FanPost

A Side-By-Side Look at the AFC North (Part 2)

*For those who read part 1, sorry for the delay on part 2

I love comparisons in sports! Player "comps," specifically, are a fantastic way to evaluate a player's skill sets and effectiveness compared to other NFL stars. Greg Rosenthal (@gregrosenthal) from NFL.com is currently completing a series of articles on said website detailing the projected starting rosters for each team in the NFL. His Division-by-Division deep dive into each team is quite compelling, and frankly eye-opening. A player comp lover's heaven!

As a Steelers fan, Rosenthal's AFC North article opened my eyes to a fantastic truth: the Pittsburgh Steelers still have a top roster in the AFC! And it's not even a question. Let me prove it to you.

In this 3-part series I'll be giving a side-by-side comparison of the Steelers' roster compared to the other teams' in the AFC North based on Rosenthal's projected starters (with a few changes by me to highlight the specific matchup against each team). Beside each position, I will name the team who, in my opinion, owns the positional advantage, or I will write the word DRAW if it is too close to call. This afternoon, it's the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

OFFENSE COMPARISON (Steelers vs. Bengals = WINNER)

QB - Ben Roethlisberger vs. Andy Dalton = STEELERS

RB - James Conner vs. Joe Mixon = DRAW

WR1 - JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. A.J. Green = DRAW

WR2 - Donte Moncrief vs. Tyler Boyd = DRAW

WR3 - James Washington vs. John Ross = STEELERS

TE1 - Vance McDonald vs. Tyler Eifert = STEELERS

LT - Alejandro Villanueva vs. Cordy Glenn = STEELERS

LG - Ramon Foster vs. Glint Boling = STEELERS

C - Maurkice Pouncey vs. Billy Price = STEELERS

RG - David DeCastro vs. John Miller = STEELERS

RT - Matt Feiler vs. Jonah Williams = DRAW

DEFENSE COMPARISON

DL - Cam Heyward vs. Geno Atkins = DRAW

DL - Stephon Tuitt vs. Andrew Billings = STEELERS

EDGE - TJ Watt vs. Carlos Dunlap = STEELERS

LB - Devin Bush vs. Nick Vigil = STEELERS

LB - Vince Williams vs. Jordan Evans = STEELERS

EDGE - Bud Dupree vs. Sam Hubbard = STEELERS

CB - Joe Haden vs. William Jackson III = DRAW

CB - Steven Nelson vs. Dre Kirkpatrick = DRAW

CB - Mike Hilton vs. Darqueze Dennard = STEELERS

S - Sean Davis vs. Jessie Bates = BENGALS

S - Terrell Edmunds vs. Shawn Williams = STEELERS

COACH

Mike Tomlin vs. Zac Taylor = STEELERS

EVALUATION

On offense, the edge at QB decidedly goes to Roethlisberger. Andy Dalton has his moments, but the "blah" that is Dalton will never meet the caliber of QB that is Roethlisberger. Fact.

At the skill positions, I feel these two teams are very even. Conner vs. Mixon is a great debate, and both have similarly risen the ranks of NFL RBs. A draw here feels right. If he didn't have such an injury history, I would give AJ Green the win over JuJu due to overall skill and experience. It's a draw in my mind, however, because of those injury concerns for Green. At WR2 & 3, I give the Steelers a slight edge because John Ross has not yet proven to be worth the high selection the Bengals spent on him in 2017. James Washington has the ability to be the best of this group of complimentary WRs, so advantage Pittsburgh.

At TE, Greg Rosenthal placed the Bengals' CJ Uzomah ahead of Eifert due to injury history. I put Eifert back in, because, when healthy, he represents a significant step up from Uzomah. Still, the win goes to Vance McDonald as a slightly healthier, more trustworthy option at TE. (Disclaimer: Eifert at full strength would easily take this matchup, but he cannot stay on the field)

Along the Offensive Line, the Steelers maulers dwarf the Bengals collection of misfits, with Rookie RT Jonah Williams representing Cincy's best hope at a Pro-Bowl level player.

The Offensive Line and Quarterback for the Steelers set them apart from a Bengals team with some high quality skill-position talent. Don't be surprised if this Bengals offense is a top 10 unit in 2019. However, when it counts most, I trust the QB/OL combination of the Steelers more.

On the defensive side, what was once a feared front 7 and solid secondary in Cincinnati has become a more porous unit of late. In fact, in 2018, the Bengals defense was the worst in the NFL in yards allowed and 30th in scoring. Contrarily, the Steelers boasted a top 10 unit in every category except scoring, where it ranked a more respectable 16th. But let's look at the player comparisons, shall we?

Along the D-line, the Cam Heyward and Geno Atkins reach a draw as 2 of the best in the league at rushing the passer and stopping the run. Atkins has received more accolades than the perennially underrated Heyward, but both have All-Pro talent as leaders of their respective Defenses. As for the rest of the front 7's of these two teams, the Steelers easily outclass the Bengals as Tuitt and Watt specifically help lead a fast, fearsome, and improving Steeler D.

The secondaries of both teams are fairly even, though the balance does tip in Pittsburgh's direction due to it's better overall production as a unit. The Bengal's secondary was a sieve of yards and TD's in 2018, though individuals like William Jackson III and Jessie Bates had moments of stellar play. Terrell Edmunds has the ability to really breakout in 2019, and the combo of Joe Haden and Steven Nelson have shutdown potential. Advantage Pittsburgh.

Finally, at coach, Mike Tomlin vs. Zac Taylor can't even be an argument at this point, since we have yet to see Taylor lead an NFL team. Tomlin's ability to bring his team through a tough offseason will be scrutinized, but no one can deny his ability to produce winning teams. Taylor has the mind and moxy to be a good coach, but we need to see it first before this can become a debate.

SUMMARY

Again, looking at this Steelers roster, I don't see any true weaknesses. It is a top unit heading into 2019. Although this exercise did reestablish in my mind that the Steelers are a better team than the Bengals, I was surprised by the overall skill talent in Cincinnati, especially on Offense. Pittsburgh better not sleep on Cincinnati while focusing on the up-and-coming Browns and always-tough Ravens, or they may find themselves in some tough games against these cats.



The opinions shared here are not those of the editorial staff of Behind the Steel Curtain or SB Nation. These posts are not approved in any way by the editorial staff of this web site.