2009 AFC North Outlook: The Division Title goes through the "Steel City"

For the second time in four years, the defending Super Bowl Champions will reside in the AFC North.

The Pittsburgh Steelers collected its sixth Super Bowl title in its storied

franchise history back in February. 

The AFC runner-up in 2008 was the Steelers' division rival, Baltimore Ravens, led by rookie quarterback Joe Flacco.

The Cincinnati Bengals, a team that has just one playoff appearance and winning record over the past 18 seasons, will receive a boost in 2009 with the return of its Pro Bowl quarterback, Carson Palmer.

This division has the looks to be one of the more competitive ones in the NFL.

Let’s take a glance at each team and how the Cleveland Browns match up against their three division rivals.

*Team order determined by 2008 division standings*

Pittsburgh Steelers

The defending Super Bowl Champions will return the core of its team on offense and the majority of its core on defense. The offense is engineered by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Willie Parker, and wide receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes.

Second-year players who had little impact on the team’s Super Bowl run, but could see a bigger role in 2009—are running back Rashard Mendenhall and wide receiver Limas Sweed.

The Steelers' achilles’ heal, the offensive line, allowed 49 sacks last season—the fourth highest total in the league. The Steelers trailed only the San Francisco 49ers (50), Cincinnati Bengals (51), and Detroit Lions (52) in this category.

The defense will return nine of its 11 starters from last season. Third-year linebacker Lawrence Timmons will replace Larry Foote, who departed for the Lions and cornerback William Gay, who could take over Bryant McFadden’s spot.

The defense also features two sack artists, outside linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. Harrison, who signed a six-year extension this offseason, had 16 sacks while Woodley recorded 11.5.

First-round pick, defensive lineman Evander “Ziggy” Hood could make his way into the defensive-line rotation this season.

Overall, the Steelers look to be the favorites to three-peat as division champions and compete for AFC supremacy.

Baltimore Ravens

In 2008, the Ravens were not considered to be a playoff contender. They finished 2007 with a 5-11 record and placed the fate of their season in the hands of a rookie quarterback in Joe Flacco.

One year later, the Ravens and Flacco appear to be the only true threat to dethrone the Steelers in the division.

Since leaving Cleveland for Baltimore in 1995, the Ravens had been searching for a franchise quarterback. They have finally found one in Flacco and return all of their skill position players from a year ago.

Flacco will have the luxury of handing the ball off to running backs Willis McGahee, LeRon McClain, and Ray Rice. By splitting carries, it will keep all three running backs fresh throughout the season.

Starting wide receivers Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton return, with Demetrius Williams as the slot receiver. The team added former Philadelphia Eagle tight end, L.J. Smith in free agency, who will back up starter Todd Heap.

The Ravens invested their first-round pick in Ole Miss offensive tackle, Michael Oher, who could start at right tackle.

The defense boasts two perennial Pro Bowlers in linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed. Linebacker Terrell Suggs and defensive lineman Haloti Ngata are also two defenders that opposing offenses always must account for during a game.

Second-year linebacker Tavares Gooden will try and replace Bart Scott, with cornerbacks Fabian Washington and Dominique Foxworth replacing last year’s starters, Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle.

The Ravens' season will again depend on the play of Flacco. If he improves upon the season he had last year (2,971 passing yards and 14 touchdown passes), the Ravens will compete for a wild-card spot and possibly the division.

However, if Flacco goes through the dreaded “sophomore slump,” Baltimore could come close to repeating its 2007 record of 5-11.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals' 2008 season was so bad that they accomplished something that had only been done twice in the past 11 years—a tied game.

The Bengals finished with a 4-11-1 record, tying the Philadelphia Eagles 13-13 on November 16. The good news for the Bengals is they will be getting starting quarterback Carson Palmer back, who missed 12 games last season due to an elbow injury.

The offense on paper could be much improved in 2009.

With Palmer, running back Cedric Benson, and wide receivers Chad Ocho Cinco, Laveranues Coles and Chris Henry—the Bengals should be able to score enough points to keep them in games.

The team will place its trust in left tackle Andre Smith, who will be asked to protect Palmer’s "blind side." Smith, whose draft stock dropped significantly due to a poor time in the 40-yard dash (5.28) and weight issues (332 pounds), was not considered to be a top-five pick, but the Bengals selected him anyway.

Time will tell if Smith can fulfill that responsibility.

The Bengals then selected USC linebacker Rey Maualuga, who dropped to the second round due to "off the field" issues. There were also concerns about his durability, work ethic, and choosing poor angles when pursuing ball carriers.

The Bengals also signed defensive tackle Tank Johnson in free agency, who has had legal troubles in the past.

They also lured safety Roy Williams away from the Dallas Cowboys. He could give a significant boost to a secondary that intercepted just eight passes last season.

The Bengals will have second-year linebacker Keith Rivers back on defense. Last year, Rivers suffered a broken jaw courtesy of Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and was knocked out of a game. He missed the remainder of the season.

The success of the Cincinnati Bengals' 2009 season will rest on the health of Palmer. If Palmer stays healthy and is protected by Smith at left tackle, the Bengals could make a run at second place in the AFC North.

With Johnson, Maualuga, Rivers, and Williams on defense, they could help improve a unit that allowed 364 points, the 14th highest total in the NFL.

The Browns' division looks to be strong with the defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers, and the Ravens, who were one victory away from the Big Game in Tampa last year.

With a healthy Carson Palmer and improved defense on paper, the Bengals will have a good chance to improve on their four-win season a year ago.

How this division affects the Browns  

The three teams in the Browns' division are under the same head coaching staffs, and offensive and defensive systems. Browns head coach Eric Mangini has already declared an open quarterback competition, whereas the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals know who their starting quarterbacks will be this season.

The Browns also traded away a big part of their offense in tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. Opposing linebackers and safeties always had to know where Winslow was lining up on the offensive side. With Winslow gone, it's one less threat that defenses need to cover.

New offensive and defensive systems, along with the uncertainty at the quarterback positon could slow Cleveland's progress a bit. The Browns probably were not going to compete for a playoff spot this year anyway, due to the turnover in personnel and coaching. However, this is the NFL and stranger things have happened (see Dolphins and Falcons last year).