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PITTSBURGH – The fluidity of the AFC North is reflected in the most recent ESPN NFL Power Rankings. The Steelers dropped two spots and lost ground to a pair of division rivals despite having a bye in Week 12. The Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens each moved ahead of the Steelers after their respective wins this week. The Bengals jumped from No. 13 to No. 10 after their second straight win. The Ravens moved from No. 14 to No. 11 after beating the New Orleans Saints for their second consecutive victory.  The Steelers are No. 14 -- they had been No. 12 last week -- and the Cleveland Browns are No. 16 after rallying past the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
All four teams in the AFC North are at least three games over .500, and the conference is as bunched together as its most competitive division. Eleven of the 16 teams in the AFC have winning records less than a week before Thanksgiving. This is the first time in NFL history that a conference has had 11 teams with a winning record through the first 11 games in a season, according to Elias Sports Bureau. “It is interesting but it’s of no concern to me or us as we prepare for New Orleans,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of how tight the AFC North is as well as the playoff race in general. “All we have to focus on is the stadium that we’re in. If we do what we need to do on a week-in-and-week-out basis then it’s not going to be required that we look around. We play some significant people moving forward.” Indeed, three of the Steelers’ five final games are against AFC teams that are prominent in the playoff picture, including two against the Bengals. They visit Cincinnati on Dec. 7 and hosted the Bengals in the regular-season finale on Dec. 28. The Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs a week before their rematch with the Bengals.
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