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Week 2 of the preseason is in the books for the AFC North division. Let's see who's stock is rising and falling.

Falling

1. Cincinnati Bengals' starters: Cincinnati's first team is getting hammered in the preseason. The Bengals are being outscored 41-10 in the first half when starters get a majority of playing time. That is inexcusable for the preseason. Starting slow is a habit the Bengals need to break. This team is too inexperience and not good enough this year to overcome these kind of deficits in the regular season.

2. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton: Cincinnati's second-round pick added two more interceptions Sunday night against New York. One interception was a drop and deflection from receiver A.J. Green, and the second was a pass that sailed too high. Dalton also had a poor exchange with tailback Cedric Benson that resulted in a fumble and a 17-yard loss. The growing pains continue for Dalton. He threw for 86 yards, two interceptions and had a 16.4 passer rating against the Jets.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive line: Via injuries and inconsistent play, the Steelers' offensive line remains a work in progress. Two left tackles -- Jonathan Scott and Marcus Gilbert -- both went down with injuries in Pittsburgh's 24-14 preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Pittsburgh's offensive line also is having trouble keeping players off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He played well but was sacked twice and hit several more times by Philadelphia.

Rising

1. Steelers' defense: Pittsburgh's first-team defense looked in midseason form with a healthy Troy Polamalu in the lineup. The Steelers baffled Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and forced three interceptions. Pittsburgh treated the first half like a regular-season game and was fast and physical. The Steelers return all 11 starters from last year, which is extremely valuable following the NFL lockout.

2. Browns quarterback Colt McCoy: Cleveland's second-year quarterback continued his solid preseason with a three-touchdown performance against the Detroit Lions. McCoy didn't throw for many yards (96). But he ran the offense efficiently for the second straight week.

3. Ravens receiver Lee Evans: It was a successful Ravens debut for Evans, who was recently acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills. He tied for the team lead with three catches for 68 yards in Baltimore's 31-13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The biggest play came on a hookup between Flacco and Evans for 43 yards. But Evans not only showed deep speed, he showed versatility. Evans' two other receptions came on a quick slant and out route for first downs.

Here are the most interesting stories Monday in the AFC North:

• Cleveland Browns backup running back Montario Hardesty (knee) will make his 2011 preseason debut Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Morning take: It will be good to see Hardesty back on the football field. Also, am I the only person who finds it ironic Philadelphia plays three AFC North teams to start the preseason?

• New acquisitions are making an impact for the Baltimore Ravens.

Morning take: Fullback Vonta Leach and receiver Lee Evans particularly looked good Friday night. Both are expected to help take Baltimore's offense to the next level.

• There is no ligament damage for Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackles Jonathan Scott and Marcus Gilbert.

Morning take: This is good news for the Steelers, who lack depth on the offensive line. Scott and Gilbert are the team's two left tackles responsible for protecting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's blind side.

• Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton knows the offense must get better.

Morning take: With a new system and a rookie quarterback, the lockout put Cincinnati's offense in a tough spot. But every team is dealing with the same circumstances. The Bengals need to be ready by Week 1.

It's not good to overreact to the preseason. But there were some concerning things we saw during the 2011 debuts in the AFC North.

The division went 1-3 and had several lackluster performances. The Cleveland Browns were the only team to pick up a victory, against the defending champion Green Bay Packers. So we want to know which of the three AFC North losing teams concerned you the most in Week 1 of the preseason.

Was it the Cincinnati Bengals? They lost 34-3 against the Detroit Lions and were pounded on offense, defense and special teams. Besides tailback Cedric Benson (six carries for 37 yards), there wasn't much to get excited about. The Bengals fumbled a kickoff, threw two interceptions and botched a field goal.

The Steelers didn't look great, either. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin admitted the Washington Redskins outplayed the Steelers in just about every phase in a 16-7 loss. No. 1 corner Ike Taylor also suffered a broken thumb and is expected to miss the rest of the preseason.

Finally, what about the Baltimore Ravens? Pass protection continues to be a huge issue. Baltimore gave up six sacks in a 13-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Is this reason to worry about the Ravens?

Using our SportsNation poll, vote on which preseason performance was most concerning in the AFC North. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Here are the latest happenings in the AFC North:

• The Pittsburgh Steelers will focus on new players Friday night when they open the preseason against the Washington Redskins.
• Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals believe they're ready for their preseason debut against the Detroit Lions.
• Here are some unanswered questions following the Baltimore Ravens' 13-6 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Are the Cleveland Browns correct to have confidence in defensive end Jayme Mitchell?

