Pro Football Weekly's Steelers Preview

I just read Pro Football Weekly's 2007 Preview issue, and the editors appear to be clueless as far as the Steelers are concerned. Among other things, the Steelers' summary claims that QB Ben Roethlisberger "wasn't seriously injured" in his motorcycle accident last June, which makes me wonder what the author would consider serious injuries.

Overall, Pro Football Weekly (PFW) isn't particularly optimistic about the Steelers' chances in the AFC North, predicting a third-place finish and 7-9 record. For what its worth, the magazine has the Ravens finishing first at 11-5, the Bengals second at 10-6, and the Browns last at 5-11. While we don't yet know how new head coach Mike Tomlin will fare on game days, 7-9 sounds too pessimistic. The Chargers and Patriots appear to be the clear front-runners in what PFW describes as a "rugged" AFC, but I believe the Steelers—along with the Colts, Ravens, Broncos and Bengals—are also potential Super Bowl contenders.