After six weeks, the AFC North Power Rankings continue to be tight. With the Cincinnati Bengals winning in Week 6, there are no teams with a losing record — which is very impressive.
The Baltimore Ravens remain at the top of the standings with a 4-2 mark following their win over the Tennessee Titans, which was played in London. Stuck in the middle are the Cleveland Browns — who shocked the 49ers this weekend — and Pittsburgh Steelers — who were off in Week 6.
With all that dust settling, let's take the temperature of the north.
AFC North Power Rankings at Week 7
4. Cincinnati Bengals
It wasn't easy but the Bengals found a way to secure a win over the Seattle Seahawks this weekend. Last week, they dropped 34 points on the Arizona Cardinals and believed that could get the offense rolling, but that wasn't the case.
In Week 6, they managed just 17 points while holding the Seahawks to 13. Joe Burrow threw for 185 yards with two touchdowns and a pick while Joe Mixon had a mere 38 yards on 12 rushing attempts.
With the offense struggling, it was the defense that got it done, but they too had some issues. Geno Smith threw two interceptions but still had 323 yards through the air. Kenneth Walker added 62 yards on the ground as well as a touchdown.
Cincinnati was able to turn the ball over on downs twice to close out the game and in each instance, it was the "bend but don't breal" approach. That was enough to improve to 3-3 but at this point, they're not only in last place in the AFC North but they're the team that seems to have the most to figure out.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
The hardest team to figure out in the AFC North right now is the Pittsburgh Steelers. They're 3-2 and have two wins in the division. They knocked off the Browns 26-22 in Week 2 and then had a surprising 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5. They then headed into the bye week and will face the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.
Including that game, the Steelers will have four games in a row outside of the division, which will be telling for them. Pittsburgh is just 1-2 in such games with lopsided losses to the San Francisco 49ers (30-7) and Houston Texans (30-6). They did beat the Raiders 23-18 but they're not exactly a feared team right now.
Having said all that, the Steelers aren't a team to take lightly. They're well-coached and they've continued to prove that if the score remains close, they can find a way to pull off a victory. It might be ugly most of the time but ugly wins count the same as pretty ones.
Even with that being the case, this feels like a team that's been luckier than they are good. Perhaps they'll prove that incorrect and this next stretch can allow them to do that.
2. Cleveland Browns
A Week 5 bye seemed far too early for the Browns when the schedule was announced but then it wound up being a blessing for them. They had several injuries to deal with as Deshaun Watson, David Njoku, and Joel Bitonio all needed time to heal.
Watson and Bitonio ended up not playing while Njoku toughed it out again after burning his hands and face ahead of the Baltimore game. Cleveland was also turning to a new quarterback with P.J. Walker taking over for rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Walker played well, although he did have an incredibly costly pick late in the game, but overall did what he needed to in order for his team to win. Most importantly, he kept the defense from being on the field too long and the results spoke for themselves.
Jim Schwartz had a fantastic game plan as the Browns D made life miserable for Brock Purdy as they handed him his first-ever regular season loss. In the process, they proved they're still the No. 2 team in the AFC North right now thanks in large part to how tough their defense is.
The @Browns have given up 1,002 yards through 5 games this season.
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 15, 2023
That is the fewest ANY NFL team has given up through 5 games in over 50 years. pic.twitter.com/xoxu9WbcZO
If they can knock off one of the best two teams in the entire NFL without Watson, imagine their ceiling when he returns fully healthy. Of course, we don't know when that will be but suddenly, facing Indianapolis, Seattle, and Arizona — even if Walker is starting — doesn't feel too bad.
1. Baltimore Ravens
Sometimes it's hard to figure out how the Baltimore Ravens continue to be one of the top teams in the NFL. Their roster isn't exactly frightening and despite being an NFL MVP, Lamar Jackson has been careless with the ball at times this season.
He threw his third pick on the season against the Titans and has seven fumbles as well. They also don't really have elite wideouts, even with Odell Beckham, Jr. on board.
They do have a great tight end, however, in Mark Andrews who continues to play well. They also feel good about rookie wideout Zay Flowers and clearly, it's working. They just improved to 4-2 with an eight-point win overseas and the Browns saw how quickly they can break a game open when they have an advantage — which is what happened when they faced Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Week 4 and won 28-3 over Cleveland.
Entering Week 7, they're also 2-1 in the division with their only loss coming against the Steelers.
They have quite the test coming up next week with the Detroit Lions coming to town. Dan Campbell has his team playing well and they'd surely like to make a statement against a team with the clout Baltimore has.