NFL Teams Betting - Pittsburgh Steelers - AFC North

The Steelers return every starter on defense and all but three on offense and have a quarterback who went 15-1 in his first 16 professional starts so why should they slip significantly? They have two power runners and a defense that refuses to give up a yard rushing without a fight. That's enough to get them back to the playoffs unless Roethlisberger suffers a serious sophomore jinx.

The Steelers, long a model of stability, are in transition. They released a handful of key veterans, including iconic wide receiver Hines Ward, during the offseason and made the first major coaching change of Mike Tomlin’s tenure. The question of whether they are revamping or rebuilding will be answered this season as they have to contend with bitter rival Baltimore and rising Cincinnati, and that is just in the AFC North.

For all of the moves they made during an offseason that was busier than in most years, the Steelers’ nucleus remains largely intact. They return every starter on offense, though running back Rashard Mendenhall may not be ready at the outset of the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in a Jan. 1 game at Cleveland. The defense has to replace two starters and again fend off criticism that it has become too old (read: slow). Seven of the projected 11 starters are over 30 years old, and the defense let down the Steelers in a 29–23 overtime playoff loss to Denver.