Going into the 2023 season, predicting that the NFL’s best division can be the AFC North was no sizzling take. It was thought-about the solely division in which all 4 groups had an opportunity to make the playoffs. Last yr, that honor went to the AFC West and the wheels proved to be creaky a couple of weeks into the season for each staff besides the Kansas City Chiefs. The AFC North seems to have recovered from its early-season stoop. It is now the solely division in which all 4 groups are at the very least two video games over .500.
Much of what had the division on the ropes early this season was damage. None was larger than Joe Burrow’s injured calf. He suffered it the first week of coaching camp. He missed a number of weeks of observe and the whole preseason. Burrow’s rhythm was clearly off throughout the Cincinnati Bengals’ Week 1 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The following week he re-aggravated the damage as Cincy fell to 0-2 with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
They struggled for 2 extra weeks, coming into the Week 5 recreation towards the Arizona Cardinals 1-3. That was the week that the wheels began to show for Burrow. He was in a position to get out of the pocket and purchase time along with his legs. They gained their subsequent two video games and since their Week 7 bye, Burrow has performed like certainly one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL towards two groups with Super Bowl aspirations.
The Bengals beat the San Francisco 49ers on the highway by 14 factors. On Sunday night time, Burrow and the Bengals offense ran the ultimate three and a half minutes off of the clock to defeat the Buffalo Bills, 24-18, and transfer to 5-3 on the season. Burrow accomplished at least 70 p.c of his passes in each victories, and threw no interceptions, and these are the solely video games of the season in which he has averaged higher than seven yards per completion. Another late-season begin, and as soon as once more the Bengals seem like certainly one of the best groups in the league.
Both the Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers are additionally 5-3, and handled their very own quarterback points. However, they at present don’t have the luxurious of merely ready for his or her beginning QBs to return to well being. Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson have each missed time, and have additionally been unimpressive all through the season.
On protection although, each of those groups current severe issues for opponents. Veteran standout defensive lineman Cam Heyward returned to the Steelers lineup after lacking seven weeks with a core muscle damage that required surgical procedure. Upon his return, Pittsburgh put a fast finish to the Will Levis present with a 20-16 win towards the Tennessee Titans. Pickett had a pedestrian recreation behind heart, however they’ve sufficient skill-position expertise with George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, and Jaylen Warren to accompany a rock-solid protection.
The Steelers even have division wins in their again pocket towards the Ravens and Browns, respectively. They knocked off the Browns in a recreation in which Watson was wholesome. As nice as Cleveland’s protection has performed, Watson’s struggles and accidents have resulted in the most unbalanced staff in the NFL. The Browns entered Week 9 ranked second in Defensive DVOA and twenty eighth in Offensive DVOA.
Watson returned Sunday and performed nicely towards the Cardinals — who’ve certainly one of the league’s worst defenses and traded their beginning quarterback 5 days earlier than the recreation. The Browns’ subsequent two video games are rematches towards the Steelers and Ravens. They misplaced to each groups in their first conferences this season. After that, their schedule eases up with the Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars as the solely different playoff-caliber groups remaining on it.
The cream of the crop in the North is by far the Ravens. At their best, they’re unstoppable on each side of the ball. They entered Week 8 as a top-five unit on each offense and protection — per DVOA.
Two NFC contenders have come to Baltimore in the final three weeks, and each had been housed. The Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks each misplaced by 30-plus at M&T Bank Stadium. When the Ravens are cooking, they’ll shortly flip an opponent into pit beef.
Their downside lies when the recreation 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 victory. Injury woes harm them early in the season in losses to the Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, however they had been forward late in each video games. They simply weren’t in a position to end the recreation, largely as a result of their offensive playcalling was too conservative.
Not counting J.Okay. Dobbins’ Achilles damage, at the midway level of this season the Ravens are more healthy than they’ve been in years. They are additionally tied with the Chiefs for the best document in the convention — per successful share, the Chiefs have performed and misplaced extra video games. With a number of divisional battles remaining, in addition to a tricky three-game stretch in December that features consecutive highway video games towards the Jaguars and 49ers, the Ravens comply with that with a house recreation towards the Miami Dolphins.
They ought to have the ability to end the season as AFC North Champions, however provided that they begin closing out video games when not up by 30 factors.
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