AFC North Power Rankings: There's movement at the top after Week 2

There is extreme movement in the AFC North Power Rankings this week. How we see the division differs considerably from where we thought it was last week. 

Things are only slightly better this week for what was the best conference in the league over the past few seasons. The AFC North is one of two divisions with at least two winless teams this season. The AFC South is the other. It has three.

Within the division, no one outside of Pittsburgh predicted that the Steelers would be the only undefeated team after two weeks. And, as stunning as the Steelers' early success is, the Ravens' 0-2 record is equally surprising. 

Now that the dust has settled from the latest slate of games, here are the AFC North Power Rankings after Week 2. 

4. Baltimore Ravens (0-2)

The Baltimore Ravens fell far in this week's AFC North Power Rankings. Last week's number one is at the bottom this week.

No one had the Ravens in this position after two weeks. Many experts picked them as one of the strongest contenders in the entire conference. How the Ravens will bounce back will be an intriguing storyline.

They are 0-2 for the first time since 2015. And the vibes are not good. Losing a lead of ten points to a team that lost 40 consecutive games when losing by ten points or more will do that to you. 

Baltimore’s young star receiver, Zac Flowers, is in the Twitter streets reposting posts suggesting he does not get the ball enough in the second half of games.

Some fans of the Ravens are not happy with head coach John Harbaugh. They announced that he is officially on the proverbial hot seat.

The off-field feelings are not good. The numbers in the standings are not going well either. The Ravens’ 54 points allowed are the worst among the AFC North teams. Their -11 point differential is behind the Steelers and Bengals.

The Ravens play Dallas on Sunday afternoon. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones does not like the Bengals. Specifically, he harbors hard feelings towards Mike Brown. Bengals fans can put that aside for one afternoon and hope their divisional rivals fall to the ‘Boys.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2)

Despite losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cincinnati Bengals hold steady in third place over the free-falling Ravens in the power rankings this week.

The difference between the Ravens and the Bengals is that Cincinnati is used to this predicament. The Bengals, under Zac Taylor, get off to slow starts. But they never panic and usually find a way to right the ship during the season.  The feeling in Cincinnati after their thrilling game against the defending champion Chiefs is vastly different from how the Ravens feel.

There are no moral victories in football. Nevertheless, if there is such a thing as momentum in sports, it is more with the Bengals than the Ravens. 

Numbers also indicate the Bengals are better off than the Ravens. Cincinnati has the better point differential. Also, their defense has allowed fewer points per game, albeit after only two games. 

Furthermore, they will soon have pivotal contributors back from injury. Tee Higgins did not play the first two games. The defense will get reinforcements along the defensive line with the anticipated return of last year’s first-round pick, Myles Murphy. Rookie defensive tackle Kris Jenkins is also close to making his debut. 

Now, the Bengals need to get the most important stat, which is their first win. They have a chance to do that next week against the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football.

2. Cleveland Browns (1-1)

Moving up two notches from last week are the Cleveland Browns. They reached the win column with a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The only area where the Browns outplayed the Jaguars is the only place they needed to -- on the scoreboard. Jacksonville had more rushing and passing yards while running ten fewer plays. Cleveland also committed 13 penalties for 100 yards. Despite all this, the Browns controlled the game throughout.

Cleveland’s defense was too much for Jacksonville. They sacked Trevor Lawrence four times and got seven more hits on him. They held the Jaguars to just 13 total points. Ultimately, they deserve the credit for the victory.

However, the Browns have the worst point differential in the AFC North. And only the Ravens have allowed more points. Nevertheless, their victory on Sunday is enough to earn them second place on this week’s power rankings. The Browns take on the Giants in their next game.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)

The biggest winners from the AFC North are one of the Bengals' biggest rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. They move from two to the top spot of this week’s power rankings.

Congratulations to the Steelers for scoring their first touchdown of the season. They won their first game on the strength of six field goals against the Falcons. They managed to score one touchdown on Sunday against the Broncos. Pittsburgh’s offense only scored 13 points. But their defense held Denver to six.

Point differential is an excellent measure of how a team compares to others. It is early, but through two games, the Steelers are +15. The next closest in the division are the Bengals at -11.

The Steelers are buoyed by their defense, which is second-best in the NFL in points allowed with 16. The next closest in the division is the Bengals, with 42 points given up.

The team with the best scoring defense is the Los Angeles Chargers. It just so happens that is who Pittsburgh faces on Sunday in what is shaping up to be a low-scoring slugfest.

The Chargers own the second-best point differential in the league. Expect the Steelers to have a hard time scoring. The Steelers rank last in the division with 31 points scored. Nevertheless, they are the only undefeated team in the AFC North. And their defense appears to be one of the best, if not the best, in football.