By james art The AFC North continues to refuse to have a normal one, as teams expected to sweep its Week 8 opponents have struggled, while teams that have gone through massive upheavals in its ranks have actually pulled out wins. The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals fall into the first category, while the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns fall into the second category.
Both the Steelers and Browns have seen a change at quarterback in recent weeks, the Browns with Jameis Winston and the Steelers with Russell Wilson stepping in to start in place of Justin Fields. Both changes have worked great for both teams so far – a larger sample size is needed to see if it holds up. But so far so good for both teams looking to make some noise against their division rivals.
Read more: Browns can’t repeat history and pass up QB win for Deshaun Watson
Week 8 saw a changing of the guard at the top of the AFC North, with the Ravens slipping against the Browns and with the Steelers absolutely dominating two New York teams in the following weeks, culminating in a big win for Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football in Week 8. Bengals struggled against the Philadelphia Eagles’ shoddy defense, adding them to the list of struggling potential powerhouses in the division.
The Bengals are last on the power rankings list this week because they have yet to show how they plan to translate whatever success the team has had in recent weeks into consistent wins. Joe Burrow can’t carry the team on his back, nor can Ja’Marr Chase score for both units. The defense has to step up eventually, and so far it looks like it can’t stop in big moments. That led to the team falling against the Eagles in a scoring affair in Week 8, except Philadelphia was able to stop Cincinnati at some point. Allowing more points than you score per game won’t cut it.
Yes, the record speaks for itself – a loss to the Browns shouldn’t be a cause for concern for the Ravens moving forward. But the fact that Baltimore’s defense not only allowed Cleveland to score three touchdowns with a brand-new quarterback and play caller, but also allowed Winston to escape three separate near-pick throws is a problem.
Baltimore just never locked down in its second, allowing all of Cleveland’s receivers to reach over 75 receiving yards. In addition, Baltimore’s offense suffered as a result of Cleveland’s pass rush leading to so much pressure — Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith led the league and the team with nine combined in Week 8. If the Ravens try to reach the Super Bowl again, they will have to survive much better than they did in Week 8 against a top defense like the Browns’ defense.
Check them out! Who would have thought? Not me!
The Browns finally looked like a postseason caliber team in Week 8. A steady diet of passing through the receiving unit, actual use of David Njoku and his athleticism as a tight end, the slow and steady resurgence of Nick Chubb and a high-octane defense run by Garrett and Denzel Ward gave fans a glimpse of what could have happened this entire season — if the team hadn’t pushed Deshaun Watson as the QB1.
Everyone seemed empowered and motivated in Week 8 — and that could be because the team is feeling a little over their heads about their chances of making the postseason. Anything that works for motivation should be used though. 2-6 is tough to overcome, but finding a groove now while other teams — like the Bengals — continue to stutter through the season is a great sign.
Russell Wilson should have a vendetta against teams from New York. Or these teams just aren’t able to beat anyone. That said, the Steelers are legit. Their receiving corps has been solid all season while their defense is only allowing about 14 points per game to their opponents. Najee Harris has been an excellent threat for the team this year, and TJ Watt continues to be one of the best defenders in the league.
The Steelers have simply taken care of the job against the teams they’re supposed to. Looking ahead, Pittsburgh has to face the Washington Commanders, Ravens, Bengals and Browns in a very dense AFC North loaded schedule. If they can win most or all of those games, the Steelers look poised to win a chaotic AFC North division title.