ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

There were lots of heroes and very few goats to choose from after the AFC North went 3-1 in this week's games. Still, here is a look at who's hot and who's not in the division:

Who's hot?

Rice

1. Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens
I have to give credit to Scouts Inc.'s Jeremy Green on this one. He told me in the spring that the Baltimore Ravens really got a steal in nabbing rookie Ray Rice out of Rutgers in the second round. And from the first day of training camp, we liked what we saw. Rice had his best game of the year with 154 rushing yards on 21 carries Sunday in a 37-27 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Rice averaged a stellar 7.3 yards per carry and also had 22 yards receiving through the air.

Harrison

2. James Harrison, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh's defense was dominant Monday in a 23-6 win over the Washington Redskins, so it was difficult picking one player from that unit when at least four or five probably deserved a game ball. But we're going to give the game ball to linebacker James Harrison, who dominated Washington Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels on his way to nine tackles, 1.5 sacks, and four quarterback hurries.

3. Chad Ocho Cinco, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Ocho Cinco

Perhaps Ocho Cinco is gearing himself up for a big second half. He finally had a breakout game this season with two touchdowns on five catches and 37 yards. Football looked fun again to Mr. 8-5 again, which hasn't been the case for the most part this season. His performance led to Cincinnati's first win of the season, 21-19, over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Who's not?

1. The Cleveland Browns' defense
After leading by two touchdowns Sunday, Cleveland gave up 24 unanswered points at home in the second half against the Ravens. That is unacceptable, especially in the biggest game of the Browns' season that likely ended all hopes for the playoffs. Granted, one touchdown was on an interception return when the Browns were already down, but with a double-digit lead late, it's up to the defense to shut it down.

Edwards

2. Braylon Edwards, WR, Cleveland Browns
The Browns receiver continued his up and down season with another series of big drops in a loss to the Ravens. His potential bomb in the fourth quarter that slipped through his hands was one of the biggest plays of the game and signaled the beginning of the end for Cleveland. Although there is no official stat for drops in the NFL, Edwards has between 13-18 dropped passes this season. Those add up to the difference between winning and losing games.

Crennel

3. Romeo Crennel, head coach, Cleveland Browns
We have to make it a rare Browns trifecta this week. In addition to the tough loss, Crennel addressed the media Sunday and Monday essentially saying there will be no quarterback change in Cleveland. Hours after his press conference, ESPN's Trent Dilfer broke the story that the Browns will make the switch to backup quarterback Brady Quinn. This gives the indication, at least publicly, that this was not Crennel's decision. No one will know that for sure unless Crennel admits to it, but it still looks bad.