AFC North power rankings, Week 6: Joe Flacco & backup QBs steal main stage

It is getting late early for all of the AFC North teams except for one. Each of the three teams in action played their Week 5 matchup with their backup quarterback. Not ideal for the division that came into the weekend as the worst in the NFL. 

To no one’s surprise, each of the backups failed to lead their team to victory. All the while, the one team with a healthy quarterback, sitting in first place, got to sit back and watch the action. 

And oh by the way, we had ourselves quite the blockbuster QB trade amongst the Ohio teams, as the Bengals and Browns exchanged Day 3 draft picks in a mind-blowing deal that brought Joe Flacco to Cincinnati.

Here is where the AFC North power rankings stand heading into Week 6, bearing in mind the medley of weird quarterback situations and the fact that Flacco has joined his third different team in the division.  

4. It's Edgar Allan "Oh No!" for the Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens must have felt good about their chances against the Houston Texans. Whatever confidence they had quickly flew the coop in a 44-10 loss.

It was just as embarrassing for them as the Bengals’ 48-10 Week 3 defeat to the Vikings, except worse, because at least Cincinnati was on the road for that one.

Baltimore was leading the NFL in points scored coming into Sunday's game. However, their defense was giving up the most points in the league. Unfortunately for the Ravens, the former failed them, and the latter continued to be the case.

With Lamar Jackson out for an undetermined amount of time, this could be what Baltimore look like for at least another week. Or worse.

No matter who their signal-caller will be on Sunday, these Lamar-less Ravens will have their hands full against the Los Angeles Rams. 

3. Different QB, same old Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns decided to bench Joe Flacco and go with third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel. The quarterback may have changed, but the results for the Browns remained the same as they lost to the Minnesota Vikings 21-17 in London.

The Browns leaned heavily on their rushing attack and rookie running back Quinshon Judkins, who had 23 rushes for 110 yards. 

Gabriel had a promising debut, throwing for 190 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he had his team in position to win the game before the Vikings scored a winning score with 25 seconds on the clock. 

The future looks bright for Cleveland — but that future is distant. For now, they sit in third place in the standings and in the division’s power rankings. 

Cleveland’s next game is against the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, which could be a season-defining matchup for the Browns. If they can beat the Steelers, they will be one game behind Pittsburgh with a check in the head-to-head column.

2. Bengals miraculously still in the hunt

The Cincinnati Bengals are on a three-game losing streak after beginning the season 2-0. Perhaps the notorious early-season issues were not a hindrance, but an underappreciated key to success. 

Despite their 2-3 record and second-place standing in the AFC North, the Bengals are one of the league's worst teams. It just so happens that two teams within the division might be worse. 

Cincinnati’s point differential of -71 would suggest that the Bengals are the worst team now that they have overtaken the Tennessee Titans with that dubious honor after their 37-24 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions

Despite Zac Taylor’s vote of confidence heading into Week 5, Jake Browning flopped once again to prove he can't keep the team in games and ultimately in the playoff chase. Hence the front office's uncharacteristically proactive move to go get Joe Flacco.

For now at least, the Bengals are in second place in the AFC North, just one game behind Pittsburgh. Furthermore, Cincinnati holds an advantage over the Steelers, boasting a 1-0 division record.

Pittsburgh has yet to have a divisional matchup. Thus, the Steelers' showdown with the Bengals in Week 7's edition of Thursday Night Football looms large for the broader AFC North picture.

1. Idle Pittsburgh Steelers still on top

When two guys are facing down a lion in the wild, one suggests that they can’t outrun the big cat. The other says that he does not have to be faster than the lion, but simply faster than the other guy. That is the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North this far this season. 

The Steelers spent Week 5 on their bye. They literally had to do nothing this weekend to increase their lead over their division rivals by half a game. 

Pittsburgh is the only division leader in the NFL to have a negative point differential. However, their 3-1 record stands out above the rest of the competition. 

The Steelers face the Browns on Sunday, marking their first divisional game of the year, with a chance to take a commanding lead over the rest of the division and outpace the others to secure the division championship. 

We still have a long way to go in the season. For as bleak as it seems, there is still time for the once undisputed best conference in football to return to form. 

But the teams under Pittsburgh must right the ship in a hurry. The Bengals, Ravens, and Browns are dangerously close to letting the Steelers run away with the North. 

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