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Cleveland Browns: AFC North ranked low in divisional power rankings

By Steven Kubitza

BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 10: Fullback Kyle Juszczyk #44 of the Baltimore Ravens scores a two-point conversion past strong safety Ibraheim Campbell #24 of the Cleveland Browns in the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 10, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 10: Fullback Kyle Juszczyk #44 of the Baltimore Ravens scores a two-point conversion past strong safety Ibraheim Campbell #24 of the Cleveland Browns in the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 10, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Browns fans are accustomed to the AFC North being a tough division, but that may be changing in 2017 and beyond.

Cleveland Browns fans have not had the luxury of enjoying a lot of divisional wins over the past two decades.

While fans of the other three AFC North teams can usually chalk up two easy wins each season, Browns fans are shocked when a win comes against a divisional foe.

The Browns have been bad, but the lack of success is also because the rest of the competition was so good. That may be changing, as evidenced by the AFC North’s ranking in a recent list by CBS Sports that ranked each division in order from worst to best. The AFC North came in sixth out of eight, with the NFC East finishing first.

From the article:

"The scary thing for AFC North fans is that this division could actually get worse in 2017: The Browns don’t know who their starting quarterback is, the Bengals lost their two best offensive linemen and Joe Flacco seems to be regressing every year. That’s not exactly a recipe for success.The division was so bad last year that NFL fans aren’t even sure who the worst team in the division is anymore."

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That’s right, the Browns may soon be able to climb out of the basement of the AFC North if the Baltimore Ravens stay stagnant and the Cincinnati Bengals falter after losing some top talent in free agency.

The main loss was Kevin Zeitler, who decided to join Hue Jackson in Cleveland.

The Bengals and the Ravens getting worse means the Browns may have a shot in divisional play this year, but it also means the Pittsburgh Steelers may have another easy road to the postseason in 2017.

The Steelers remain as one of the top teams in the entire NFL, and a weaker division helps them much more than it does the Browns.

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However, being able to go .500 in divisional play could help turn things around for this Browns franchise. It is a lot to ask in the second season of the rebuilding process, but the team may surprise us all if the others in the division begin to regress.

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