Week 9 AFC North Power Rankings: Ravens keep top spot while the rest of the division is in a 3 way log jam

Another NFL week is in the books, and now that the dust has settled it is time to establish a pecking order in the AFC North. Through eight weeks the AFC North is the only division in the league where every team boasts a winning record.

In fact, no division has as many wins the NFL’s blood and guts division has (18) despite every team other than Baltimore already having their bye week. So how does the division stack up internally?

AFC North Power Rankings entering Week 9

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)

Well, it finally happened. The Pittsburgh Steelers finally lost an ugly game in which the opponent allowed them to hang around.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers had a field goal fest in the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Jacksonville’s defense did not allow a single first down to Pittsburgh in the first quarter while the Jaguars notched two field goals. The teams both kicked one through the uprights in the second quarter. But the Jaguars managed to knock out Kenny Pickett with a rib injury late in the first half.

After trading touchdowns in the second half, the Jaguars put the clamps on a limited Steelers offense being led by Mitchell Trubisky forcing two interceptions. The final score was Jacksonville 20 Pittsburgh 10. But what has to be disheartening for Steelers fans is how Jacksonville won.

The Jaguars were the more physical team and essentially beat the Steelers with their own brand of football. Now the Steelers have a quick turnaround to play on Thursday Night Football with the health status of their starting quarterback up in the air. Which means that they will probably play better than expected.

I would advise holding off on dancing on the Steelers’ grave. The Pittsburgh Steelers are like the killer is a slasher film, you think you have defeated them, and they look dead…but they always somehow manage to come back to life. They are down but not out.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)

Don't look now but the Cincinnati Bengals are starting to look like a contender again. The Bengals came out of their bye week and traveled to the west coast to take on the San Francisco 49ers.

Cincinnati took it to the favored 49ers forcing a three-and-out, and then immediately went on a 10-play touchdown scoring drive. From that point on, the Bengals forced San Francisco to skip to their Lou for the remainder of the afternoon. The 49ers were able to pull within seven points at various points in the contest, but the Bengals would immediately separate and put points on the board.

The biggest takeaway from the Bengals trip to San Francisco was the re-emergence of Joe Burrow. While the Bengals signal caller had been on a slight uptick in play the last couple of games, against the 49ers Burrow looked like his old self.

Burrow was standing in the pocket, staring down pressure, and stepping into his throws. There was no hesitancy, Burrow is once again processing at an elite level. But the biggest thing that tells you that Burrow is back was his willingness to tuck the ball and run for first downs. Now that comes with Burrow taking unnecessary shots at the end of those runs, but that is who he is and who Cincinnati needs him to be.

He finished the game going 28 of 32 for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Just as important Burrow pulled it down six times and ran for 43 yards and converting three first downs. If he's back to form, this is a dangerous Bengals team that needs to be taken very seriously. Now the Bengals welcome the Buffalo Bills to Paycor Stadium for a true AFC litmus test on Sunday Night Football.

2. Cleveland Browns (4-3)

The Cleveland Browns let one get away on the road against the Seattle Seahawks. In a game that started disastrously for the Browns, the team battled back and made it their kind of game. Down 14 to nothing their offense came to life, by relying heavily on their screen game, and drove right down the field to get on the board and stop the bleeding.

From that point until late in the fourth quarter, Cleveland battled back and gave the Seahawks everything they could handle. The Browns managed to pull ahead of Seattle by three points in the third quarter. However, the Browns failed to pull away and secure the victory as the team faltered on both sides of the ball when the game was on the line.

But Sunday’s loss was not a plane hitting the mountain moment. It was a tough loss to team that plays in an immensely difficult place for visiting teams to play in. Don't forget that this was a game the Browns weren't favored to win coming into it.

It's the way the NFL game goes. Last week, Cleveland managed to pull out a game that they probably didn't deserve to win. This week, they managed to give a game away that should have won. Overall, they finished their mini-road trip going 1-1.

While many are scrambling to find a scapegoat for how the game got away from Cleveland, many are missing the big picture. The Browns are 4-3 and have just finished the toughest stretch of their regular season schedule. They have a winning record despite having bad quarterback play for the vast majority of those seven games.

Everything is still right in front of this team. Their ceiling is still tied to Deshaun Watson getting healthy and performing at a reasonably high level. Do they need that level of quarterback play to defeat the Arizona Cardinals in week nine to get to 5-3? Probably not. Should also be pointed out, that of all the AFC North teams that are 4-3, the Browns are the only team with a positive point differential.

1. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)

The Baltimore Ravens sit atop of the AFC North just as they have for the past month. The Ravens are the most complete team in the division, and their results reflect that. Through the first eight games of the season the Ravens are scoring 25.3 points per game and are only allowing a league low 15.1 points per contest. They're also second in the NFL with a plus-81 point differential this season.

Their game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8 was just more of the same for Baltimore. Although they allowed a 12-play drive that ended in a touchdown on the opening drive by the Cardinals, the Ravens did exactly what they have been doing to teams. The offense found answers and their defense did not allow any more points by the Cardinals until the fourth quarter when the game was already in hand by the score of 24-7.

The Cardinals were able to score a few points in garbage time and make the final score look respectable only losing by seven points in a 31-24 defeat. But the main takeaway from the day was the Ravens played their style of game on offense while the defense played stingy football.

Until teams prove that they can take the Ravens out of their game script, it is going to be extremely difficult to knock them from atop their perch as the AFC North favorite this season.