Updated AFC North standings after Week 10: Bengals alone in basement

The Cincinnati Bengals had a chance to really make a difference in the AFC North had they been able to hold on against the Houston Texans on Sunday. Unfortunately, they failed to stop C.J. Stroud on the Texans' final drive of the game and Houston went on to kick the game-winning field goal to avoid overtime.

Minutes later, the Baltimore Ravens coughed up a double-digit-point lead to the Cleveland Browns to drop to 7-3 while the Browns moved to 6-3. The Pittsburgh Steelers also won their game against the Green Bay Packers and are 6-3 on the year as well.

This means that, once again, the Bengals are in the basement by themselves in the AFC North after fighting so hard to get into a three-way tie.

AFC North standings after Week 10

1. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)
3. Cleveland Browns (6-3)
4. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)

In any other division, the Bengals would at least be tied for second place with their 5-4 record but not in the ultra competitive AFC North. The good news is that the Bengals play the Ravens this Thursday night with the chance to close the gap between them but had they beat the Texans, they could have been playing to be on even playing ground with their divisional foe.

A loss to Baltimore on Thursday night might very well take the Bengals out of the AFC North race competition but crazier things have happened. They won the AFC North in 2021 with a record of 10-7 and were trailing the Ravens in the division for most of the 2022 season before locking it down with a 12-4 record.

Unfortunately, the rest of the division is tougher this year. Both the Browns and the Steelers continue to find ways to win games despite their offenses not being the most impressive. Those two teams play in Week 11, just as the Bengals and Ravens square off so unless there are ties, two AFC North teams will have L's added to their record this weekend, as two others will add much-needed wins in the best division in football.