AFC North Power Rankings: Cleveland Browns fight back, Steelers own the basement

Week 15 is in the books and the Cleveland Browns pulled off another win — this time in dramatic fashion. In a tight contest against the Chicago Bears, the Browns were able to shake off three turnovers and a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to secure win No. 9.

They're now in second place in the division and are continuing to hold their own in our weekly AFC North Power Rankings. All four teams again enter this week without a losing record although only one of the three failed to get a win this past weekend. With all that being said, let's dive in and check out the latest rankings in the league's toughest division.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7)

Just how bad have things gotten for the Pittsburgh Steelers? They're not only sitting in fourth place in the AFC North but they just made an announcement no fanbase would want to hear — after three losses in a row, two with Mitchell Trubisky as the starter, the Steelers are turning to Mason Rudolph.

Trubisky struggled mightily in place of an injured Kenny Pickett and fans were starting to call for Rudolph. The former Oklahoma State signal-caller came in during their latest loss and managed a whole three yards on 2-of-3 passing. Now, fans will get their wish with Rudolph taking over full-time.

In his career, he's 5-4-1 as the starter and his numbers aren't terrible. Rudolph has completed 61.5 percent of his attempts for 16 touchdowns and 11 picks. However, much of that came in 2019 when he was 5-3 with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Since then, he's been an issue for the Steelers when called upon.

Pittsburgh is still 7-7 but firmly in control of last place in the AFC North. That's a testament to how tough this division really is. They still have a shot at making the playoffs but with their current free-fall and the fact that Rudolph is taking over, there's not much to get excited about in the Steel City.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)

Saturday games have been making their way to our televisions which is typical during this time of year. One of those contests included the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Minnesota Vikings. This one featured even more backup quarterback play as Jake Browning made his fourth career start in place of Joe Burrow.

The Vikings are also without their starter after losing Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles. Josh Dobbs had taken over but he's been struggling as of late and that meant another former Cleveland backup got the call — Nick Mullens. The journeyman did his best to keep Minnesota in the game as he threw for 303 yards with two touchdowns.

Browning, on the other side of the field, had 324 yards with a couple of touchdowns. He also led his offense on a six-play, 47-yard drive in overtime to set up a 29-yarder from Evan McPherson. That kick improved the Bengals to 8-6 on the year with Browning going 3-1 as their starter. They're still firmly in the playoff picture, currently holding the No. 5 seed right behind the Browns.

Next up for them is a road trip to Pittsburgh where they can put one of their rivals on the wrong side of .500. After that, they have a tough outing against Kansas City and then close out the season at home against the Browns. Those final two games will be tough, so they'll surely be doing all they can to try and knock off Pittsburgh, which could be enough to lock up a Wild Card spot.

2. Cleveland Browns (9-5)

This past weekend was a roller-coaster. The Cleveland Browns came out flat and played sloppy for the majority of the game. Joe Flacco had three interceptions which led to 14 points and the Bears were up 17-7 entering the fourth quarter. Then, Cleveland woke up.

Dustin Hopkins hit a field goal from 33 yards out to cut the lead to just seven. The defense continued to do its part and got the offense the ball back. With just 3:08 left to play, Flacco hit Amari Cooper on the sideline and the veteran wideout broke free for a 51-yard touchdown. Suddenly, it was 17-17 and all the momentum was with the good guys in brown — and orange.

Again, the defense did their job and forced a three-and-out, giving Flacco and the offense the ball with under two minutes. They wound up getting into range for the game-winner from Hopkins, who nailed it from 34 yards out. A Hail Mary attempt at the end nearly ruined everything but D'Anthony Bell came up with a pick after Darnell Mooney dropped the touchdown.

Now at 9-5, the Browns are guaranteed a winning campaign. This will be just their fourth winning season since returning to the league in 1999 and their second in the past four years under Kevin Stefanski. He has this team playing at a high level and their confidence is through the roof. The old Browns would have folded but this time, they proved they were full of fighters and wound up stealing a win that seemed improbable.

Cleveland now has a chance to put up double-digit wins as they head to Houston for Week 16. They return home in Week 17 to face the Jets and close out the season in Cincinnati. They control their playoff fate and all three of these games are winnable.

1. Baltimore Ravens (11-3)

No matter how well the Browns and Bengals are playing with backup quarterbacks, they have been unable to catch the Baltimore Ravens. This franchise continues to play well and even when it seems their offseason plans were all over the place, they still come out and put up one win after another.

This past weekend, they were featured on Sunday Night Football as they headed to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Baltimore made it look easy with a 23-7 win. Lamar Jackson threw for just 171 yards with a touchdown and an interception but he also had 97 yards on the ground.

Baltimore might not be dealing with losses under center the way the rest of the AFC North has been but they're without Mark Andrews — who is their best weapon in the passing game. In his absence, Isaiah Likely has stepped up and added 70 yards and a touchdown this weekend.

They were also hit with another loss during the win with running back Keaton Mitchell suffering a knee injury. As tough as that loss will be, this is still the most well-rounded team in the division. They're also the only one to still have their franchise quarterback healthy.

The Ravens are now 6-1 on the road and head to San Francisco for Week 16. They then finish the year with a two-game homestand against the Dolphins and Ravens. They're currently the No. 1 seed in the conference and a win over Miami could all but lock up that spot.