Two AFC North Teams Listed as Potential Super Bowl Winners

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a difficult division to overcome this season.

Don't tell the Pittsburgh Steelers, but their friends in the AFC North are impressing national analysts a little bit more than themselves.

Sports Illustrated's Connor Orr predicted 12 teams that could win Super Bowl LVI. Of those 12, two AFC North teams made the list. None were named the Steelers.

The Cleveland Browns headlined the division by ranking third after the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (the two teams who played in last year's Super Bowl). The Browns finished 11-5 last season and beat the Steelers in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs before losing to the Chiefs.

The Browns were one of the more balanced teams in the NFL last year, despite some glaring holes on the defensive side of the ball. While it's always difficult to place too many expectations on the shoulders of rookie corners and hybrid linebackers, the additions of Greg Newsome II, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Tony Fields II made them significantly tougher and more versatile in a division that requires thickness to fend off serious downhill running, flexibility to match mobile quarterbacks and good tight end play, and multifaceted coverage skills for the wide variety of deep-threat receivers. Their running game is under the care of Bill Callahan, one of the greatest offensive line coaches and run-game coordinators in NFL history, and features a deep stable of backs who keep pressure off Baker Mayfield (he was under less pressure than only eight other quarterbacks in the NFL last year). If Cleveland can build on its success from a year ago and find itself as a slightly more capable team defending the pass, it could surge to the conference championship.

The Baltimore Ravens also appear to be one of 12 teams Orr is high on. Ranking 10th, the Lamar Jackson-lead Ravens are coming off a Divisional Round loss to the Buffalo Bills after finishing the season 11-5.

Having a gifted playmaker like Lamar Jackson ensures you'll be in the mix regardless of how circumstances fall around him. Last season was a disappointment, largely a reflection of some financial decisions the Ravens probably wish they could have back, as well as some critical roster happenings out of their control. The additions of two capable wide receivers into the scheme should be enough to bolster an offense that found itself susceptible to pressure (Baltimore was the 16th-most pressured team in football last year), given the team's tendency to run the ball. Jackson needs to change his heat map in order to be truly effective beyond what the scheme is providing, and bringing in both Sammy Watkins and Rashod Bateman will be a critical step in that direction. The Ravens are undoubtedly trying to stretch the field more this year, which brings us to a fascinating evaluation period for Jackson, who has already shown us so much.

The Steelers are coming off an offseason where they add a new running back, replaced four of their five starting offensive linemen and have questions pretty much everywhere. Not making the top 12 seems reasonable.

Pittsburgh would like to prove Orr and anyone else doubting them wrong, though. 

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.

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