Steelers: AFC North Power rankings

Week five proved to be very exciting for the AFC north. The four teams participated in three games, two of which went to overtime, and one that ended with a touchdown as the clock expired at the conclusion of regulation. While the divisional standings aren’t really that close it feels as though the race is heating up and that the records do not yet define the teams.

FIRST: BENGALS (5-0)

The Bengals were down 24-7 and then they rallied to beat the Seahawks. Andy Dalton has a quarterback rating of 115.6 on the season and looks the best he has so far in his career. Their offense just surpassed the Chargers as the second best in the league and they look like a strong contender in the AFC.

I feel the Steelers will still be very competitive against their rivals, with or without Ben Roethlisberger at the helm. November 1st the teams will meet in Pittsburgh in a game that will probably have very big implications in the AFC North division race.

SECOND: STEELERS (3-2)

The black and gold did exactly what it had to do. They had to avoid consecutive losses and as I have thought since Ben’s injury week three, they have to go .500 in his absence to stay competitive enough for a playoff position.

Mike Vick started very slow but sparked the offence in the forth quarter to get a needed road win in dramatic fashion. While the defense is still middle of the road statistically in the NFL, they provide enough splash plays to make a difference and the team in general could be very dangerous with all of their offensive pieces in place.

THIRD: BROWNS (2-3)

Cleveland has made it to the third spot for the first time this season after they beat the Ravens in Baltimore. Josh McCown threw for a team-record 457 passing yards and is the first Browns player in history to have three consecutive 300 yard games.

This shows how bad the Ravens are and how bitter that pill is to swallow for Pittsburgh that they lost to them at home. The Browns actually have a top ten offense in terms of yards but are still pretty much at the bottom of the league defensively.

FORTH: RAVENS(1-4)

Joe Flacco has no help around him and no receiving weapons to target, especially with Steve Smith out with a back injury. The defense that normally dictates their success is not the same and is on the field far to often to be effective. This looks to be a down year for the team and they are probably missing the playoffs.

The Ravens defense is on pace to give up the most yards in their franchise history, giving up over 500 total offensive yards to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Ravens find themselves in the basement of the AFC North with no real chance to get out of it.

Next: Steelers Vick steps up when it counts

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