Here are the most interesting stories Friday in the AFC North:

• The Pittsburgh Steelers hope to tap into the potential of second-year outside linebacker Jason Worilds.

Morning take: Worilds won't get much playing time as long as LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison are healthy. But Pittsburgh's coaching staff hopes Worilds can provide a break for Woodley and Harrison during games.

• The Baltimore Ravens still have work to do following a 13-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Morning take: I don't like to make too much of the first preseason game. But here are the good things and bad things I noticed from Thursday's game.

• Here is a look at the Cincinnati Bengals' running backs.

Morning take: Tailback Cedric Benson and fullback Chris Pressley looked good during my visit to training camp this week. The Bengals plan to be very physical this year.

• Cleveland Browns rookie cornerback Buster Skrine has been a hit in training camp.

Morning take: Skrine reminds me of a mini-Joe Haden. He's small but aggressive and athletic. Skrine could be a late-round sleeper for Cleveland this season.

The Baltimore Ravens began their 2011 campaign Thursday night with a 13-6 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Here are several observations:

The Good

• Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco led the first-team offense to a field goal on the opening drive. Flacco finished 3-of-6 passing for 60 yards against Philadelphia's all-star secondary of Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Flacco's best throw of the night was to tight end Dennis Pitta for 27 yards.
• Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger played well. The former second-round pick recorded five tackles, one sack and another tackle for a loss. Kruger tried to bulk up last year to play defensive end but never looked comfortable. He is back to his natural playing weight around 265 pounds. The Ravens hope Kruger could be another pass-rushing threat to join linebacker/defensive end Terrell Suggs.
• Safety Bernard Pollard was active. He recorded two tackles, an interception and two pass defenses. Pollard recently signed as a free agent and is making an early impression. He is battling Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura for the strong safety job opposite Ed Reed.

The Bad

• Baltimore's pass defense didn't look good without first-round pick Jimmy Smith (groin), who was very limited and played a few plays. Philadelphia's explosive offense easily marched down the field against Baltimore's first-team defense. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick picked the Ravens' secondary apart. He completed 4 of 6 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive. Corners Lardarius Webb and Chris Carr remained in the game against the Eagles' second team, and Philadelphia's backups still had decent success through the air.
• Former first-round pick Michael Oher continues to struggle at left tackle. He gave up two sacks -- one to Trent Cole and the other to Darryl Tapp. The Ravens have to hope Oher just had an off night. Oher had a great rookie season at right tackle but has been inconsistent on the left side. His development is something to keep an eye on in the preseason.
• It was a mixed bag from rookie quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The sixth-round pick completed 19 of 28 passes but also made a pair of rookie mistakes and threw two interceptions. Taylor's first pick to Eagles safety (and Temple alum) Jaiquawn Jarrett sailed well above the receiver in the first half. Taylor threw another pick to Jarrad Page in the second half. The good news is Taylor showed plenty of flashes and athleticism. But he has to eliminate turnovers to gain full confidence from the coaching staff in his bid to back up Flacco.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced four key players will be out for Friday's preseason opener. Steelers guard Chris Kemoeatu, cornerback Bryant McFadden, receiver Emmanuel Sanders and rookie Cortez Allen will not play against the Washington Redskins.

Veteran receiver Hines Ward was not ruled out by Tomlin. Ward practiced in training camp for the first time on Monday following thumb surgery.

Tomlin added that it's possible Ward and other players could be ruled out closer to game time if needed.

The Baltimore Ravens were the first AFC North team to drop out the race. Due to labor uncertainty, the Ravens pulled the plug on holding their annual training camp in Westminster, Md.

Are the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals next?

Each day that goes by without a new collective bargaining agreement, Latrobe, Pa., and Georgetown, Ky., get closer and closer to missing NFL football this summer. Both small towns look forward to the Steelers and Bengals bringing excitement and business every year.

But with camps scheduled to start at the end of the month, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati may have a tough decision to make. Holding training camp away from the practice facility can be a logistical nightmare if time is an issue. The Ravens backed out primarily because they didn't feel they could properly plan and ship all the equipment to Westminster in a short period of time.

With a new CBA still uncertain, a reduced training camp also could factor in the decision. If camps and preseason games are sliced in half, for example, it's probably not worth it for teams to train away from its facilities this year.

