NFL betting fans know that the Pittsburgh Steelers have dominated the AFC North throughout the decade and have won two years running. Considering the Steelers are the reigning Super Bowl Champions - and return with almost their entire roster intact - they should make it a three-peat in the North by the end of 2009. Here’s a preview of the AFC North division:

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have the best chance to unseat the Steelers in the North, but they have a few questions to answer after their surprising 11-5 season. The Ravens lost defensive coordinator Rex Ryan to the New York Jets and also standout linebacker Bart Scott. More importantly, they didn’t get any additional weapons to help out Joe Flacco on offense. The sportsbook odds makers believe the Ravens will finish second in this division, but they won’t push the Steelers like they did last year.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals have had a quiet offseason – believe it or not. While most sports picks will expect them to be the same horrible team again, the truth is that the Bengals have a healthy Carson Palmer, a healthy Chad Johnson and a mature Chris Henry. The Bengals have a competent offense and an improving, young defense. They won’t win the AFC North but they should be back around .500.

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are clearly the worst team in the division, but at least they have bottomed out. The Browns will hand over the reins to Brady Quinn, and they got rid of problem child Kellen Winslow Jr. New head coach Eric Mangini will instill plenty of discipline for a team that was extremely sloppy last year, but there just isn’t enough talent for this team to get back up to .500. Mangini will use anonymous parts to make this team overachieve, but in a tough division, this is clearly the weakest team that everyone will beat up on.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the Super Bowl champs, so clearly they are head and shoulders above everyone else in the North. They had a quiet offseason and didn’t lose any key players to free agency. After dealing with the toughest schedule in the NFL, the Steelers will have a much easier time with a manageable schedule this year. With plenty of roster consistency, there is no reason not to believe this team is the safest NFL bet in this division.