain Super Bowl contenders. QB Jameis Winston is coming off of an unexpected QB of the Year campaign, but given that was his first year as a starter, it's hard to imagine that he will replicate it. Their starting HB is 2nd-year player Nyheim Hines, and HBs are notoriously slow to becoming good starters, so even with them getting Jeff Zeigler back for a second stint with the team, I have to imagine that the offense is due for some regression. The Orcas only won the division the past two seasons with late surges and a collapse by the Falcons, so it wasn't as if they were running away with things even with better offensive talent. They can easily win the division again though, and they honestly are probably the favorites, but I'd like to see how they start offensively out of the gate while they largely face questionable defenses.

The Falcons are coming off of back-to-back 9-7 seasons with no playoffs to show for it. This offense is loaded on paper, but with top WR Allen Hurns out for the season, they might struggle against an early schedule featuring some of the best secondaries in the league. HB David Johnson is one of the best in the league, and might be our best once Doug Martin retires, but he's good to miss a couple games a season, and they no longer have a Kenny Hamilton to step in for a few starts. The defense has been mostly solid the past few years, but FS T.J. McDonald hasn't come close to replicating his sensational first season with the team, and losing 2nd-year DT D.J. Reader for the season is a big blow for an ascending front seven. Everyone is solid enough, but losing some ascending, solid players for an entire season takes away some competitive edges, and that means that the team will have to remain largely healthy. The Falcons have not had great injury luck over the years, so that might be asking too much out of them. Still, I can easily see the Falcons winning the division or a wild card with their star power. They just can't be dealt more bad injury news.

I actually think that the Panthers offense can be pretty decent. HB Tevin Coleman had his most efficient year, WR Davante Adams gets a full season with the team, and the OL has performed better than you think. It feels like they can regress to the mean and finish outside of the bottom 10. Moving on from some failed draft picks and trying to salvage QB Lamar Jackson's career though left the Panthers with over $10 mil cap penalties this season, and the result is a pretty ugly front seven. Talent issue aside, what's really alarming is how this group of players are not prepared to stop the run. The irony is that their best run-defender is probably DT Michael Thomas who was only elevated to a starter after they cut Sione Fua for cap reasons (who was inferior to Thomas in run-defense I might add). Assuming health holds, they will have eight games against teams who had a 1200+ yard rusher last season, a game against Mark Ingram, and four games against former first rounders getting their first crack at the full-time gig. This could be a long defensive season for the team. At least the secondary looks very good. The Panthers were one of a handful of teams to improve their record in each of the past two seasons, but for that to continue to a third, they would need to finish .500 or better, and I think their defense will prevent that.

NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Chicago Bears
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Detroit Lions

Madden declared the Vikings as the best team this season. I'm inclined to believe that they will claim the division at any rate. After a post-SB retirement party depleted their secondary for S16, the unit was much improved in S17, and it is looking like one of the better secondaries in the league. It was their run defense though that led to their elite defensive season last year, and they bring back everyone behind that (well, they bring back all of their defensive starters). On offense, they still have one of the best OL in the league, and their passing game looked great with the additions of QB Jimmy Garoppolo and WR Brandon Marshall. I'm expecting something similar from them this season. They were dealt a massive blow in the running game with dual-threat and perennially underrated HB Dion Lewis done for the season and probably his career. I don't know when the injury occurred, but if they don't sign anyone, it all falls to 4th year HB C.J. Prosise. If he is this year's Knile Davis, then maybe the Vikings really are the Super Bowl favorites. They should be a playoff team at least.

The Bears pretty much bring back the same team as last year. MLB Chris Borland is replaced with the more all-around Kiko Alonso, and I assume that HB Dexter McCluster will be the lead back. That about sums things up for them over the offseason. I guess they are simply hoping for a more congealed peformance by the offense and defense to get them in the wild card discussion, which I think that they can do. They finish the season on a six-game homestand, including just two playoff teams from a season ago, and none who won a playoff game. If they can enter that homestand around .500, they could be well-positioned for a end-of-season playoff push.

So the horrible injuries that they suffered last preseason were not devastating like I thought. QB Tyrod Taylor is back for one last hurrah, but to a less talented OL and handing things off to a highly-drafted but untested HB. The defense is also seeing some new faces after retirements to long-time stalwarts. The Packers tend to alternate great and not-so-great seasons as of late, so this is why I'm putting them down third, but their foundation is solid enough to once again finish in the top half of the division or even pull off the division upset like they did last season. They will be tested with an absolutely brutal end of season schedule with away games against the Rams, Vikings, Cowboys, and Dolphins as well as a home date against the reigning champion Orcas.

