Once again, the AFC North is looking like one of the strongest divisions in football, with three of its four teams earning wins in Week 1. On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers will battle for an early leg up in the division and if their last matchup was any indication -- a dramatic last-minute win by the Steelers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs -- this should be a good one.
The Steelers looked absolutely dominant in their opener, walking all over Washington with impunity. Antonio Brown caught eight passes for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Running back DeAngelo Williams was also stellar, totaling 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bengals had much more trouble with the New York Jets. Andy Dalton threw for 366 yards, but just one touchdown against one interception. The Bengals as a team only managed to run for 57 yards, with Jeremy Hill putting up just 31 yards on nine carries. But they still came out on top when Mike Nugent kicked a 47-yard field goal in the final minute of play.
Experts over at CBS Sports favor the Steelers overall, with six of the eight going with Pittsburgh to win. All seven of the ESPN experts who had submitted their picks went with the Steelers to win at home.
Here at SB Nation, there’s a healthy split but one team comes out ahead:
| Game | RVB | Stephen White | Thomas George | Jeanna Thomas | Adam Stites | Tyler Tynes | Louis Bien | Joel Thorman | Fooch | OddsShark computer |
| CIN vs PIT | PIT | CIN | PIT | PIT | CIN | CIN | PIT | PIT | PIT | PIT |
Of the nine experts at SB Nation, six are going with the Steelers, as is the OddsShark computer. That leaves three picking the Bengals on the road. Sunday’s game is set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS.