AFC North: Tough To Tame For Bengals

The AFC North is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the defending Super Bowl champions and are perennially in the playoff mix.

With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, receivers Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward, as well as a world-class defensive unit that was ranked No. 1 in the NFL last season in total and scoring defense, the Steelers aren’t going anywhere and are the favorites to win the division once again.

Pittsburgh might have some issues at running back, but it always seems to get the most out of the position. Willie Parker returns as the starter, but he has been hampered by injuries the last two seasons.

The Steelers’ 2008 first-round draft pick, Rashard Mendenhall, missed most of his rookie season with a broken shoulder and the jury is still out on what kind of running back he will be at this level.

The Steelers’ offensive line was expected to be somewhat of a weakness last season, but that was quickly proven to be a false assumption.

Pittsburgh doesn’t have a great offensive front, but it’s a solid line that consistently gets the job done in the running game and protecting Roethlisberger.

Ravens primed for another playoff run

The Baltimore Ravens advanced to the AFC championship game last season and were one of the surprise teams in the NFL.

They will be led by second-year quarterback Joe Flacco and a tremendous defense of their own right (last year they ranked second in the NFL in total defense and third in scoring defense).

However, defensive coordinator Rex Ryan departed to become the head coach of the New York Jets.

He was replaced by linebackers coach Greg Mattison and it remains to be seen how that will work out for the Ravens. But there is little doubt they will be a tough team to beat in 2009 once again.

The Ravens do have some question marks at running back where Willis McGahee is in the proverbial doghouse of the coaching staff.

McGahee is still the projected starter, but will be pushed by Ray Rice who was Baltimore’s second-round pick in the 2008 draft.

LeRon McClain, who was solid at running back last year, will move to strictly a fullback role following the departure of Lorenzo Neal.

Browns biggest mystery in conference

The Cleveland Browns are expected to be down in 2009 with a new head coach in Eric Mangini, but that’s what people said last year about the Ravens when John Harbaugh took over.

The Browns have a formidable offensive line led by left tackle Joe Thomas, left guard Eric Steinbach and center Alex Mack (the Browns’ first-round pick in the 2009 draft). They are also solid on the defensive front, led by nose guard Shaun Rogers.

If the Browns can figure out their quarterback situation—where Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson will compete for the starting job—they could sneak up on some teams like they did in 2007 when they narrowly missed the playoffs.

The Browns have major question marks at wide receiver and there are rumors they have been shopping former first-round pick Braylon Edwards. Also, Donte Stallworth is facing DUI manslaughter charges in Florida, which obviously leaves his status in serious jeopardy.

The Browns did take a pair of receivers in the second round of the 2009 draft (Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi) and they will need to produce right away.

Effect on the Bengals

Add it all up and it will be a tough road for the Cincinnati Bengals if they hope to make the playoffs in 2009.

The Bengals have addressed some needs this offseason and have tried to become a more-physical team to combat the smash-mouth styles of the Steelers and Ravens.

Offensive tackle Andre Smith was the No. 6 overall pick of the draft, middle linebacker Rey Maualuga slipped to the Bengals in the second round and Cincinnati also landed defensive tackle Tank Johnson and strong safety Roy Williams via free agency.

Despite those moves, the Bengals would have to be considered, at best, the No. 3 team in the AFC North entering the 2009 season, behind the Steelers and Ravens.

The return of a healthy Carson Palmer at quarterback will help the cause quite a bit, but the Bengals need to prove they can beat teams like Pittsburgh and Baltimore (Cincinnati was 0-4 combined against them last year) before they are considered playoff contenders.