The NFL truly is king of the sporting world due to the fact that it is a week-to-week league, and any given Sunday, anything can happen.
The Cleveland Browns bounced back from a nightmarish performance in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers to throttle the Tennessee Titans. The Steelers took care of business in Las Vegas, knocking off the Raiders.
The Baltimore Ravens were not as fortunate, as they fell at home to the Indianapolis Colts. As of this writing, the Cincinnati Bengals are playing on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams, so they could either be 0-3 or 1-2.
AFC North Power Rankings for Week 4
4. Cincinnati Bengals 1-2 or 0-3
The Cincinnati Bengals have gotten off to the worst start imaginable and the offense is all out of sync. This is largely due to quarterback Joe Burrow not practicing for most of the summer during camp due to a calf injury.
That's a major reason as to why this offense has looked mostly, pedestrian. In Week 1, the Browns handled the Bengals with relative ease under a rainy sky. The defense flustered Burrow all day and that helped lead the charge to a victory.
Entering Week 3, the Bengals ranked 32nd in overall offense, 28th in rushing, 30th in passing, and tied for 30th in scoring. Yikes.
As of this writing, Cincinnati doesn't even look like a division contender, let alone a Super Bowl contender as many had projected them to be. There is still a lot of season left and eventually, this offense will get back on track as long as Burrow remains on the field and upright.
Next for the Bengals: @ Tennessee, Sunday 1 PM
3. Baltimore Ravens 2-1
The Baltimore Ravens were inches away from starting off the season 3-0, but that was not the case as they fell to the Colts at home.
Baltimore is typically a disciplined football team, but they had too many self-inflicted wounds that ultimately cost them the victory. Costly errors and an offense that, like the Bengals, is looking to find its groove.
Kicking has been a specialty for the Ravens ever since Justin Tucker arrived on the scene, and his leg has won the team a ton of games over the years. However, that was not the case this past Sunday.
Tucker, who you can make the case for as the greatest kicker ever, had a chance to send the Ravens to #VictoryMonday, but his 61-yard boot in the waning seconds fell just short of the crossbar, falling to the ground.
In overtime, the teams exchanged punts and turnover on downs possessions - including a phantom no-call of defensive pass interference on the Colts - and then Indianapolis closed it out five plays later.
Matt Gay did his best Justin Tucker impersonation and did something even Tucker hasn't even done. Gay connected on all five of his kicks, which included an NFL-record four from 50+ yards, capped off by the 53-yard game-winner.
For the second time this season, Lamar Jackson failed to throw for a touchdown, but did rush 14 times for 101 yards and a pair of scores. Jackson and the offense looked out of sync at times and had some communication errors.
This game proves that the favorites don't always walk off the field victorious, but luckily for the Ravens, there are 14 games remaining.
Next for the Ravens: @ Cleveland 1 PM
2. Cleveland Browns 2-1
The Cleveland Browns looked like a completely different offensive team in Week 3, and the defense continued to overwhelm the opposition en route to a 27-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Deshaun Watson didn't light the world on fire, but played his best game as a starter for the Browns. He looked cool, calm, and collected, and was excellent in escaping the pressure for the majority of the day. He was quick and decisive with the football and performed well.
He finished the game 27-of-33 for 289 yards and two touchdown tosses, but more importantly, no turnovers. He connected with six different receivers, with Amari Cooper having a tremendous Sunday afternoon, reeling in seven passes for 116 yards, and a score.
Elijah Moore was heavily involved, catching all nine of his targets for 49 yards. He rushed three times for -1 yard and did cough up the pigskin after one of his catches. Jerome Ford stepped in admirably for Nick Chubb, totaling 51 combined yards and a receiving and rushing touchdown.
There are not enough good words or synonyms of good words to describe how good the defense has been. They are bringing pressure at will, led by Myles Garrett, who sacked Ryan Tannehill 3.5 times and forced a fumble.
Due to the play of both teams this week, the Browns leapfrog the Ravens in the AFC North Power Rankings. This will definitely happen again next week as the two teams play one another in Cleveland.
Next for the Browns: Home vs the Ravens 1 PM
1. Pittsburgh Steelers 2-1
I absolutely hate writing this, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the driver's seat as of right now in the AFC North. Winners of two straight, this defense is doing what it always seems to do and the offense, much like the Browns, showed week-to-week improvement.
Pittsburgh's defense picked off Jimmy Garoppolo three times and sacked him four more, led by, you guessed it, T.J. Watt who had two. That brought him to six on the season, 1.5 more than Myles Garrett.
The Steelers were able to withstand a late surge from the Raiders, but not without a bone-headed decision by Josh McDaniels electing to kick the field goal, down eight with under three minutes to play. Pittsburgh got the ball back and only relinquished it on a punt with under 30 seconds to play.
Kenny Pickett put together a solid game overall. Similarly to Watson, he didn't light the world on fire, but showed signs of progression. He completed 16-of-28 passes for 235 yards, and two touchdowns, and like Watson, no turnovers.
This offense still has a ton of questions to be answered with Matt Canada remaining as the offensive coordinator, but the unit did enough to leave Vegas on a winning note.
Next up for the Steelers: @ Houston 1 PM