Michael Moses:

This shouldn’t even be a debate. It’s the only team with Super Bowl experience — the team whose 29 year-old quarterback that has already played in three Super Bowls — the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the beginning of the season, the black and gold looked black and blue. They had no spark, no passion.

Sitting pretty at 5-2, look at ‘em now.

The new-look Steelers may still have the tough defense, but the offense is a different story. Led by Ben Roethlisberger, the offense is turning to their lightning fast receiving core. Mike Wallace, arguably the fastest player in the entire NFL, is scorching defenses by simply running streak routes. Wallace is third in the NFL with 730 yards receiving on just 36 receptions (20.3 yards per catch) and five touchdowns. Second-year receivers Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are also molding into legit threats. What used to be a whole lot of Rashard Mendenhall is becoming an aerial show.

Those who doubted the black and gold were quick to point out their weak offense line, continuously hampered by injuries. If you have followed the Steelers throughout the past five years, you’d know that they haven’t had a solid o-line in years, even during their two Super Bowl seasons. Roethlisberger thrives on extending the play with his feet, escaping the pocket and now bombing it to his young receivers.

The next two weeks are going to be tough when they face the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. From week 10 on, check out the Steelers’ opponents: Cincinnati (twice), Kansas City, Cleveland (twice), San Francisco and St. Louis.

Pittsburgh is ranked sixth in total defense this season. The top three teams? Baltimore, Cincinnati and Cleveland.

This will be a close year, that’s for sure, but never doubt a team with Super Bowl experience.

Contact Michael Moses at [email protected] and @michaelmoses13.

#KWMoses

Nick Shook:

Pittsburgh may be sitting atop the AFC North standings, but that does not make them the team to beat. A lack of depth along the offensive line, combined with a serious bite from the injury bug hasn’t fazed the 5-2 Steelers. However, football is a game that is won in the trenches, which is where Pittsburgh is the weakest.

I had previously been in the front row on the Baltimore Ravens’ bandwagon, but they decided to lay an egg (no pun intended) on nationally televised Monday Night Football versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, who entered the week with a 1-5 record. This leads me to select a new favorite in the division. Although I’m a diehard Cleveland Browns fan, I am not delirious and will not select the Browns. I will, however, keep it in the state of Ohio; that’s right, folks, I’m selecting the Cincinnati Bengals as the team to beat in the AFC North.

Cincinnati has come on like gangbusters in 2011. The Bengals, who weren’t expected to win more than four games, have already reached that mark in the first seven weeks of the season. Rookies have led the way for Cincinnati; quarterback Andy Dalton has completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 1,311 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 7:5. His main target is also a rookie in University of Georgia product A.J. Green. The fourth-overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft has reeled in 29 passes for 453 yards and four touchdowns in seven weeks of professional action. While Cincinnati has already found production by way of its two talented rookies, the franchise set itself up for future success just before the trade deadline.

Owner Mike Brown dealt inactive quarterback Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders for a first-round pick in 2012 and a conditional pick in 2013 that could become another first-round pick based on how well the Raiders perform this season. Cincinnati is already overachieving, based on pre-season predictions, and is poised to get even better in the coming years.

Although they may not win the division in 2011, the Cincinnati Bengals will certainly be in the forefront of AFC North opponents for years to come.

Contact Nick Shook at [email protected] and @Shookie_Cookie.

#KWShook