With the Lions re-signing HB Alex Collins, they have all-but-accepted another moribund offensive season. There's WR Torrey Smith, a QB that does a good job at limiting turnovers, and uh, that's it. As such, they will be hoping that their defense gets back into a borderline Top 10-unit that has helped them sneak into the playoffs in recent seasons. They did draft a DE #1 overall that was better suited to the 3-4 base D that they run, but he is currently not a starter. They also lost Hall of Famer OLB Willie Williams and long-time FS Tyvon Branch to retirement. Their replacements are something I guess. While I think that they can avoid another top pick in the draft, I just don't see them improving enough to be in playoff contention.

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Washington Commanders
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. New York Giants

Could the Cowboys finally be back in the playoffs after a collapsing multiple seasons in a row now? They shored up some of their offensive issues. The running game probably still won't be great, but at least they have better depth with the drafting of HB Lindsay. Even with their playoff drought, the defense has still been playing at a high level, and they bring back all but one of their starters from last season. Their schedule is backloaded in terms of tough assignments, but they are largely home games. It's a weird schedule overall, and they did suffer some OL injuries and a starter on defense that will carry on through their away-heavy start to the season. If they can reach their bye at 3-2, I'd say that they are on the right track to a playoff spot.

I really want to pick the Commanders to finish atop the division. They spent a lot of resources on the defense and offense over the offseason, and they already had a pretty talented team with a very good offense. They finished the preseason with a fully-intact team, but this schedule is funny with their first seven weeks being all home games and their bye, thus ending their season with eight of 10 games on the road. Perhaps I'm being silly in preemptively thinking that their injury luck will run out eventually and thus being shorthanded in a road-heavy finale, but call it a hunch.

The Eagles have one of the best defenses in the league but also one of the biggest disparities between offensive and defensive prowess. It was a little surprise to me that they re-signed Taysom Hill who has been largely efficient but hasn't helped elevate the offense in his time with the team. HB Leonard Fournette was injured for a good chunk of last season but never looked great when healthy. This might be the most forgettable receiving corps despite there being four players rated 80+. The OL always seems to be a work-in-progress. They needed a Cowboys collapse to take the division last season, and with every other team being improved for this season, they might not be so lucky again this season. A noticeable improvement from the offense would go a long way though.

The Giants should be more competitive this season. QB Aaron Murray is one of the best in the league, they invested more in the OL, and maybe the defense continues to rise in their second season in a 3-4 D. The Giants have been accustomed to fast starts before completely fizzling out over the past several seasons, and with a relatively easy schedule to begin the year, maybe that will hold true once again. I don't know, but I think Murray will really help out this team even if the receiving corps is lacking a true threat. They are just two seasons removed from being in play for the division until the conclusion of Week 17, so maybe they can stay in it until the end as well.

NFC West Prediction

1. St. Louis Rams
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Toronto Wildcats
4. San Francisco 49ers

The Rams bring back 9 starters from a defense that has routinely finished in the Top 5. While those two missing are DT Red Bryant and OLB Jerry Hughes, the defense has more than enough star power to continue being an elite unit. The offense is where things could get dicey. QB Ryan Tannehill has always been a highly productive player, but in recent years, his turnovers have increased, including leading the league in INTs last season. He's still one of the most efficient QBs out there with his high completion %, YPA, and general counting stats, but it would help if the running game and OL were more consistent. HBs Matt Forte and Mike Davis raced out to a fast start last season, but neither ended up reaching 1000 yards. The OL had three new starters last season after multiple retirements, and there was a noticeable drop off from their SB-winning season. Now they are going to have two new starters, and all but one of their five starters is in the lower-to-mid 80s. There could be some regression on the offensive end, and that would make them vulnerable in what could be a stronger division. My money is still on them though.

The Seahawks got things back on track as they snuck into the postseason. They didn't do a whole lot over the offseason, but they do have a pair of new defensive starters and have retooled their depth on offense. This has long been a team that has underachieved, but I feel like they can replicate last season. If 2nd-year QB Gardner Minshew plays the same or better after last season's great rookie season, they get anything out of their running game, and the defense continues to make strides, they could take the NFC West from the Rams and even be in contention for a first round bye. I'm going to temper my expectations a bit, but this team has a pretty high ceiling.

