Browns Comeback Creates Tight AFC North Race

The Cleveland Browns comeback should do a lot of good for the team and their fans. Hopefully at some point the team can win a few convincingly, starting with the Pittsburgh Steelers at home this weekend. A win is a win though and the Browns can celebrate, including Brian Hoyer dancing after the win (check out the video it is well worth it).

The win was obviously big for the Browns but results around the AFC North create an interesting and tight AFC North Race, one that the Browns are squarely in.

The Steelers squeaked by the winless, and bad, Jacksonville Jaguars. That is an encouraging sign going into next week’s game. The Steelers fell to 3 – 2 on the season and have not looked great for most of their 5 games. They gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their only win of the season.

The Baltimore Ravens lost their second game of the season, also dropping to 3 – 2, with their loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The Ravens’ injuries to their offensive line caused problems for their offense all day long. The Ravens finally got some scoring drives late, 10 points in the fourth quarter, to get the game close. The Ravens take on the Bucs next week in a game that they should win.

The Cincinnati Bengals finished off the positive day for the Browns when they ran into the buzz-saw, angry New England Patriots. Tom Brady was on point and the Bengals offense struggled to do much of anything in a 43 – 17 beat down. Andy Dalton seemed to regress a bit and now the one loss Bengals face a daunting three game stretch facing the Panthers, Colts and Ravens. Not an easy task for any team. Marvin Lewis, Hue Jackson and the rest will be tested.

All of that leaves the AFC North up for grabs. The Browns and Bengals have had their Bye Weeks so they have played one less game. Currently the Browns sit one game behind the Bengals for the Division lead and a half a game behind both the Ravens and Steelers. Those two teams own tie breakers currently over the Browns, based on head to head victories, but the Browns will have another shot at each, starting this weekend.

While we just completed Week 5 it is nice to be able to talk about the Browns in competition in the division. The AFC North promises to be highly competitive and sits as the only division without a team with a losing record. The Browns comeback Sunday made sure of that.

What do you think of the Browns chances in the AFC North?