These next two weeks are huge for labor negotiations. If there's not enough progress after that point, expect teams like the Steelers and Bengals to start backing out of their training camp commitments.

Remember Limas Sweed?

He was a former second-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers who joined the team in 2008 with high expectations. But for the past three seasons, Sweed has experienced disappointments and injuries, and now he's the forgotten man among Pittsburgh's wide receivers.

Sweed has gone from a high-profile draft pick to a player who enters training camp this summer on the roster bubble. At best, Sweed is currently sixth on the depth chart behind receivers Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown and Antwaan Randle El. Pittsburgh also could add more competition once free agency begins.

The numbers game could be too much for Sweed. He has the talent, size and speed to make plays. But early issues catching the ball and not making the most of opportunities have put Sweed on a very hot seat. He's also in the final year of his rookie contract, which makes it easier for Pittsburgh to cut ties.

Can Sweed help the Steelers in 2011? A lot would have to go right.

For starters, Sweed needs to light up the preseason to begin earning the trust of his coaches and teammates. Sweed also needs to prove he is recovered from last year's Achilles injury and may need an injury or two at receiver to provide another quality opportunity. But it is clear Sweed is down to his final chance in Pittsburgh.

Ryan Clark of the Pittsburgh Steelers says it's not worth it.

The Steelers' safety first opened a Twitter account in 2010 before the start of the football season, figuring it could be a fun way to communicate with fans.

Less than a year later, Clark had enough and shut down his account.

"I've been on there and had people use the N-word to address you and cuss at you and say things about your family," Clark said. "I've had people around Pittsburgh when they see you out having a drink with the boys say 'Oh, Ryan Clark is doing such and such.' It just became almost an invasion of your privacy in certain ways, and to me the positives from it weren't enough to outweigh that."

NFL players are starting to experience the repercussions of using Twitter. The website and social networking service is less than 5 years old, but in the past two years it has become one of the fastest-growing forms of communication.

Clark's story of quitting Twitter hits close to home because his Steelers teammate, Rashard Mendenhall, is among the latest group of high-profile athletes to get into hot water through social networking. Last week Pittsburgh's starting tailback and leading rusher made a series of controversial tweets regarding the death of Osama bin Laden and the events of 9/11, which caused a significant backlash.

The Steelers subsequently issued a statement and Mendenhall followed with a clarification and apology. But it was too late. A few days later, Mendenhall lost his endorsement deal with Champion and took a huge blow to his popularity -- all over a few 140-character messages.

"Some of these guys don't realize the ramifications down the road," said George Regan, who is chairman of Regan Communications Group in Boston. "You're playing with dynamite. It's very dangerous. They have to treat that as if they're in a press conference before a microphone."

Clark agreed that players need to be more aware when using Twitter.

"A lot of times you're sitting at home or sitting in a restaurant when you do these things, and you're not paying as much attention that it's going to go out to all the people that it does and be scrutinized in that same way," Clark explained. "But every time you step in front of a mike or step in front of a camera, you know tons of people are going to have access to this. Tons of people are going to see it."

New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush also stirred up controversy via Twitter this week. On Monday, Bush hinted that he's not too concerned about the NFL lockout, which is a sensitive subject in the sports world for fans, players and owners.

"Everybody complaining about the lockout! Shoot I'm making the most of it! Vacation, rest, relaxing, appearances here and there! I'm good!" Bush tweeted. "Right about now we would be slaving in 100 degree heat, practicing twice a day, while putting our bodies at risk for nothing."

Bush later explained he was joking after receiving plenty of negative backlash from his Twitter followers. Tone is something that's very difficult to accurately gauge on Twitter, which Bush learned the hard way.

"You have to be careful about humor," said Chris Rosica, head of Rosica Public Relations in New Jersey. "I would avoid humor in social media, as well as traditional media, because humor can be misconstrued. It's all in the perception of what you say, and online you don't really know the tone of voice."

Everyone is entitled to express opinions. But just as free speech is one of our country's greatest perks, it also can provide major risks for athletes.

The NFL has become America's most popular sport, which helps brand many of the league's good players. Athletes can not only make a lot of money for their athletic ability on the field but their marketability off the field, as well.

Mendenhall, for example, agreed to a 4-year contract extension with Champion on May 1 before the plug was pulled on his endorsement a few days later. Mendenhall essentially took money out of his own pocket through Twitter, which is not a good practice, especially during the NFL lockout.

