Going back several years, we have become used to the AFC North being a strong division, often, one of the league’s best. However, the division as a whole has looked much weaker this year. Injuries have played a large part in this, as well as some weak defensive units. This is especially the case for the Bengals. But through 10 weeks of game action, the standings would point to a wide open race between three teams. Is this actually the case, or can looks be deceiving?
| Position: | Team: | Record: | Division Record: |
| 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-4 | 1-1 |
| 2 | Baltimore Ravens | 4-5 | 1-0 |
| 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | 3-6 | 2-0 |
| 4 | Cleveland Browns | 2-7 | 0-3 |
Pittsburgh Steelers:
The Steelers currently sit atop the division with a 5-4 record. It has been an interesting season in Pittsburgh. Future Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers is in his first year with the team, and he seems to have their offence playing better than they have been in the past couple of seasons.
The defence, on the other hand, has had their struggles. They narrowly won a shootout against a Jets team that generally has struggled offensively, outside of a few outlier games. In week 2, they gave up 31 against a good Seahawks team, and in weeks 7 and 8, they gave up 30+ in losses to the Bengals and Packers, respectively,
When the Steelers beat the high powered Indianapolis Colts 27-20 in week 9, it looked like things might be trending upwards again. However, a 25-10 primetime loss to the Chargers in week 11 only raised more questions. While they currently lead the division, do they have what it takes to hold on in the back half of the season?
Baltimore Ravens:
The Ravens sit in 2nd place in the division, despite having a losing record. At 4-5, this is actually a good spot for them, considering where they were not too long ago.
It was a rough start to the season in Baltimore, as the Ravens got hit with a tough schedule. Facing the Bills, Lions, and Chiefs all within the first 4 weeks of the season was about as tough as it could have been. It resulted in 3 losses, with only a win against the Browns lumped in with them. The problematic 1-3 start was compounded when starting QB Lamar Jackson was forced to miss a handful of games. Cooper Rush filled in, but could not get anything going, while their defence was extremely porous.
Off to a 1-5 start, things were looking bleak. However, in week 9, they shifted away from Rush, and handed things over to Tyler Huntley. He performed well in his first start since returning to the Ravens, leading them to a 30-16 win over the Bears. Lamar Jackson returned the next week, and has since led the Ravens to two straight wins, knocking off both the Dolphins and Vikings.
At 4-5, the record isn’t the prettiest, but the Ravens are now on a hot streak after starting 1-5. Although they aren’t at the top of the division, they are just a game back, and seem like the favourites to eventually claim that top spot.
Cincinnati Bengals:
Well, here we are. The Bengals currently sit in 3rd place in the AFC North, at 3-6, despite getting off to a hot 2-0 start. But really, I don’t think anyone can truly say they are surprised, given the circumstances.
Joe Burrow got hurt during the team’s week 2 win over the Jaguars, but Jake Browning was able to lead them to a last second comeback victory. Unfortunately, Browning could not sustain his success. In fact, he performed so poorly that the front office was prompted to trade for Joe Flacco, acquiring him from the Browns.
Flacco completely revitalized what had previously been an anemic Bengals offence. In his last 3 starts with the team, the offence has averaged 37.7 points. They only put up 18 in his first start, but that easily could have been 30+ too, had the leash not been so tight in the first half.
So with the offence now flying high, you might figure that they strung a few wins together. If you did, you’d be wrong. The only win in Flacco’s four starts came against the Steelers in primetime. The losses, especially in weeks 9 and 10 against the Jets and Bears, came at the hands of a historically bad defence.
The Jets entered that game with a winless 0-7 record, injuries, and an offence that struggled mightily to move the ball. But somehow, they put up 39 points to beat the Bengals by 1. Then, just one week later, the Bengals managed to worsen their defensive performance, giving up 47 to the Bears, and wasting what could have been an insane comeback win.
The Bengals are two games back of the division leading Steelers, and they will get a chance to close the gap when they face the Steelers in week 11. With the offence firing on all cylinders, it would look like the Bengals are right in the thick of it. However, with the defence’s historic struggles, you have to wonder how realistic it is for them to string together enough wins to remain competitive down the stretch. Especially when they face the Bills, Patriots, and Ravens x2, the hill might be too high to climb. But we will see.
Cleveland Browns:
The Browns, at 2-7 and 4th in the division, are the only team definitively out of the race for the AFC North title. Their first win came as a big upset against the Packers, back when Flacco was in Cleveland. After that, they managed an outlier victory over the Dolphins.
When Flacco was traded, the Browns went to rookie 3rd rounder Dillon Gabriel. With Gabriel running the show, the offence has largely struggled, despite having a defence that is good enough to keep them in it.
In Cleveland, they are observing their young players, and it is likely that, with Dillon’s struggles, we will see fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders start at some point. From an evaluational standpoint, this may help the Browns determine whether or not they draft another QB in April. But as for this season, it won’t amount to much beyond another high draft pick and the evaluation of younger players.
Featured Image Via: Erik Drost (CC)