Okay, so I planned to do a complete overhaul of my offense over the offseason. Mission accomplished as I have a new starting QB, HB, and three OL and seven of my 10 overall OL are new to the team this year. The bad news is that I didn't really operate with my flurry of trades with viable financial foresight as I had planned on attempting to sign RTs Jeff Zeigler, Mitchell Schwartz, or Andre Smith in that order. My financials were simply not good enough, and I also had to pivot to a lesser FB with a promise archetype. The defense should still be great, and its depth has been bolstered, but to break one of the longest active playoff droughts, the OL needs to perform better, and the running game needs to improve a lot. The big questions are if the OL can overcome its talent deficiencies, and if HB Kenyan Drake can stay healthy. The entire NFC West do not have great schedules with dates against the AFC West and a resurgent NFC South, so the Wildcats might need both questions answered in their favor if they wish to make a return trip to the playoffs.

The 49ers rarely pick in the Top 10, and they tumbled all the way to their worst season behind a very sad offensive display. QB Kyler Murray finished dead last in passer rating and simply did not help the offense in nearly every game. HB Thomas Rawls has been adequate, but his production has seen a sizeable drop from his peak years. Their receiving corps has long been a massive disappointment, but that could change this season as finances forced them to make changes. Out are Cordarrelle Patterson and Brandin Cooks and in are Jordy Nelson and Percy Harvin. Both could retire after the season, but for a quick fix, these are pretty productive players and could help Murray's development. The defense looks largely complete now with taking CB Donte Jackson 2nd overall and swapping the ill-fitting DE Whitney Mercilus for Paul Freeney. This looks to be a pretty competitive division, and maybe the 49ers have it in them to pull an upset like they did two seasons ago when they finished with the #1 seed in the NFC. I think that I need to see more offensive stability before I'm willing to put them ahead of the other divisional teams.

I prefer Mini Ghost and UnMetal from unepic_fran, though I did enjoy this game. Never felt compelled to finish it.

AFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. Portland Express
2. Columbus Pioneers
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Cincinnati Bengals
5. Jacksonville Jaguars
6. Oakland Raiders

Playoff Contenders
7. Buffalo Bills
8. Denver Broncos
9. Mexico City Browns
10. Indianapolis Colts
11. Pittsburgh Steelers
12. New England Patriots
13. Kansas City Chiefs
14. New York Jets
15. Baltimore Ravens
16. Tennessee Titans

AFC South

1. Columbus Pioneers
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. Tennessee Titans

After enduring back-to-back 7-9 seasons (okay, they did win the division and a playoff game in the second), the Pioneers rebounded with a 10-6 and playoff-winning season. They have outstanding talent on offense with the dual threat QB Russell Wilson, the elite-when-healthy HB DeMarco Murray, potentially the best pass-catching trio in WRs Stefon Diggs and Eric Decker and TE Mark Andrews, and a great OL. They are more importantly elite on defense even while developing young DEs in a 3-4 D. They aren't thought of in the same way as the Express and Dolphins, but they are absolutely Super Bowl contenders. Some of their toughest non-divisional games are played at home too. If you want a sneaky #1 conference seed, which I guess anyone that isn't the Express, Dolphins, and maybe Raiders to some, they are my pick.

The Jags absolutely should have been a playoff team the past two seasons but blew it with terrible final stretches of the season. They took a more proactive approach this offseason and while it remains to be seen if their decision to put off rebuilding the DL for another season will backfire this season, it did allow them to sign former Defensive Player of the Year MLB Vontaze Burfict in free agency. They once had the weakest LB group, but their former Top 10 picks at OLB have come along, if slowly, and with the signing of Burfict, this defense is looking like it could be their best in awhile. The offensive depth has improved too, but the real question is at QB. Kirk Cousins was terrible when healthy last season, but he lost the preseason battle to Reuben Lane, and the team has a great record when Lane has started in his young career. Entering the season injury-free, I like the Jags' odds this season.

What do I make of the Colts? The offense is young and improving (HB Jamaal Williams being the biggest suprise) all the way to around league average last season, but while individually there is of course more room for improvement, how much more can we expect them to collectively climb this season if at all? It feels like we would really need teams to collapse to see much more improvement in offensive rankings. The defensive collapse last season was staggering. There's no way that they finish as low as they did, but how far will they climb back up? For a team that is largely the same as last season's starting roster, there are a lot of unknowns given their youth and unexpected development/regression. I feel like third is a safe place to put them. Not having one of their best defenders, DT Dan Williams, for at least the first quarter of the season could sneakily be one of the most unfortunate injuries because their schedule is front-loaded with divisional games.

