NFL Week 11: Who's Hot, Who's Not in the AFC North

The AFC North is one of the deepest and most competitive divisions in all of the NFL, and with Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati all in the running for a playoff spot, things are getting more and more intense with each passing week.

With Week 11 play just days away and postseason hopes on the line, here's a look at who is hot and who is not in the AFC North.

Hot: The Pittsburgh Passing Game

The Pittsburgh Steelers have always prided themselves on their hard-nosed, grind-it-out style of offense, but a flashy air attack has been their key to success so far this season.

After a mediocre start to the year, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger seems to have finally found his touch. He has thrown for over 300 yards in three of the Steelers' past five contests, and he has been spreading the ball all over the field.

With Mike Wallace streaking down the sidelines, and emerging stars Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders manning the slots, the Steelers have all of the necessary weapons to become one of the league's most dangerous passing attacks.

Cold: The Pittsburgh O-Line

The only thing keeping Big Ben and the Steelers from running away with the AFC North is their porous offensive line.

Roethlisberger has already been sacked 31 times this season, which is good for third-worst in the league, and his lack of protection in the pocket has contributed to the Steelers' NFL-worst turnover differential.

Roethlisberger's sheer size and strength have allowed him to stay on his feet long enough to make some plays, but if the Steelers hope to stand a chance in the postseason they'll have to improve their pass protection in a major way.

Hot: The Cincinnati D-Line

If you're wondering how the lowly Cincinnati Bengals have managed to rack up a 6-3 record through ten weeks of play, look no further than their defensive line.

The Bengals' big boys are a fast and physical bunch, and they've already racked up 25 sacks this season, including five in their Week 10 loss to Pittsburgh.

As for their play against the run? Tennessee's Chris Johnson and Pittsburgh's Rashard Mendenhall combined for just 108 rushing yards against Cincy over the past two weeks.

Not too shabby.

Cold: The Cincinnati Secondary

As well as the Bengals' front seven have played as of late, their secondary has been a completely different story.

After giving up 272 yards and two touchdowns to Matt Hasselbeck in Week 9, Cincinnati was lit up once again in Week 10, allowing 245 yards and a touchdown through the air against Pittsburgh.

Their inability to stop Big Ben and the Steelers' speedy wideouts on third-and-long situations allowed Pittsburgh to repeatedly pick up first downs in clutch situations and kept the Bengals' offense on the sidelines.

The news that No. 1 cornerback Leon Hall may be lost for the season after suffering an achilles injury against the Steelers presents an even larger concern for the Bengals as they'll have to find a way to fill out their already thin secondary in the weeks to come.

Cold: Joe Flacco

The Baltimore Ravens may be one of the best teams in the NFL, but they seem to be in midst of a serious identity crisis.

After picking up a huge divisional victory over Pittsburgh in Week 9, the Ravens were stunned in Week 10 by the Seattle Seahawks.

The source of the problem? Quarterback Joe Flacco.

While he did complete 29 passes for 255 yards against Seattle, he averaged just 4.9 yards per completion. His inability to consistently make big downfield throws is concerning and his streaky performances could spell disaster for the Ravens late in the season.

Hot: Young Receivers

Despite being known as one of the more physical and smash mouth divisons in the NFL, the AFC North has seen an eruption of young, flashy receiving talent.

This week alone, Cincinnati's A.J. Green caught his sixth touchdown of the year, Cleveland's Greg Little had six catches for 84 yards, Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown recorded five grabs for 86 yards and Baltimore tight end Ed Dickson racked up a ridiculous 10 catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns.

I'm sensing a trend.

Cold: Cleveland

Sorry, Cleveland fans.

The Browns' defense is a talented group, but when you're losing games to the St. Louis Rams and have only accounted for 41 points over the past four weeks, something is terribly wrong.

They're about as cold as cold can get right now.