NFL Power Rankings: Browns sit atop the AFC North heading into Week 1
• Are the Eagles still the best in the NFC?
• Can the Cleveland Browns climb to the top of the AFC North?
By Randy Gurzi
20. Denver Broncos
Sean Payton is so sure that Russell Wilson wasn't the problem in 2022 that he went after Nathaniel Hackett, who is with the Jets now. Time will tell if his bravado will work but it's far from a guarantee it will.
We may act like Payton is the best coach the NFL has ever seen but he's really just Mike McCarthy with a better PR team. Just look at the stats, McCarthy even has the more recent Super Bowl ring.
19. Chicago Bears
Matt Eberflus had a rough start to his coaching career, going 3-14 with the Bears. Heading into 2023, there's hope he will do better — and they did a great job adding weapons.
They flipped the No. 1 overall pick for D.J. Moore and still landed Darnell Wright to beef up the O-line. They also did well in free agency and had a great draft. Now, all they need is to see Justin Fields take his next step as a quarterback.
18. New England Patriots
As long as Bill Belichick is around, you have to take the New England Patriots seriously. Cleveland found this out the hard way in 2022. But they're still far from the team we remember from the early 2000s. They can flirt with a winning record but that's all the noise they'll make.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers
This is going to sound so sweet — the Pittsburgh Steelers are the worst team in the AFC North.
Having said that, they still found a way to have a winning record in 2022. They continue to fight hard and can't be overlooked but their roster isn't on par with the rest of the division.