With the amount of big bucks being spent to market athletes, major companies also are keeping tabs on social media.

"We have a guy here who monitors it all the time and is really into Twitter and following what our players say," Reebok NFL marketing manager Kurt Evans said. "We sign our guys and we have moral clauses in our contracts, and when an issue comes up, we debate what to do about it."

Twitter also can become a headache for public relations staffs for NFL teams, player agents and publicists, who are hired to protect the image of the team and the player. Twitter is often a direct bridge to the brain that cuts out the middle person. It only takes seconds to post the first thought that comes to mind, and once it's out there it becomes fair game for the media and public to consume.

Rarely does an athlete stop to seek advice before tweeting. Although in many cases it's not necessary, Mendenhall certainly could have benefited from consulting with his representation before expressing his controversial views last week. Chances are Mendenhall would have been advised to stay away from the touchy topic of bin Laden and 9/11.

"The problem with Mendenhall is he was giving opinions," Rosica said. "You can really hurt yourself because everyone is going to have a different opinion."

The NFL is still trying to get a handle on Twitter. Last year the league put guidelines in place for the first time during games.

Players cannot tweet or use any form of social media 90 minutes before kickoff until the end of post-game media sessions. Last August Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco, who has nearly 2 million followers, was fined $25,000 for breaking the league's Twitter policy in the preseason. But too many restrictions could raise questions about the NFL hindering free speech, leaving most of the onus still on the players.

Thousands of athletes from various sports are very much into social networking. Therefore, it's likely just a matter of time before the next high-profile player has a Twitter controversy.

But Mendenhall and Bush provide the most recent cautionary tales of tweeting gone bad. The biggest lesson athletes can learn from this is to think before you tweet.

Here are the 2011 preseason schedules in the AFC North:

Baltimore Ravens

Week 1: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs

Week 3: Washington Redskins

Week 4: at Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Week 1: at Detroit Lions

Week 2: at New York Jets

Week 3: Carolina Panthers

Week 4: Indianapolis Colts

Cleveland Browns

Week 1: Green Bay Packers

Week 2: Detroit Lions

Week 3: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 4: at Chicago Bears

Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 1: at Washington Redskins

Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles

Week 3: Atlanta Falcons

Week 4: at Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns rookie running back Montario Hardesty missed all of training camp and three preseason games leading up to his NFL debut. That is why there was some concern internally about how much workload Hardesty should receive before Thursday's season-ending knee injury against the Chicago Bears. Hardesty was placed on injured reserve Friday.

Browns head coach Eric Mangini said he met with president Mike Holmgren this week to discuss how to handle Hardesty, who was coming off a right knee injury. Even though Hardesty had no contact this summer, Mangini and Holmgren eventually determined it was best to give him a heavy workload.

The rookie went down in the first half after seven carries.

"I sat down with [Holmgren] and talked about it. It's a tough decision," Mangini said Thursday night. "You want to be able to see a guy, you want to make sure that he's prepared to play in the opener and do the things that he needs to do. You're also concerned about the volume of work he's been able to have up to that point."

The loss hurts Cleveland, but fortunately the team is deep at running back. Jerome Harrison and Peyton Hillis will be the team's primary rushers and James Davis is the team's third tailback. The Browns should still be able to run effectively this season.

Although it's very easy to question the Hardesty decision in retrospect, the Browns shouldn't be at fault for making this call. Thursday was Cleveland's last chance to see Hardesty before the regular season, and the coaching staff needed to gain trust in the rookie for when the games matter.

Injuries are an unpredictable part of the NFL that you cannot coach against.

The preseason is finally over. All four AFC North teams were in action Thursday night for their exhibition finales.

Here are some notes from each game:

Pittsburgh Steelers 19, Carolina Panthers 3

The Good

• Rookies Emmanuel Sanders and Jonathan Dwyer both made strong cases in their final chance to impress before Saturday's cuts. Dwyer, a sixth-round pick, led the Steelers in rushing for the second straight week with 86 yards on 20 carries. Sanders, a third-round pick, led Pittsburgh in receiving with 66 yards and a touchdown. Both players were up and down in training camp but came on strong late in the preseason to likely earn roster spots.

The Bad

• The huge negative was the left knee sprain to quarterback Byron Leftwich, who was expected to be Pittsburgh's Week 1 starter. Leftwich was hit low in the first half and didn’t return. Now his status is in question for the regular-season opener, where quarterbacks Dennis Dixon or Charlie Batch may have to step in against the Atlanta Falcons.

