NFL All-Division Tournament: AFC North vs. AFC South

Dec 8, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu (43) runs with the ball after a missed Miami Dolphins field goal during the second quarter at Heinz Field. The Miami Dolphins won 34-28. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

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If you’ve been paying attention closely enough, you’d have noticed that NPC and the other AFC North Divisional sites collaborated and came up with an AFC North All-Division squad.  The time has now come for this all-division team to face off against other all-division teams that were created in the same way throughout FanSided’s NFL team sites.

Here is a recap of the AFC North roster:

AFC North Offense

QB Ben Roethlisberger

RB Giovani Bernard

TE Jordan Cameron

WR Josh Gordon

WR A.J. Green

WR Torrey Smith

LT Joe Thomas

LG Andrew Whitworth

Alex Mack

RG Marshal Yanda

RT Andre Smith

Roethlisberger is the only Steeler on the offensive side of the football much to the dismay of Steeler Nation.  Antonio Brown fell just off of the final list even though many can agree that he out performed Torrey Smith (who just squirmed in), even though Smith tips the scales as a bigger playmaker down the field.  It’s a very solid squad and Roethlisberger would feel completely comfortable behind and offensive line to the likes of Thomas, Whitworth, Mack, Yanda, and Smith.  With an explosive receiving core and Bernard getting the grunt work on the ground – the offense has the potential to score a ton of points.  For those new to this roster – the editors decided to allow Josh Gordon a roster spot seeing that nothing has been handed down by the NFL wrist slap department as of yet.

AFC North Defense

DE Geno Atkins

NT Haloti Ngata

DE Cameron Heyward

OLB Terrell Suggs

ILB Vontaze Burfict

ILB Lawrence Timmons

OLB Jason Worilds

CB Joe Haden

CB Jimmy Smith

S Donte Whitner

S Troy Polamalu

The defense is stacked with Steelers – and rightfully so.  Even though the defense struggled with the secondary and other isolated positional spots, there are some bright stars still shining in the ‘Burgh.  Heyward and Worilds both became beasts in the second half of 2013.  Timmons has always been good and consistent, continually showing off his middle of the field pass coverage, and Polamalu (despite having to play a different role for two season) is still one of the best safeties out there.  Continue to stack that deck with Atkins, Ngata, Smith, and Haden, and you are looking at a defense that will shut down an offense the closer they get to the end zone.

Here’s the AFC South All-Division roster:

AFC South Offense

QB Andrew Luck

RB Arian Foster

WR Andre Johnson

WR Reggie Wayne

WR Kendall Wright

TE Dwayne Allen

LT Michael Roos

LG Zane Beadles

C Chris Myers

RG Brandon Brooks

RT Duane Brown

AFC South Defense

DE J.J. Watt

NT Jurrell Casey

DE Chris Clemons

OLB Jadeveon Clowney

ILB Paul Posluszny

ILB Brian Cushing

OLB Robert Mathis

CB Vontae Davis

CB Johnathan Joseph

S Bernard Pollard

S Johnathan Cyprien

It’s not a very intimidating group of players – especially on the defensive side of the ball.  Clowney, an unproven rookie holds no weight against the AFC North’s offensive line considering he has not taken a snap as an NFL rookie.  He and Mathis would struggle to gain the edge around the North’s Smith and Thomas – are you kidding? No contest.

It might be a slightly biased opinion, but the scales are heavily tipped in favor of the AFC North…. and underdogs don’t count in the world of fantasy sports.

Ok Steeler Nation.  Time to weigh in and vote.  You can vote on this page, or visit NFL Spin Zone and vote there (for a second time, wink wink nudge nudge).  Have at it!

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