Bengals keep pace in Week 1 AFC North power rankings, while Browns are odd team out

The Cincinnati Bengals kicked off their 2026 NFL season with an exciting and convincing victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, they didn't gain much ground in the standings, as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens also won. 

While the Bengals must wait for what many have dubbed the "easy" part of their schedule, the Steelers and Ravens made Week 1 look like the first week of out-of-conference play for the Big Ten.

But while the other three AFC North teams made it look like the division could be on track to become the NFL's best, the Cleveland Browns did their part to let the world know it will only be a three-team race. 

Now that Week 1 is in the books for the division, here are this year’s first AFC North power rankings. Spoiler alert: the Browns are fourth. 

4. Browns already odd team out

The Jacksonville Jaguars dominated the Browns on Sunday afternoon, winning 34-10. The switch from Kevin Stefanski to Todd Monken hasn't started swimmingly. 

Also not off to a great start, quarterback Deshaun Watson has people wondering why the coaching staff named him QB1 to start the season over all of their other options. Other than having the worst contract in the NFL, that makes him the necessary choice in the front office's mind, even though he hasn't shown that he should be leading the team. 

Cleveland’s woes were compounded by the fact that we did not see the dominant defense we are used to from the ‘Elves.’ But that was expected after trading away one of the best players this offseason, Myles Garrett. 

Cleveland surrendered 245 yards and four touchdowns to Trevor Lawrence. The Jags also ran the ball effectively, rushing for 126 yards. 

The Browns travel to Tampa Bay next week, where the Bucs look to get a notch in the win column against the hapless-looking Dawgs. 

3. Steelers hand Stefanski a familiar feeling

Speaking of Stefanski, he found himself in a familiar situation as his new team, the Atlanta Falcons, lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-13. Different team, same result, as the French would say.

Unlike the Brownies, the Steelers’ defense showed up and dominated against the Falcons. 

Perhaps one day the Steelers will decide to trade their all-world pass rusher, T.J. Watt. But until that day comes, we are left to watch him do what he does. And on Sunday, he had four tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and a game-clinching, fourth-quarter pick-six. 

Pittsburgh’s offense was less dominant, scoring only one offensive touchdown. The team rushed for just 58 yards. And Aaron Rodgers threw 40 times, completing 24 for 221 yards, one touchdown, and an average of 5.5 yards per pass. 

The Steelers must lean on their defense to carry them while the offense tries to get right. Pittsburgh plays on the road next week against the New England Patriots. 

2. Bengals’ new-look defense makes quite a debut

All of Bengaldom waited with bated breath for the overhauled Cincinnati defense. And defensive coordinator Al Golden’s side of the ball did not disappoint. 

Each new arrival flashed at different points in the game. Cashius Howell got pressure and what should have been a half-sack, but the full sack went to Kris Jenkins Jr. 

Full sacks went to Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe, two of the players on defense whom the Bengals brought in to improve the defensive line. 

Three of the holdovers from last year’s defense combined for one of the game's most crucial and exciting plays when Barrett Carter wrapped up Baker Mayfield and Myles Murphy forced a fumble that was subsequently scooped up by Demetrius Knight and ran back for a touchdown. 

The offense, though less spectacular than the other side of the ball, had an excellent outing, capitalizing on the defense's dominance to score 24 points off turnovers.

The Bengals walked away with a 33-27 win that felt more dominant than the final score reflects. 

Next up for the Men in Stripes are the Houston Texans, who will be even more onery after losing in heartbreak fashion to the Buffalo Bills. 

1. Ravens atop Week 1 division power rankings

The Baltimore Ravens were one of the more dominant teams on Sunday with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts, 41-23. 

The Ravens continued the theme of making former coaches from the North look silly, hanging up 41 points and 506 yards on former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.   

Lamar Jackson threw for 324 yards and a touchdown. Baltimore rushed for 202 yards and four touchdowns, with 144 yards and three of those TDs coming from Derrick Henry. 

The Ravens' defense did enough, holding Daniel Jones to 166 yards passing, one touchdown, and one interception. However, running back Jonathan Taylor gashed them for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

Nevertheless, with their convincing victory and division-best +18-point differential, the Ravens land atop the AFC North Power rankings. 

Baltimore next plays the New Orleans Saints in Charm City in a matchup in which they will be favorites. 

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