An Honest Look At Cleveland’s Place In the AFC North
Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Pierre Strong Jr. (20) runs with the ball beside Baltimore Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens (21) in the fourth quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
It was a disappointing day for Cleveland Browns football as they suffered a disappointing last-second loss to the Seattle Seahawks, while the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens took care of business against the NFC West opponents.
The Cleveland Browns are now 4-3 on the year and 1-2 in the division, which is good enough for third place in the division with the Steelers still holding on to the tiebreaker from their Monday Night Football victory.
The Cleveland Browns finally caught breaks in the prior two weeks as they squeaked away with last-second wins, but that luck ran out as not only did the offense fail to seal the victory in the last minutes of the fourth quarter, but the defense also collapsed as well.
As Week 8 has wrapped up, here is a look at the AFC North power rankings.
No. 4 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Even though the Steelers find themselves in second place in the division, I don’t think too many people will disagree that the Black and Gold will find themselves at the bottom pretty quickly. This team is so limited on offense that they are going to struggle to win every single game.
If you remember the Browns debacle on Monday Night, Cleveland’s offense actually gave up 14 points to the Steelers, which is the only reason they eked out the win.
And while T.J. Watt and this defense are really good — okay, Watt is better than just really good — they aren’t the dominant unit of years past. Teams have found a way to move the ball on them. They are still a good red-zone unit, which will help keep them in games, but until they get a quarterback it’s going to be tough sledding.
The biggest difference in this team from years past is that their running game is non-existent. We Browns fans know all too well that a below-average quarterback and no run game is not a recipe for success.
No. 3 – Cleveland Browns
As much as I would love to put the Browns higher on this list, I just can’t do it right now. Between the unknowns with Deshaun Watson and the Ravens and Bengals playing so well, it’s going to be an uphill battle once again to win this division.
Not to mention, that ugly Monday Night loss to the Steelers is already rearing its ugly head only eight weeks through the season. It was obviously a costly stumble at the time, a game where the Steeler defense scored 14 points and the only offensive points came on one explosive play. Yet it continues to drag them down the standings, both in and out of the division.
The questions around this team right now strictly concern the offense. Will Watson be ready to return next week against the Arizona Cardinals? Will he be out for multiple weeks? Right now, the organization is the only one with those answers. One thing is for certain: It’s going to be tough to win games with a backup quarterback.
Many are speculating that Andrew Berry will be active in the trade market to try and push this offense over the ledge, but honestly, I don’t think that will do any good. Until the franchise quarterback, to whom you guaranteed $230 million, can get on the field, it’s going to be a battle every single week.
It’s disappointing to see the Browns as third on this list, but we’ve known from the beginning that this was a tough division.
No. 2 – Cincinnati Bengals
Even though the Cincinnati Bengals are in the doghouse of the division right now because of a slow start, they have been on a tear the last three weeks, and Joe Burrow finally looks healthy. With three consecutive wins against the NFC West, they appear to be on a run to quickly take over the division.
I don’t think anyone would argue that the defense took a step back this year when they lost two safeties in free agency, but they still have an elite pass rush, and Burrow is right up there with Patrick Mahomes as best in the league.
This offensive line continues to get better, and if they can establish any type of run game over the back half of the season, they will once again be tough to beat in the playoffs.
Even though they got off to a slow start with losses to Baltimore and the Browns within the division, I still think they end up winning the AFC North. But this is a live look at things and I’m not ready to put them over the Ravens just yet.
No. 1 – Baltimore Ravens
At 6-2, I still have the Baltimore Ravens as the best team in the AFC North at the moment. Even through all the injuries they have suffered, they continue to find ways to win games. And while Lamar Jackson still has some limitations, he continues to improve throwing the football.
Had Baltimore not had the slip-up against the Steelers, I’m not sure they could have been caught in the division as they already beat the Bengals once before Burrow was healthy. That lone loss I think ends up costing them the division, and the final matchup with the Browns this season will likely decide who the second AFC Wild Card team will be.
Baltimore has always been a fantastic regular-season team, but they have struggled to show up to big games in January. While I think the Browns will have a tall order of winning in Baltimore in a few weeks, it will be the turning point of the season.
As I see it now, the three teams fighting for two spots will be the Bills (or Dolphins), the Ravens (or Bengals), and the Browns. That’s certainly some tough competition, but making the playoffs in the NFL is never an easy feat.
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