Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast." Find him on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL
For the entire offseason, we've speculated about which teams will have the best and worst offenses in the NFL. The preseason gave us further indicators, but coaches rarely game-plan for their opponents in those games, and stars around the league played even more sparingly than usual this year. But now Week 1 is here, and below are three offenses to watch closely during the opening set of games. That isn't to say these three offenses will put up the most points this week, but they are ones to really keep your eye on.
Bengals (vs. Ravens)
The Ravens struggled rushing the passer last year, but they should be improved in that area and vastly improved in their secondary. Baltimore also happens to be one of the most difficult defenses in the league to run against. So why is this matchup so interesting from a Bengals point of view? It's because Cincinnati’s offense is one of the most intriguing regardless of opponent. It's now utterly loaded with skill-position talent and A.J. Green is coming off his best season as a pro. But the Bengals also might have the worst offensive line in the NFL. Right away - against what should be one of the league's best defenses - we should see if Cincinnati’s "All Skill/No Blocking" strategy can work.
Steelers (at Browns)
Cleveland's defense should also be greatly improved in 2017. The Browns' front seven could actually be quite good, and Myles Garrett might burst onto the scene on Sunday and eat Alejandro Villanueva for lunch. But when is the last time you actually saw Pittsburgh's offense with all four of its "Killer B's"? With one of the league’s very best offensive lines and with Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, and Martavis Bryant on the field together, this will be a super-fun offense to watch. With all four players healthy, Pittsburgh can attack its opponent in so many ways. Plus, only one defense in the league allowed more rushing yards per game last year than Cleveland, while Bell averaged 157 yards over his dozen games of action - all of which were without Bryant.
Titans (vs. Raiders)
Marcus Mariota is progressing very well and is clearly on the path to becoming one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. His weapons look to be much improved from a year ago as well. But Oakland has a frightening offense and the Titans should do everything possible to keep Derek Carr and company off the field when the Raiders visit Tennessee this weekend. Khalil Mack is a superstar and the rest of the defensive line should be okay, but Oakland might be the weakest defense in the entire league at linebacker. The Titans were excellent running the ball last year and their offensive line was a very pleasant surprise. However, that line hasn’t played to that level in the preseason. It will be very interesting to see if Tennessee can control this game at home on the ground. If not, is Mariota ready to win a shootout through the air against Carr? Stay tuned.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
