OTL: AFC North Shaping Up to Be a Gauntlet Once Again

The AFC North tends to be one of the more fascinating divisions year over year in the NFL. Over the past 10 years, Baltimore has claimed the title four times (‘18, ‘19, ‘23, ‘24), and Pittsburgh has matched that number (‘16, ‘17, ‘20, ‘25), while Cincinnati twice (‘21, ‘22). Cleveland has pretty consistently brought up the rear outside of the Baker Mayfield glory days, but they still tend to be a pain in the side of their AFC North foes.

The Ravens are the current favorites to win the division (-115, DraftKings), but both the Bengals (+210) and Steelers (+500) still pose a threat to the AFC North crown.

Let’s take a look at what each team is shaping up to bring to the table this season.

Why Cincinnati is Dangerous

Lamar Jackson has owned the Bengals in his career. He’s 11-2 against them as a starter, but these aren’t your same old Cats. Of Cincy’s seven offseason acquisitions thus far, six have been on the defensive side of the football. They traded the No. 10 pick to the Giants for Dexter Lawrence, and also added Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe along the front seven. They addressed the secondary with the signings of Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger. They’re still weak at outside corner, but the Bengals are hoping their defense will be improved enough to complement their strong offense.

Speaking of…on the offensive side of the ball, Joe Burrow/Ja’Marr Chase/Tee Higgins have always caused problems. In 10 games against Baltimore, Chase has recorded 75 receptions for 1,204 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games. That pace would put him over 2,000 yards in a 17-game season. Chase has 100+ yards in six of those ten, and 200+ in two. In 11 games, Burrow has 400+ in three and tore apart the secondary for 525 passing yards back in 2021.

The draw to these Ravens/Bengals matchups over the past few years has been the shootout opportunity, but look for these games to be a bit more grindy and AFC North-y this season.

The Case For Pittsburgh

In basically polar opposite fashion, Lamar has always struggled against the Steelers. He’s 2-6 as a starter against Pittsburgh with a 57.5 completion percentage, and 12 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. There’s always some kind of voodoo magic going on with Pittsburgh. Maybe Mike Tomlin (and John Harbaugh) leaving town will change things, but the same T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward still lurk along the front seven. Pittsburgh will always somehow force a turnover that you just don’t typically see out of a Raven, or just conjure some kind of mistake that changes the game.

Aaron Rodgers will be 43 come playoff time, but he managed to work his magic twice against Zach Orr’s defense in 2025. Perhaps the changes in Baltimore will bring positive fortunes against the black and gold.

Cleveland is a Pain

It doesn’t matter if Cleveland is a four win team in November or December. Anytime the Ravens, or AFC North team goes to Cleveland, it’s such a hard win to get. Jackson is 10-4 as a starter against the Browns, but man if those games don’t cause palpitations. They stole one in Cleveland last year on Mark Andrews’ “Hurricane” touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but the year before they lost in Cleveland in what felt like a cursed game. Eddie Jackson, Rashod Bateman’s long drop, Kyle Hamilton’s game winning INT drop, yeesh.

Myles Garrett is scary, and Denzel Ward is one of the best cornerbacks in the league. No matter who lines up on that defense, they play hard. Whether they’ll be as effective after the loss of Jim Schwartz is yet to be seen, but by God if I don’t dread that Cleveland road game every single year.

The path for the North won’t be easy, it never is. With that being said, it’s Baltimore’s division to win, and they sure have the talent to do it.

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