Going into the 2023 season, it was not a very good name to foretell that the NFL’s greatest division could be the AFC North. It was thought of the one division by which all 4 groups had an opportunity to make the playoffs. Final yr that honor went to AFC West and the wheels appeared to creak just a few weeks into the season for each group besides the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. AFC North seems to have recovered from its early-season droop. It’s now the one division by which all 4 groups are no less than two video games above .500.
An enormous a part of what troubled the division early this season was accidents. None have been larger than Joe Burrow’s injured calf. He suffered from it the primary week of coaching camp. He missed a number of weeks of coaching and the whole preseason. Burrow’s rhythm was clearly off throughout the Cincinnati Bengals Week 1 loss for the Cleveland Browns. The next week he aggravated the harm once more as Cincy fell to 0–2 with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
They wrestled for 2 extra weeks and entered the week 5 match in opposition to the Arizona Cardinals 1-3. That was the week that the the wheels began turning for Burrow. He was capable of get out of the pocket and achieve time together with his legs. They received their subsequent two video games and since their Week 7 bye, Burrow has performed like probably the greatest quarterbacks within the NFL in opposition to two groups with Tremendous Bowl aspirations.
The Bengals defeated the San Francisco 49ers on the street with a 14-point lead. On Sunday evening, Burrow and the Bengals offense ran the ultimate three and a half minutes off the clock to get the Buffalo Payments, 24-18, and transfer to 5-3 this season. Burrow accomplished no fewer than 70 p.c of his passes in each wins and threw no interceptions, and these are the one video games of the season by which he has averaged higher than seven yards per completion. One other late begin to the season and the Bengals as soon as once more appear like probably the greatest groups within the league.
Each the Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers are additionally 5-3, and handled their very own quarterback points. Nonetheless, they at the moment do not have the luxurious of merely ready for his or her beginning QBs to get wholesome once more. Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson have each missed time and have not been spectacular all season both.
Nonetheless, in protection, each groups pose critical issues for his or her opponents. Veteran standout defensive lineman Cam Heyward returned to the Steelers lineup after lacking seven weeks with a core muscle harm that required surgical procedure. Upon his return, Pittsburgh rapidly put an finish to the Will Levis present up? with a 20-16 win in opposition to the Tennessee titans. Pickett had a foot sport behind heart, however they’ve sufficient expertise within the ability division with George Pickens, Diontae Johnson and Jaylen Warren to information a rock-solid protection.
The Steelers even have division wins of their again pocket in opposition to the Ravens and Browns, respectively. They beat the Browns in a sport the place Watson was wholesome. As nice as Cleveland’s protection has performed, Watson’s struggles and accidents have resulted in probably the most unbalanced group within the NFL. The Browns entered Week 9 ranked second in Defensive DVOA and twenty eighth in Offensive DVOA.
Watson returned Sunday and performed nicely in opposition to the Cardinals, who’ve one of many league’s worst defenses and traded their beginning quarterback 5 days earlier than the sport. The Browns’ subsequent two video games are rematches in opposition to the Steelers and Ravens. They misplaced to each groups of their first conferences this season. Then their schedule relaxes with the Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars as the one different playoff-caliber groups left.
The cream of the crop within the North is by far the Ravens. At their greatest, they can’t be stopped on each side of the ball. They entered Week 8 as a top-five unit on each offense and protection – in response to DVOA.
Two NFC candidates have come to Baltimore up to now three weeks and each have been housed. The Detroit Lions And Seattle Seahawks each misplaced by 30-plus at M&T Financial institution Stadium. When the Ravens are cooking, they’ll rapidly flip an opponent into pit beef.
Their drawback lies when the match remains to be up for grabs after halftime. In Week 8, they gave up 17 fourth-quarter factors to the Cardinals in a 31-24 win. Harm points harm them early within the season in losses to the Steelers and Indianapolis foals, however they took the lead late in each video games. They merely could not end the sport, largely as a result of their offensive playcalling was too conservative.
Barring JK Dobbins’ Achilles harm, the Ravens are more healthy on the midway level of this season than they’ve been in years. They’re additionally tied with the Chiefs for the very best document within the convention: per profitable proportion, the Chiefs have performed and misplaced extra video games. With a number of division battles remaining, in addition to a troublesome three-game stretch in December that included back-to-back street video games in opposition to the Jaguars and 49ers, the Ravens observe that up with a house sport in opposition to the Miami Dolphins.
They need to be capable to end the season as AFC North champions, however provided that they begin closing video games when they’re lower than 30 factors forward.