Browns Hanging Tough In AFC North As Week 6 Looms

The book is officially closed on Week 5 across the NFL. Halloween is usually the barometer of who is real and who is not ... and that is only three weeks away.

Before the season, the AFC North was believed by many to be one of the premier divisions in all of football.

Cincinnati is the defending AFC runner up, Lamar Jackson has the Ravens on a mission back to relevancy, the Browns have a top-5 roster and the Steelers were rebuilding.

Twelve wins in this division might be enough to be crowned King of the North.

Not so fast...

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)

This has been the most Mike Tomlin start to the year for Pittsburgh. It is hard to believe that this team has three wins, but they do and they are in first place.

Stats don't tell the story. The Steelers feature the No. 30 ranked defense giving up 389.4 yards per game and are the No. 17 ranked scoring defense giving up 22 points per game.

We have all seen the offense. They haven't eclipsed 300 total yards and are scoring a measly 15.8 points per game.

The only answer to this is question is Mike Tomlin. He is one of the greatest coaches this game has ever seen and he is up to his old tricks yet again. Sometimes Pittsburgh's success defies logic. How long can this last for Pittsburgh? Only time will tell.

2. Baltimore Ravens (3-2)

Rewind two weeks and you'll remember the Ravens coming to Cleveland and looking like one of the best teams in football. They took it to the Browns and seemingly cracked the code against one of the best defenses in all of football.

Last week in Pittsburgh was truly one of the most bizarre performances you'll ever see. Dropped passes, untimely turnovers, a blocked punt and penalties all led to their demise. The Ravens missed an opportunity to grab a firm grip on the AFC North.

3. Cleveland Browns (2-2)

What a roller coaster ride 2023 has been for the Browns. A dominant victory over the Bengals in Week 1, total disaster in Week 2, Week 3 domination and a blowout loss in Week 4. Truly the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

This team should be 3-1 and sitting at first place in the division but they are not, and things seem shaky right now.

The big-picture approach to this team is that they will be (heavy) favorites in five out of the next seven games. Don't overreact to what happens on Sunday, this team should be 7-3 by Week 11.

4. Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)

Simply put, they are back. The AFC North had a chance to separate far enough from the injury-stricken Bengals, but no one did.

Joe Burrow played through his calf injury and looks to be in much better shape now than when they were in Cleveland in early September. This is not an unbeatable football team by any means, but Joe is back and this team will be in the mix.