Steelers: AFC North power rankings

Week Two proved to be very exciting as a lot of victories were hard to predict. This was well demonstrated in the AFC North. It may not have been far fetched to see the Steelers and Bengals getting wins but to see Baltimore lose to Oakland was a definite surprise and I would have figured after Marcus Mariota‘s big debut that Tennessee would have an easy time defeating Cleveland.

This was not the case. It is tough to say who runs the north after two games, to be honest I am leaning towards Pittsburgh but the Bengals do have the 2-0 record.

FIRST: STEELERS

Sorry Bengals fans. Cincinnati man-handled Oakland but only edged out San Diego in a game with multiple mistakes from both sides. Pittsburgh lit up San Francisco after being in a relatively close game with Superbowl champion New England the week before.

I would say just by that comparison the Steelers appear to be the stronger team. Now with Le’Veon Bell back this week against the Rams and Martavis Bryant due back in October, this offense is scary. Fans are simply hoping for improvement on the defensive side of the ball. The defense did pretty well in the first three quarters of last week’s game at Heinz Field when it mattered.

SECOND: BENGALS

It is a bit of a surprise to see Andy Dalton with five touchdowns after two games. Cincinnati got passed San Diego in a close one and did not look as convincing as the Steelers did in their win. Dalton is playing well finding multiple receivers and the Bengals do have what appears to be the best defense in the division. This was a tough call since they have the better record than Pittsburgh, but I believe the right one.

THIRD: RAVENS

The Ravens were in an exciting game with the Raiders in Oakland but Flacco made another key mistake allowing Oakland to win the game with 26 seconds left. it is impossible to count the Ravens out as they are well coached and will definitely compete hard against division rivals, but Terrell Suggs is a huge loss and the void he has left on the defense is evident. Joe Flacco is not always “on” and is missing help at the skills positions.

FORTH: CLEVELAND

I had said last week that it is likely the Browns remain in the AFC north basement all season but perhaps the Ravens can give them a run for their money. Power rankings go beyond record however, and even if Cleveland jumps the Ravens in the win loss department, the Browns are the worse team. Johnny Manziel did throw for two touchdowns, counting for two of his eight completions.

Next: Steelers: Big Ben for MVP?

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