The Cincinnati Bengals got some significant help during their bye after the Cleveland Browns rallied to beat the Baltimore Ravens 13-10 in Sunday's Week 6 action. It was a classic throwback game befitting of a vintage AFC North duel.
Some of that was due to key injuries, of course. Strangely enough, Lamar Jackson has now missed more games than Joe Burrow over the last five years, yet we don't hear about Lamar's injury-proneness nearly as often.
That's neither here nor there. Cleveland's triumph makes everyone dead-even in the standings with two losses, but that's guaranteed to change when the Bengals visit the Ravens in Week 7.
What was hidden inside the Browns' victory, though? It's all worth a closer look to reassess how the battle for AFC North supremacy may play out the rest of the way. Might be a nice palate cleanser for how gross the bye week rooting situation was for Who Dey Nation.
AFC North race reshaped in a blink ahead of Bengals' road trip to Baltimore in Week 7
1. The Browns' rebuild is way ahead of schedule.
I thought for sure after this offseason the Bengals had the best future trajectory in the AFC North. Not so much anymore.
Cleveland appears to have won the Myles Garrett trade so far, and to beat Baltimore without No. 1 running back Quinshon Judkins or Travis Hunter trade compensation Mason Graham is no small task.
Imagine what might happen in the coming years with a real QB, aka not Deshaun Watson. But even with Watson, the Browns can win the North this year. Who would've thought?
2. That Ravens offensive line is in rough shape.
A newfound strength of Cincinnati's roster is the Dexter Lawrence-led defensive line. Sexy Dexy and Jonathan Allen may be able to manhandle the Ravens on the inside at least. Derrick Henry ran for only 58 yards on 17 carries in Week 6, and it's not like Lamar's stand-in, Tyler Huntley, is a total scrub.
Run defense continues to be a problem for the Bengals, but it may not be this next game. Lawrence and Co. are fully rested, and if Lamar tries to press himself back into duty, how rusty will he be?
3. Is Ravening the new Chargering?
To be honest I was ready to believe Bengaling/Bungling was back in vogue after the Murphy's law fare of Weeks 3 and 4.
I remember talking heads waxing poetic about all the pressure on Joe Burrow and the Bengals to win this year. Think about the Ravens.
Henry is a great running back but he coughs up the ball in big moments often. Lamar is a playoff choke artist. They've had consistently better rosters and keep coming up short. At what point does it become a total psychological block? I'd say...pretty soon?
Don't "Browns gonna Brown" all over yourselves, Baltimore!
In today's 13-10 loss to the Browns, the Ravens blew their 17th double-digit lead since 2018, which is the most in the NFL over that span
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) October 18, 2026
Ravens are very much authoring a Ravensing. Missed fourth quarter field goal and a fourth quarter fumble from Derrick Henry. We await the critical defensive penalty to set up a Browns TD drive.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) October 18, 2026
4. The AFC North feels as gettable as ever for Cincinnati despite rocky start.
Between the Steelers barely beating the Jalon Daniels-led Bucs in overtime, how two special teams gaffes led to the Bengals' loss to Pittsburgh, and how uninspiring the Ravens and Browns looked in Week 6, the division race appears to be wide-open.
It almost adds to the frustration I've felt in recent weeks, really. Cincinnati looked like a pseudo-juggernaut in beating the Bucs and Texans to start 2-0. Then just terrible, sloppy football ensued for a lot of the next three games.
Zac Taylor's hot seat might've gotten even warmer if not for the well-timed early bye. A win against the Ravens with or without Lamar would be a big boost to his stock to say the least.
Whatever happens, though, the Bengals shouldn't get too high or two low. They have plenty of time to control their own destiny. Three of their last four divisional games are at home, and the last two on the slate are at Paycor versus the Ravens and Browns. Should be a heck of a stretch run.
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