Baltimore Ravens

The 2015 All-AFC North Team (Offense)

Published Jan. 27, 2016 2:00 p.m. ET

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The AFC North had two teams in the postseason and two that will be drafting early in 2016. Surprisingly, the All-AFC North team is divided pretty evenly among the four teams. The Steelers and Bengals dominate the skill positions while the Browns and Ravens take hold in the trenches. 

Using "12" personnel with one running back, two tight ends, and two receivers, here are the best players at each offensive position in the division:

Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback

If Andy Dalton didn't break his thumb against the Steelers in Week 14, he may very well have gotten the nod over Roethlisberger, who also was injured twice in the regular season. Roethlisberger had the Pittsburgh offense humming down the stretch, making it one of the most feared units in the NFL. He completed 68 percent of his passes for 3,938 yards and 21 touchdowns with 16 interceptions while Dalton completed 66.1 percent for 3,250 yards and 25 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. 

DeAngelo Williams, running back

The Steelers' Williams had his best season since 2009 despite backing up Le'Veon Bell for six games. Williams' renaissance campaign minimized the dropoff after Bell went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 8, allowing the Steelers' offense to keep defenses honest with a two-dimensional attack. Wiliams finished the season with 907 yards and 11 touchdowns on 200 carries, adding 40 receptions for 367 yards in the passing game, heads and shoulders above any other back in the division.

Antonio Brown, wide receiver 

The Steelers' Brown and Atlanta's Julio Jones were the two best receivers in the league in 2015. Brown finished the year with 136 catches for 1,834 yards and eight touchdowns despite a subpar three-game stretch early in the season when Roethlisberger went down with a knee injury. Brown likely would have been the first receiver in NFL history to break the 2,000-yard mark and he also would have shattered Marvin Harrison's single-season record of 143 receptions if Roethlisberger didn't get hurt. Brown had two games that were just off the charts -- a 17-catch, 284-yard performance in Week 9 against Oakland, plus a 16-catch day with 189 yards and two touchdowns in a pivotal Week 15 win over Denver. 

A.J. Green, wide receiver

Another Pro Bowl season has become par for the course for Green, who hauled in 86 passes for 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Bengals. Green thrived once again despite being in an offense that tries to run the ball a little more than Pittsburgh. His biggest game came in Week 3 against the Ravens, when he caught 10 passes for 227 yards and twos scores in the fourth quarter, including an 80-yard catch-and-run.

Gary Barnidge, tight end

The Browns' Barnidge entered the season with 44 catches for 603 yards in 92 career games. Barnidge, who was supposed to be the backup to free agent signee Rob Housler entering training camp, took the job in preseason and never looked back. He caught 79 passes for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns, emerging as the Browns' most reliable weapon in the passing game. As for Housler, he was released after six games. 

Tyler Eifert, tight end

Eifert was able to realize his potential in his third season with the Bengals after a dislocated elbow in 2014 pushed his breakout campaign back a season. Eifert wasn't targeted nearly as much as Barnidge due to Green's presence on the offense, but he was Dalton's go-to guy in the red zone. Eifert led all tight ends with 13 touchdown receptions, and was actually leading all receivers before a few nagging injuries kept him out of three games down the stretch.

Joe Thomas, left tackle

The AFC North has two of the best two tackles in the league in the Browns' Thomas and Cincinnati's Andrew Whitworth, but Thomas was second to no one in 2015. Thomas allowed just two sacks and one quarterback hit all season, according to Pro Football Focus. He has yet to miss an offensive snap in his nine-year career, but still has yet to taste the postseason in Cleveland. He was a first-team All-Pro for the third straight season and has also been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his nine seasons. 

Kelechi Osemele, left guard

There is some solid competition up and down in the division at left guard. Joel Bitonio's slight dropoff from his standout rookie season paved the way for the Ravens' Osemele to get the nod this season over Pittsburgh's Ramon Foster and Clint Boling of the Bengals. Osemele was a top-five guard against both the run and pass, according to Pro Football Focus. His versatility showed even more over the last four games, when he shifted over to left tackle and more than held his own in place of Eugene Monroe.

Alex Mack, center

Mack got off to a slow start for the Browns coming off of last season's broken leg, but he regained his Pro Bowl form in the second half. With the Steelers' Maurkice Pouncey out for the season with a broken leg, Mack was an easy choice.

Marshal Yanda, right guard

Yanda was once again a dominant force for the Ravens, grading out as PFF's best guard in all of football. He allowed just one sack and one quarterback hit all season and was a first-team All-Pro selection for the second straight year. Pittsburgh's David DeCastro was a close second. 

Mitchell Schwartz, right tackle

The Browns' Schwartz came out of nowhere to emerge as one of the best right tackles in 2015 -- specifically in pass protection. His best game of the season likely came in Week 7, when he basically thwarted Denver sackmaster Von Miller from getting to quarterback Josh McCown. Schwartz was recognized as PFF's best right tackle, a big leap from last summer, when some were whispering that first-round pick Cameron Erving could supplant him in the starting lineup. 

Antonio Brown became the first player in NFL history with more than one 16-catch game in a season.

Browns tight end Gary Barnidge came out of nowhere to have a career year in 2015. 

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