2015 NFL Predictions: AFC North

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1st Place- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)

The Steelers will see a slight drop in production from last year to this one. The drop won’t be big, and it certainly won’t be noticeable when watching this team’s offense.

The Steelers offense shouldn’t lose much power this season, but it most likely won’t be quite as potent as it was. This is due partly to the fact that their offensive line lost pro bowl center Maurkice Pouncey to injury in their second preseason game. A loss like this will hurt both the Steelers’ running and passing games. However, the Steelers still have Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and Ben Roethlisberger. All three of these players are among the best at their position and will instantly make the Steelers offense one of the deadliest in the NFL.

The aspect of the team that holds the Steelers back from being elite, as well as a Superbowl contender is the defense. Their defense was once the bread and butter of the team, but in recent years it has dissipated. With the loss of Troy Polamalu a new era of Pittsburgh defenders has officially begun. They’ve got some young talent along their front seven with names like Ryan Shazier and Stephon Tuitt. They’ve also got fiery veteran James Harrison. Their biggest weakness comes in their secondary. They just traded for Eagles’ slot corner Brandon Boykin for some talent, but they still lack any sort of depth or true lockdown corner. Any defense with a secondary as porous as the Steelers’ is sure to have some troubles.

The Steelers play in a tough division and lack the defense to slow down some of the divisions other offenses. Luckily they have one of the NFL’s best offenses, which makes up for a lot of defensive deficiencies. However, it won’t be enough to make them more than an above average team.