Cleveland Browns 13, Chicago Bears 10

The Good

• We mentioned quarterback Colt McCoy's perfect 13-for-13 passing earlier in the AFC North blog. So let's shift the focus to Cleveland running back James Davis, who likely claimed a roster spot. The backup was on the bubble but led the Browns in rushing with 66 yards against Chicago. Davis also caught five passes for 53 yards and showed good elusiveness to break tackles. Davis was the talk of the preseason last year when he led the Browns in rushing. But he's been quiet this exhibition season until Thursday.

The Bad

• Browns rookie running back Montario Hardesty's much-anticipated debut ended poorly as he suffered another knee injury. Hardesty missed all of training camp and three preseason games with a right knee injury. After seven carries, he hurt his left knee and was on crutches after the game. Hardesty came to Cleveland with a reputation of being injury-prone in college.

Baltimore Ravens 21, St. Louis Rams 27

The Good

• Baltimore rookie WR David Reed showed flashes. Reed recorded 138 yards on four kickoff returns. The fifth-round pick also caught three receptions for 65 yards. Reed is on the bubble but helped his case to be one of the final receivers to make the team.

The Bad

• We also mentioned Ravens quarterback Troy Smith earlier. But let's discuss the most unnecessary move we've seen in the AFC North this preseason, which was Dannell Ellerbe stopping at the goal line to taunt the Rams before scoring a defensive touchdown. Where to start with this one? First, the Ravens were losing. Second, it was the preseason. Third, Ellerbe is fighting for playing time and made a good defensive play look unprofessional. Baltimore coach John Harbaugh cleary wasn't happy with Ellerbe's antics.

Cincinnati Bengals 30, Indianapolis Colts 28

The Good

• The Bengals finally got great quarterback play from backups Jordan Palmer and J.T. O'Sullivan. Both players have been inconsistent this preseason but had their best efforts against Indianapolis. O'Sullivan was 9-for-12 for 102 yards, and Palmer was 10-for-14 for 114 and two touchdowns. This should bring a little bit of calm in relation to Carson Palmer's replacements heading into the regular season.

The Bad

• Cincinnati had another double-digit penalty game with 11 infractions. Sure, a lot of backups played Thursday, but there were some on the field who will contribute in the regular season. Cincinnati doesn't seem concerned about its penchant for penalties. But we will see if it disappears or carries over when the games count.

Here are the most interesting stories Friday in the AFC North:

• It appears a sprained knee could keep Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich out for the Sept. 12 opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

Morning take: That would leave Dennis Dixon or Charlie Batch. Based on reps this summer, Dixon would be next in line. But this quarterback derby has been unpredictable from the start.

• Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Colt McCoy was a perfect 13-for-13 in the preseason finale against the Chicago Bears.

Morning take: This was a much-needed performance from McCoy, who struggled most of the preseason. It was a good ending considering McCoy likely will sit the entire 2010 season.

• Baltimore Ravens quarterback Troy Smith struggled in the preseason finale against the St. Louis Rams.

Morning take: This was a showcase game for Smith. But he didn't help himself, throwing for 237 yards and two interceptions. Smith remains on the Ravens' bubble.

• Did Mike Nugent earn the Cincinnati Bengals' kicking job with his second 50-yard field goal Thursday?

Morning take: Nugent has been hurt most of camp, but when healthy he's produced. The Bengals have a tough decision to make between Nugent and Dave Rayner.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns received injury scares Thursday night in their preseason finales.

Pittsburgh quarterback Byron Leftwich and Browns rookie running back Montario Hardesty suffered left knee injuries in the first half. The extent of both injuries is unknown, but neither player returned to the game.

According to the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, Leftwich will undergo an MRI to determine the damage. Based on reps this summer, Dennis Dixon is the next player in line if Leftwich cannot play. Dixon, who completed his only pass against Carolina on Thursday, did not distinguish himself (two interceptions) in extended action Sunday against Denver. According to Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson, Dixon still is the best choice to replace Roethlisberger during his suspension.

Leftwich was the favorite to start in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons as Ben Roethlisberger begins his suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.

Browns fans were excited about Hardesty's debut after he missed all of training camp and three preseason games with a right knee injury. But against Chicago on Thursday night, Hardesty was hurt on a 2-yard carry in the second quarter. The second-round pick had a reputation as a talented but injury-prone running back at the University of Tennessee.