By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

AP Photo Cleveland's Tim Couch

The Bengals will play the 2002 season in a new division with a new name - the AFC North - but their rivals will be anything but new.

The Bengals were 3-3 against Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore - winning all three games at Paul Brown Stadium but scoring just seven points and being shut out twice on the road.

Overall, the Bengals were outscored 97-78 in those six games.

The Steelers are the class of the division. The Browns are on the rise. The Ravens, ravaged by salary-cap roster cuts, will be looking up at .500.

Here is a closer look at the Bengals' division rivals:

Ravens

Thirteen starters are gone from last season. They lost seven of the defense's top 11 tacklers. And quarterback Chris Redman has two NFL completions in two seasons.

Any success Baltimore hopes to have this season will depend on the surgically repaired knee of running back Jamal Lewis.

A healthy Lewis, a 1,300-yard rusher as a rookie in the Super Bowl season, missed all of last year and will be counted on to provide a ball-control game to keep pressure of Redman and the defense.

But the word out of Baltimore is that Lewis might not be able to carry the ball 25 times a game until the second half of the season.

The offense did not score a touchdown in the first three preseason games, prompting coach Brian Billick to respond to criticism.

"About midway through the first quarter against Carolina (in the opener) no one is going to give a flip who scored what and when in the preseason,'' he said.

Browns

Second-year coach Butch Davis has tired of the talk of his team's potential.

"I think we need to stop listening to a lot of the press reports saying how good we're supposed to be and play the way we should,'' he said.

Davis is credited for changing the team's attitude for the better, but an examination of last year's numbers suggests the Browns are further away than their 7-9 indicated.

They were ranked last in offense, and, despite a team record 33 interceptions, the defense was ranked No. 22 overall - 29th against the run.

Offensively, quarterback Tim Couch figures to have a running game for the first time in four seasons. Top pick William Green will run the ball 20 times a game. But questions remain about the ability and depth on the line.

The defense, anchored by linemen Courtney Brown and Gerard Warren, took a hit in the preseason when Pro Bowl linebacker Jamir Miller was lost for the year with a torn Achilles tendon. But Davis is thrilled with replacement Darren Hambrick.

Steelers

They're coming off a 13-3 season, but their third AFC title game loss in the past eight years.

Led by tailback Jerome Bettis, Pittsburgh is determined to get to the Super Bowl. And to go with their outstanding defense, the Steelers finally appear to have struck some balance between the rushing and passing under offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey.

The Steelers return 20 of their 22 starters, but three new faces could make big contributions in Pittsburgh: kicker Todd Peterson, linebacker James Farrior and slot receiver Antwaan Randle El, who will team with Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress in three-receiver sets.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com.