The Pittsburgh Steelers placed a respectable 12th in ESPN’s most recent power rankings, but while that’s one of the better teams in the league, it’s the lowest ranking in the AFC North.
Mike Clay put together the season power rankings, writing that Pittsburgh’s defense will lead the way.
“Pittsburgh gets a big boost from its elite T.J. Watt-led defense, but offensive line improvements and a leap from Pickett could help this team return to contender status in the AFC.”
There’s zero doubt that if the offense can take a significant leap in QB Kenny Pickett’s second season that the Steelers could emerge as AFC contenders. Along the offensive line, the team added Isaac Seumalo who will start, and Broderick Jones (for now) and Nate Herbig provide depth that really helps round the unit out.
But Clay is high on the rest of the AFC North, and seems to be higher than most on the Cleveland Browns. He has Cleveland ranked eighth in his power rankings, while the Cincinnati Bengals come in at No. 4 and the Baltimore Ravens at No. 11.
The Browns success will largely depend on the play of QB Deshaun Watson, who didn’t like his prior self after returning from suspension last season. Cincinnati are the favorites, but QB Joe Burrow is coming off a calf strain and no team has won the current iteration of the AFC North three times in a row (Cincinnati has won it in back-to-back seasons). Baltimore is working with a new offensive coordinator, with Todd Monken’s scheme likely to be more pass-heavy than Baltimore has been in recent years.
Every team in the division has a chance to win it, and it’s pretty wide open. But it’s a little surprising to see Cleveland ranked so high, especially when they seem to underperform relative to expectations every year. It’s hard to argue about where Pittsburgh is ranked, though, given there are legitimate concerns about their offense being able to take a leap, even after a promising preseason. However, I’d argue the Browns’ concerns at quarterback and across the offense are more worrisome. Watson is a bit of an unknown at this point and they’re worse at receiver, so to see them ranked eighth was definitely a little surprising.
Either way, the game isn’t played on rankings, and with Week One a week away, things will start to get clearer. The AFC North will be a grind all year, but if Pittsburgh’s offense can prove that they’ve grown, they’ll have as good a shot as anyone to make the postseason and win the division.
