Ah, preseason in the NFL.

Yawn.

It's worth about a thimble of spit, ultimately.

But, hey. It's football.

That means the real games are just around the corner.

Each season has its own pulse, its own aura, its own unique vibe.

This one should be no different.

Here are some of my fearless predictions for the upcoming season:

-The Steelers will win the AFC North.

Addition by subtraction.

The Steelers purged themselves of problem children Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell, added some key talent at key positions and still have Ben Roethlisberger and a good offensive line in front of him.

The division isn't exactly a juggernaut, either. Baltimore is a question mark with Lamar Jackson taking over at quarterback for a complete season with Joe Flacco in Denver. Cincinnati is in transition and Cleveland ... we'll get to them later.

-Is this the year Tom Brady and New England finally fall off?

Yes.

And no.

Brady recently signed a contract extension that will pay him $28.3 million per year for the next two seasons (way to troll the Falcons, Tom and New England — $28.3 million, 28-3 ... keep it classy).

He has to drop off at some point, right?

The hyberbaric chamber has to have its limits, no?

The Pats and Brady will fall off — a little bit this season.

-Patrick Mahomes will fall off, too.

The Chiefs' quarterback turned in a jaw-dropping season in 2018.

But he's on the cover of Madden 20.

And you know what that means.

Mahomes, meet the Madden Curse.

-The Bills will regret their AARP backfield.

Everything appears to be in line for Buffalo to make another run to the playoffs.

Josh Allen has exciting potential. His line and receivers have been vastly upgraded and the defense should still be solid.

But Buffalo is relying on 36-year-old Frank Gore and 31-year-old LeSean McCoy to carry the running game.

That's a gamble.

-The Browns will win six games.

The Cleveland fan base is already frothing at the mouth about this team, chanting such insane things like, “Super Bowl or bust” and the Browns have won a grand total of nothing.

Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Roethlisberger still has the most wins as a starting quarterback in Cleveland since the Browns re-entered the league. Baker Mayfield is shotgunning beers at Indians' games and Odell Beckham would rather make one-handed catches in practice than actually run a crisp route or two.

It's going to be an ugly season in Cleveland with a locker room full of headcases.

Just ask Pittsburgh how a toxic team works out for you.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.