The Browns, Ravens, and Steelers were in action in Week 6 as the Cincinnati Bengals enjoyed their bye, while their divisional rivals had another wild week.
Both winning AFC North teams struggled offensively before coming away with late wins. The losing team was on the other end of one of those fourth-quarter meltdowns.
After Sunday’s games, the AFC North is one of two divisions where all teams have winning records. The other is the NFC North.
Now we head into Week 7, another pivotal weekend when the AFC North Power Rankings will look different, as they have every week this season.
4. Bengals lose ground on their day off
The Cincinnati Bengals had the week off, spending Week 6 on their bye. However, they had to witness their in-state rival Browns take full control of the division. The AFC North landscape looks much different than it did a week ago when the Bengals last played.
No matter how the games played out over the weekend, Cincinnati was heading into a must-win game against the Baltimore Ravens. After the events of Week 6, calling it a must-win game seems even less hyperbolic than before.
The Bengals cannot afford to go 0-2 in the division, nor fall to 3-3 overall as their rivals keep winning.
Internally, the Bengals had a lot of self-scouting to do as they look to improve in a few areas before they take the field again. Hopefully, that self-reflection will help address the areas that needed work during the off-week.
The Bengals play the Ravens on Sunday with a chance to grab their first division victory this season and stay within striking distance of the Browns, Ravens, and Steelers.
3. Ravens fall hard from their perch
Last week, the Ravens defeated the Atlanta Falcons without Lamar Jackson. They were hoping they could pull off another victory on the arms and legs of backup Tyler ‘Snoop’ Huntley.
Baltimore had a chance to start flying away with the division if they could win their first inter-divisional matchup of the season against the Cleveland Browns.
The best-laid plans, as the French would say.
The Ravens lost to the Browns, dropping them to 0-1 in the division and 2-1 in the conference. Those records put them behind the Browns and Steelers on every tie-breaker.
Nevertheless, their division-best +24-point differential suggests that things should turn in their favor in short order. And there wouldn’t be a better time than next week to play to their point differential.
The Ravens hope to get starting QB Lamar Jackson back for Sunday's matchup against the Bengals, a must-win game if Baltimore wants to keep pace with the Steelers and Browns in the division.
2. Steelers keep ship afloat versus Bucs
In an improbable comeback, the Steelers defeated the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, 26-19, a result you may have thought was in Pittsburgh if you looked at and listened to the crowd.
The Steelers trailed at halftime 13-3 and 16-3 in the fourth quarter. After exchanging field goals with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, Pittsburgh defeated Tampa Bay, 26-19.
The MVP for the Steelers was DB Jalen Ramsey, who had ten tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks, including the game-sealing takedown of QB Jalon Daniels in overtime.
Aaron Rodgers played well again, throwing for 253 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The grizzled veteran QB targeted DK Metcalf for 11 receptions and 93 yards.
Next week, the Steelers travel to Paris to play the New Orleans Saints in what will be the first regular-season game in the City of Lights. Hopefully, the weather and field conditions will hold up at the Stade de France, as there is currently a 90% chance of rain on Sunday.
But Cincinnati and Paris share more than just an Eiffel Tower and being two of the world's most beautiful cities. We also say in both locations that if you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes and it will change. The Steelers and Saints hope that change is for the better by Sunday.
1. Browns fight their way to the top
The Cleveland Browns faced the Baltimore Ravens in a compelling yet offensively challenged contest.
The Ravens held a 10-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, Cleveland tied it and got the ball inside two minutes. And on that final drive, the Browns’ Andre Szmyt kicked the game-winning field goal to send Cleveland into first place in the division and these power rankings.
Cleveland hasn’t led the division this far into the season (after Week 6) since 2014, as noted during the broadcast.
The Browns are 2-0 in the division and have a substantial tiebreaker lead if it comes down to that over their AFC North rivals.
Overall, the ‘Elves’ are 4-2 and at the top of the table. They are one of two division-leading teams in the NFL with a negative points differential. The other is the New York Giants, whose NFC East is entirely in the red in that category.
The Browns’ -16-point differential suggests their success will not last. However, at 2-0 in the AFC North and 4-2 overall, they rightfully don't care about our trivial point differentials.
Fortunately for the Browns, they take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 7, a game where they will be the favorite against a team with the fourth-worst point differential in the NFL, -45. And the NFL office is thanking the football deities that a matchup between the 31st- and 28th-ranked scoring offenses isn’t playing a stand-alone game.
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