AFC North Power Rankings: Cleveland Browns suddenly hold the cards

The AFC North landscape changed on Sunday when the Cleveland Browns took out the Baltimore Ravens. While they’re still a half-game ahead of the Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens proved they’re not invincible. Cleveland also proved something, showing they have more fight than anyone realized as they won a game on the road despite being down 14 points in the fourth quarter.

As for the rest of the division, the Steelers and Bengals were also involved in one-score games. Cincinnati dropped a heartbreaker while Pittsburgh held on to upset Green Bay. With all that happening, let’s take a look at our current AFC North Power Rankings. 

4. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)

The Cincinnati Bengals started out slow and were just 1-3 following their first four games. They then reeled off four wins in a row, which included victories over the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. Suddenly, they looked like the team that had won the AFC North in each of the past two seasons.

That came to a halt in Week 10 when C.J. Stroud carved up their defense with 356 yards passing while Devin Singletary ran wild with 150 yards on the ground. Cincinnati stayed with Houston but in the end, a walk-off field goal gave the Texans the win. Now at 5-4, the Bengals are again the last place team in the division.

They do still have Joe Burrow, who is playing like himself again. But that’s not enough when the AFC North is so stacked. The Bengals secondary showed a lot of weakness in their latest loss and they’re also 0-2 in the division. They need a win over Baltimore and Pittsburgh over the next two weeks or they’ll be in danger of being left behind.