AFC North Power Rankings after Week 10: Division race starting to clear up

Steelers, Ravens create distance from Bengals, Browns

Week 10 in the AFC North has wrapped up but the division/playoff race is starting to clear up. The Cleveland Browns had their bye week but the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals squared off on Thursday night while the Pittsburgh Steelers squared off with the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

For our Dawg Pound Discourse, we wondered how Browns fans root in games involving other AFC North teams, especially when they face off like they did on Thursday Night Football.

No need to elaborate any further, let’s discuss the AFC North power rankings after week 10:

1. Baltimore Ravens

Offense is great but the defense will cost them a Super Bowl appearance

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

Winning… somehow

3. Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow and Ja’marr Chase can’t save this

4. Cleveland Browns

Keep your corny “Browns lost the bye week” jokes to yourself

Ravens survive another thriller with Bengals, sweeps season series

Going into this game, much was at stake for both Cincinnati and Baltimore. The Bengals needed a win to keep track in the division as well as the playoff race while the Ravens were trying to distance themselves from the competition.

Cincinnati had a strong start to the game while Baltimore came out thinking this was still preseason. However, there are two halves in the game of football and the Bengals played arguably their worst while the Ravens played their best.

For Baltimore, the offense couldn’t get out of their own way in the 1st half with self-inflicted wounds and the defense couldn’t stop Cincinnati’s offense. The momentum shifted when Bengals running back Chase Brown fumbled early in the 3rd and the Ravens were able to capitalize. I’ve talked about Lamar Jackson enough during these power rankings but he’s the clear-cut MVP right now. His evolution as a passer is sensational and it’s helped his game grow.

Baltimore’s offense will have to carry their defense this season, their pass defense is just not good despite the run defense being stout. The Ravens added cornerback Tre’Davious White from the Los Angeles Rams during the trade deadline but it’s more for depth (also expecting White to play at a high level seems like a lot to ask).

Baltimore is still the best team in the division and they are only getting better every week.

Bengals collapse again, division hopes are gone while playoff hopes are on life support

The Bengals are 4-6. Is their season over? Not quite, considering how the AFC is weak. However, any chance of them winning the division is dashed and their playoff hopes are slim.

Cincinnati played about as well of a 1st half against Baltimore considering what was at stake. 21-7, early in the 3rd the Bengals were trending towards a potential rout. Then this happened:

Cincinnati’s defense has been an issue all season and to no surprise, it ended up costing them again. Make no mistake, the defense played well in the 1st half but the 2nd half the unit was getting gashed in the passing game despite keeping Baltimore’s running game in check.

Quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase went ballistic but it was all for naught. Burrow and Chase can have these explosive performances but it doesn’t matter if the rest of the team doesn’t contribute. Cincinnati had a chance to win the game late but came up short after a failed 2-point conversion (right call just didn’t execute). Head coach Zac Taylor shouldn’t be back with the team next season regardless if the team makes the postseason or not. He’s the 4th best coach in the division right now (said what I said) and the Bengals have peaked with him.

Cincinnati is not a bad team but they have underachieved this season due to issues stemming back from this offseason.

Steelers escape Washington with a win, improve to 7-2

Before the Steelers-Commanders game, I tweeted this out:

After the game ended with the Steelers escaping with a win, I am still confused. Neither Washington or Pittsburgh beat a good team leading up to this game and, after this game, I have more questions about Pittsburgh than before.

Make no mistake, the win was cool but The Steelers offense was struggling against the Commanders defense for the first 30 minutes. Washington’s defense isn’t the worst but it’s not great (they have played better as of late and they traded for cornerback Marshon Lattimore at the trade deadline).

Quarterback Russell Wilson played well enough for the team to win and wide receiver George Pickens and newly acquired Mike Williams made contributions:

7-2, the Steelers are obviously better than what they were last year. But are they dangerous? No. Defensively, it’s a bend don’t break unit but still good. Offensively, they don’t have a receiver that can win their 1-on-1 consistently. Good team, but questions linger about how good they really are.