After a magical run that saw the Bengals win the AFC Championship, they entered the 2022 season with sky high expectations. Even still, the AFC North is a difficult division. The Ravens entered with high expectations of their own, the Browns quietly have a solid roster, and the Steelers seem to overperform when their expectations are lower.
AFC North Standings:
| Position: | Team: | Record: | Division Record: | Conference Record: | Strength of Schedule: |
| 1st | Baltimore Ravens | 6-3 | 2-0 | 4-2 | .465 |
| 2nd | Cincinnati Bengals | 5-4 | 0-3 | 2-3 | .556 |
| 3rd | Cleveland Browns | 3-6 | 2-1 | 2-5 | .494 |
| 4th | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-6 | 1-1 | 1-5 | .513 |
Baltimore Ravens:
Heading into week 11, the Baltimore Ravens sit atop AFC North with a 6-3 record. They’re in a similar position as they were last year at this time. That is, holding the top spot, while the 2nd team is close behind. They have shown at times that they can be a high powered offence, falling just short in a 42-38 loss to the Dolphins, putting up 37 on the Patriots, and putting up 27 on the Buccaneers and Saints. Their defence, meanwhile, has had some good games as well, including when they held the Bills to 23 points, and the Bengals to 17.
Despite the upside they have shown, the Ravens have had their share of struggles, even as they sit atop the division. For all of the offensive splurges, they have also gotten stuck in the mud along the way, thanks in part to some inconsistent play from Lamar Jackson, and injuries at WR and RB. These issues were evident in their matchup against the Bengals, a game in which they won off a last second field goal. They were also evident in a close win over the Browns, and a loss to the Giants. Their defence, meanwhile, has also had some injury problems, but overall, has been pretty solid since allowing 42 to the Dolphins.
Going forward, the Ravens will need to keep up their defensive performances, but also be a bit more consistent on offence, as a whole. The big question is, with Bateman out for the year, and Mark Andrews likely still a little banged up as well, can Lamar Jackson and their passing attack find consistency as the most crucial part of the season gets underway?
Cincinnati Bengals:
The 5-4 Bengals had their bye in week 10, allowing them to reflect on a mixed bag that has been their 2022 season thus far. The early season struggles that we saw last year also showed up this year. Play calling and inconsistent offensive execution was again to blame. Only this time, it had a much bigger effect on the win/loss column. After opening losses to the Steelers and Cowboys, the Bengals turned in better efforts against the Dolphins, Saints, Falcons, and Panthers. It was the defence carrying things early. Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard have been great off the edge, the LB’s have been good, and the secondary has largely shut down opponents.
Even after improvements were made, there were still some road bumps for the Bengals. In addition to the loss to the Steelers, divisional losses to the Ravens and Browns leave them at 0-3 in that category. With division wins being the top tie breaker for the division, the Bengals find themselves in a bigger hole than it would seem. As it stands, the Ravens are 2-0 in the division. Should this trend continue, they will likely hold the tiebreaker over the Bengals, essentially putting the Bengals 1.5 games back.
As the season progresses, the Bengals will need to put up points on offence, even while Ja’Marr Chase remains out, as the defence may potentially have some tough outings. Though DJ Reader will be returning, Chidobe Awuzie has been lost for the year, leaving a gaping hole in the secondary. Eli Apple and Cam Taylor-Britt are now set to start on the boundary. Coverage along the boundary will be the wildcard going forward. Will they be able to limit the damage without Awuzie, or will there be added pressure on the offence to win higher scoring games?
Cleveland Browns:
The 3-6 Cleveland Browns have also been a mixed bag this year. They started 1-5, blowing a big lead to the Jets in week 1, and then losing tight ones to the Chargers, Falcons, and Ravens, with a blowout loss to the Patriots mixed in. The big talking point surrounding them at the start of the season was Deshaun Watson, who had been given an 11 game suspension.
With Brissett filling in, they have had some flashes in the passing game, but far more inconsistencies. They are at their best when the run game is going strong, led by Chubb and Hunt. Their defence, meanwhile, has been quite underwhelming this year. On several occasions, they have been in high scoring games. While their DL, led by Myles Garrett, has been pretty good, their secondary has had some struggles.
Watson only has a couple of games left in his suspension, and will likely take over once he is back. Considering his severe lack of playing time over the past couple of years, you have to wonder what level he will be playing at. As well, will the Browns even be in the race by this time? At 3-6, a couple more losses may already have them out of it. In order to remain competitive, they will need to come away with at least another win in the next two weeks, but with those games being against the Bills and Buccaneers, the odds don’t look great.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
Like the Browns, the Steelers are 3-6. They currently occupy the bottom spot in the division. They were able to upset the Bengals in week 1, but have since been very underwhelming. TJ Watt got hurt, and Mitchell Trubisky was benched for rookie 1st rounder Kenny Pickett. The rookie has been bland up to this point, failing to push the ball down the field. Not helping matters is that the running game hasn’t been as effective as they had hoped.
The defence has had some poor games as well, but are also responsible for their wins. Good performances against the Bengals, Buccaneers, and Saints have allowed them to win low scoring games, while some of their losses have been low scoring as well.
With TJ Watt set to return, the defence will be relied on to keep the team in games. However, unless Pickett and the offence can improve, it may not be enough to turn around the season. At a lowly 3-6, it may already be a lost season for the Steelers.
