It hurts but the Steelers are waking up today in second place in the AFC North, Cincinnati is leading the division and their divisional record is 5-0 with only the Browns left to play. 

I keep reminding myself of 2005.  Remember back to 2005 when the Bengals won the division, the Steelers made the playoffs winning their final four to be the six seeded, wild card team.  That was the Bengals first playoff game since 1988.  The Steelers beat them then.  They even lost to Cincinnati once that season, at home. 

This year, the Steelers haven't beat them; they're swept and the only redemption will be if the Steelers again face the Bengals, in the playoffs.  Otherwise it's wait til next year and listen to all those big mouths run. 

At the start of the season I predicted the AFC South would have three 10 win teams.  The AFC North is a closer candidate for such elite status. 

I think Cincinnati will end 11-5, Pittsburgh with 11 or 12 wins and one of them will be a wild card, and even Baltimore, with 10 wins, is possible, when you look at their schedule.  In that scenario it's possible all three make it in or somebody sits on the outside looking in at the playoffs. 

If the Steelers have two more losses this season it's possible they will not make the playoffs at all.  They may have to run the rest of the table, unbeaten, to win the division and that's the only assurance of playing in January.  It's wide open.  Baltimore's toughest part of their schedule is behind them.  They could run the table.    Obviously everyone feels either Cincinnati (I think most would say the Bengals, now) or Pittsburgh will win the AFC North.  The Ravens are not to be overlooked.  With the emergence of the "real" Bengals, and the Steelers being who they always are, and the Ravens potential which is never in question, the 2009 AFC North finish should be very interesting to observe.