AFC NORTH: STEELER SWAN SONG FOR BELL, WHILE FLACCO EYES REBIRTH

1 STEELERS

COACH: Mike Tomlin 2017 RECORD: 13-3 O/U WINS: 10 ¹/2 SUPER BOWL ODDS: 12/1 FIRST-AND-GOAL: QB Ben Roethlisberger welcomes more no-huddle and new offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. WRs Antonio Brown (right) and JuJu Smith-Schuster are Batman and Robin. RB Le’Veon Bell won’t be rusty from his preseason holdout for long in a contract year. The offensive line is top five. OLB T.J. Watt (seven sacks as a rookie) should reach double digits, which would help DE Cameron Heyward (12 sacks). ILB Vince Williams provides leadership. RB James Conner and rookie WR James Washington had impressive summers. CB Joe Haden anchors a young secondary that includes promising Artie Burns and Mike Hilton. Surprise first-round rookie S Terrell Edmunds will help Morgan Burnett replace Mike Mitchell. FOURTH-AND-LONG: ILB Ryan Shazier will be difficult to replace. Big Ben is much better at home than on the road. The Patriots and Jaguars have their number. Is Tomlin on the hot seat?

2 RAVENS

COACH: John Harbaugh 2017 RECORD: 9-7 O/U WINS: 8 SUPER BOWL ODDS: 40/1 FIRST-AND-GOAL: Matt Judon is ageless Terrell Suggs’ pass-rush

bookend. Tim Williams and Za’Darius Smith will help. Safeties Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson are a formidable tandem. ILB C.J. Mosley has eight INTs and 30 passes defensed in his four seasons and registered 132 tackles in 2017. Michael Pierce is an emerging nose tackle. The players love new defensive coordinator Don

“Wink” Martindale’s aggressiveness. Is QB Joe Flacco (below) really ready for a bounce-back season? RG

Marshal Yanda returns after missing most of 2017 (ankle). He’s a six-time Pro Bowler. WRs Michael Crabtree and John Brown are better than what Baltimore has had, which isn’t much. RB Alex Collins (973 rushing yards in 2017) is ascending. PK Justin Tucker is elite. FOURTH-AND-LONG: Even with Yanda, the line could be an Achilles heel. Right tackle is unsettled, and could be won by rookie Orlando Brown Jr. Losing C Ryan Jensen to the Bucs hurts. First-round rookie TE Hayden Hurst (foot) will miss the early part of the season. Covering tight ends is a concern.

3 BENGALS

COACH: Marvin Lewis 2017 RECORD: 7-9 O/U WINS: 6 ¹/2 SUPER BOWL ODDS: 100/1 FIRST-AND-GOAL: Only once in his last seven seasons has WR A.J. Green failed to reach 1,000 yards. DT Geno Atkins (29 sacks over last three seasons) and DE Carlos Dunlap (64.5 career sacks) are top shelf. LT Cordy Glenn and first-round rookie C Billy Price upgrade a nightmare line. New offensive line coach Frank Pollack replaces Paul Alexander. RB Joe Mixon (below) will be the bellcow. Ickey Woods loves him. TE Tyler Eifert is a weapon when he’s healthy. He missed 14 games last season. William Jackson highlights a talented cornerback group. Keep an eye on second-year WR Josh Malone. He’s 6-foot-3, 200 pounds and runs a 4.4 40. FOURTH-AND-LONG: Volatile LB Vontaze Burfict serves a four-game suspension. Blazer WR John Ross (knee, shoulder) didn’t catch a pass in 2017. He was the ninth pick of that draft. This might be QB Andy Dalton’s last season in Cincy. He’s been trending in the wrong direction and he hasn’t won a playoff game. And neither has Lewis. The guard position remains worrisome.

4 BROWNS

COACH: Hue Jackson 2017 RECORD: 0-16 O/U WINS: 5 ¹/2

SUPER BOWL ODDS: 60/1 FIRST-AND-GOAL. QB Tyrod Taylor (below) won’t commit reckless turnovers, and No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield doesn’t seem to realize he’s no bigger than Drew Brees. His imitation of GM John Dorsey on “Hard Knocks” was spot on. Jackson better start him sooner rather than later. WR Jarvis

Landry is a 100-catch chain mover. The interior of the offensive line will let RBs

Carlos Hyde and rookie Nick Chubb run to some daylight. RB Duke Johnson caught 74 balls last season. Rookie CB Denzel Ward better be as advertised on an upgraded secondary; Dorsey passed on DE Bradley Chubb. DE Myles Garrett (seven sacks as a rookie) is destined for double digits. Jamie

Collins, Joe Schubert and Christian Kirksey form a solid linebacker corps. Jabrill Peppers struggled at free safety and will flourish in the hybrid linebacker role. TE David Njoku should be an athletic red-zone weapon.

FOURTH-AND-LONG: Retired HOF-bound LT Joe Thomas is irreplaceable. Jackson (1-31) is not. WR Josh

Gordon remains a mystery; can he straighten his life out and realize his immense promise? Garrett would have welcomed Chubb as his bookend. The schedule — AFC West, NFC South — won’t help. Welcome back to the School of Hard Knocks.