The Cincinnati Bengals entered their quest to repeat as AFC champions with a shocking 23-20 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the Bengals losing and the Steelers winning, it puts Pittsburgh at 1-0 and Cincinnati at 0-1.
Meanwhile, the Browns moved to 1-0 winning in Week 1 for the first time since 2004 with their win over the Baker Mayfield-led Panthers. The Ravens took care of business in a big way against the Jets to also move to 1-0 on the year.
That means that Cincinnati is in the AFC North cellar and they're all alone down in the basement. It's only Week 1 and a lot can happen in the division but this isn't a great way for the stripes to start their season.
Bengals in last place in AFC North after Week 1
There's no reason to panic even with the good guys starting with a one-game deficit behind the other teams in the division. They'll get a Dak Prescott-less Cowboys team in Week 2 while the Ravens host the Dolphins, the Steelers host the Patriots, and the Browns travel to the Jets. Cleveland is the only one out of those that is an easy pick to win as the other two teams could have a much more difficult time winning their matchup.
Last year, many people thought the AFC North would be the best division in the entire NFL. The Ravens and Browns both ended up disappointing while the Bengals surprised everyone and ended up winning the division with a 10-7 record. The only other AFC North team to make the playoffs was the Steelers.
Being 0-1 while Browns, Ravens, and Steelers fans laugh at our misfortunes isn't fun but the regular season is a marathon, not a sprint. Cincinnati will turn things around and put themselves in contention to win the AFC North for the second straight year.