The Titans D isn't especially talented, and it did regress from its unexpected Top 10 unit from S16, but I look at it and think that it is adequate enough. That's maybe not a ringing endorsement, but it shouldn't weigh them down this season. Offense is a different issue. They used to have one of the better OLs in the league, and well, this is what retirements and not replacing them has resulted in. They have two mid-70s players expected to start on the left side. That seems like an impossible scenario at this point in the project, but here we are. Ifedi and Britt are pretty great and Winters had a lot of blocks (and sacks allowed) last season, so maybe they can just run to the right and have QB Ray Flewelling and his like eight career passing attempts go to the right side upon taking a snap. They were actually a winning team once they weren't relying on a third-string HB, but I'm not particularly excited by Ronald Jones II. I'm sure that this team will surprise me in some way, but it will be an uphill battle to get back into the playoffs. I was a bit surprised that they didn't cut WR Sterling Shepard to give them over $10 mil to beef up the OL, but they start the season with three straight home games. Maybe they can use that to gauge their team and do what I just mentioned if things aren't looking great.

AFC North

1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Mexico City Browns
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Baltimore Ravens

Losing Chris Hogan for nearly half the season is a huge blow for the Bengals, but they've routinely had an elite offense in the Andy Dalton/Derrick Henry era, so they will survive. 1st round rookie Kenny Golladay starts off his career as the #1 option as a result. The main reason why I am picking the Bengals to end what I believe is the league's second or third-longest playoff drought is that I feel as the investments that the team has made on the defensive side over the years will finally show the result that they are looking for. This is a sneaky great secondary, the LBs corps is looking great. They have two elder beasts at DT, and DE DeForest Buckner has had a great start to his career. The offense/defense combo of this team is too enticing to pass up, and the other teams in the division have bigger question marks and glaring weaknesses. This is the Bengals' time to seize the division.

I have absolutely no idea what to expect from the Browns this season. They underwent a number of changes that is ultimately leaving the DL pretty suspect, especially in the wake of DT Knighton's injury, but the team is intriguing in other areas. QB Mitchell Trubusky had a great OL and poor offensive skill cast in the 49ers and was just dragged around before ending his five-year contract there. He has a career passer rating in the 80s, which makes him an interesting pick up by the Browns who drafted Dak Prescott over Trubisky in that draft class. The rest of the offense is mostly the same, save for a veteran offensive-oriented TE in Charles Clay, and a former 2nd rounder ascending to a starting G spot. The defense is where the radical changes occurred. They are going back to a 4-3 D and three projected starting DL weren't starting for them last season, and the other was a mid-season signing. MVP David Harris gets a new sidemate with Rookie of the Year candidate Andrew Van Ginkel. Veteran SS Chris Browning comes to Mexico City from division rival Cincinnati where he has been a DB of the Year finalist the past three seasons, winning twice. They are more likely to see things go awry than set the league on fire, but I feel like they should remain playoff contenders throughout the season. With the division being one of the most winnable, I could definitely see them winning it back-to-back.

The Steelers are very unsexy but at least adequate team. Their revolving door of QBs were, to put it simply, not good last season, but the ordinary but highly productive HB Christian McCaffrey and a dependable defense helped rebound from a terrible start to the season to avoid hitting double digit losses. They are switching back to a 3-4 D this season. DT Richardson and DE Ingram should transition fine. Rookie DE Deatrich Wise Jr. may not, but he didn't win the job out of the preseason so that may not matter. I'm expecting more of the same out of this team as I am usually accustomed to. 7-9 wins and in the playoff hunt.

I want to assure people here that this division could end up in any order, and I wouldn't be too surprised. The Ravens' combination of HB, OL, and defensive history (finished in Top 10 last season despite some talent deficiencies), could easily get them back to the division crown if their usual performance holds. QB Sam Darnold actually had a pretty decent rookie campaign, and their receiving corps are better than people think. Their offense is quite solid, and in this new age of the league where defenses are getting better, quality offenses might become the new competitive edge before long. I'm only putting them last because I do believe that their front seven might finally spell the end of their defensive dominance. It really just comes down to talent, and this lower talent with them seeing two starting LBs depart over the offseason might be too much to overcome the in-game algorithm. I guess time will tell.