Heading into the 2023 season, predicting that the NFL’s best division would be the AFC North wasn’t a good idea. It was considered the only division in which all four teams had a chance of making the playoffs. Last year, that honor went to the AFC West and the wheels were found to be squeaking within weeks of the season starting for every team except the AFC West. Kansas City Chiefs. The AFC North seems to have recovered from the crisis at the start of the season. It is now the only division in which all four teams have had at least two games above .500.
Much of what put the division on the ropes early in the season was due to injuries. None were bigger than Joe Burrow’s injured calf. He suffered it the first week of training camp. He missed several weeks of training and the entire preseason. Burrow’s rhythm was clearly off during the Cincinnati Bengals Week 1 loss to Cleveland Browns. The following week, he aggravated the injury again as Cincy fell to 0-2 with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
They struggled for two more weeks, entering the Week 5 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals 1-3. It was the week when the the wheels started turning for Burrow. He was able to get out of the pocket and gain time with his legs. They won their next two games and since their Week 7 bye, Burrow has played like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL against two teams with Super Bowl aspirations.
The Bengals beat the San Francisco 49ers on the road to 14 points. On Sunday night, Burrow and the Bengals offense ran the final three and a half minutes of the clock to defeat the Buffalo Bills, 24-18 and improve to 5-3 on the season. Burrow completed a whopping 70 percent of his passes in the two wins, threw no interceptions, and those were his only games all season in which he averaged more than seven yards per completion. Another start to the end of the season, and once again the Bengals look like one of the best teams in the league.
The Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers are also 5-3 and have dealt with their own quarterback issues. However, they currently don’t have the luxury of simply waiting for their starting QBs to return to health. Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson have both missed time and have also not been impressive throughout the season.
On defense however, these two teams present serious problems to their opponents. Veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward returned to the Steelers’ lineup after missing seven weeks with a core muscle injury that required surgery. Upon his return, Pittsburgh quickly put an end to the Will Lévis show with a 20-16 victory against the Tennessee Titans. Pickett had a pedestrian game behind center, but they have enough talent in George Pickens, Diontae Johnson and Jaylen Warren to go along with a rock-solid defense.
The Steelers also have division wins in their back pocket against the Ravens and Browns, respectively. They knocked off the Browns in a game in which Watson was healthy. Although Cleveland’s defense played, Watson’s struggles and injuries resulted in the most unbalanced team in the NFL. The Browns entered Week 9 ranked second in defensive DVOA and 28th in offense.
Watson returned Sunday and played well against the Cardinals – who have one of the worst defenses in the league and traded their starting quarterback five days before the game. The Browns’ next two games will be rematches against the Steelers and Ravens. They lost to both teams in their first meetings this season. After that, their schedule eased up with the Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars like the only other playoff-caliber teams left there.
The crème de la crème in the North are by far the Ravens. At their best, they are unstoppable on both sides of the ball. They entered Week 8 among the top five units on offense and defense – according to DVOA.
Two NFC contenders have come to Baltimore in the last three weeks and both have been accommodated. THE Detroit Lions And Seattle Seahawks both lost by more than 30 at M&T Bank Stadium. When Ravens cook, they can quickly turn an opponent into pit beef.
Their problem is that the game is still in the balance after halftime. In Week 8, they gave up 17 fourth-quarter points to the Cardinals in a 31-24 victory. Injuries hurt them early in the season in losses to the Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, but they were ahead late in both games. They simply couldn’t finish the game, and largely because their offensive play was too conservative.
Not counting JK Dobbins’ Achilles injury, halfway through this season the Ravens are healthier than they have been in years. They are also tied with the Chiefs for the best record in the conference: by winning percentage, the Chiefs have played and lost more games. With several division battles remaining, as well as a tough three-game stretch in December that includes back-to-back road games against the Jaguars and 49ers, the Ravens follow up with a home matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
They should be able to finish the season as AFC North champions, but only if they start closing out games without a 30-point lead.