With training camps about to open, the AFC North has a clear top-to-bottom order for now, and it starts with Cincinnati.
The Bengals get the nod over the Ravens in this early look, even though Baltimore is being treated as the better team in the betting markets and is expected to contend for a Super Bowl. The case for Cincinnati is built around a quarterback who has already won at Arrowhead with the season on the line, reached a Super Bowl, and was on pace to be the MVP before his defense faded.
Zac Taylor has also been to a Super Bowl, and the Bengals’ offseason added real help, including a fortified defensive line with a top three defensive tackle, Dexter Lawrennce. Ownership, too, is acting like it wants to win now.
The schedule only strengthens that argument. Cincinnati opens with seven straight 1pm kickoffs, the kind of window where Burrow does his best work, and gets Baltimore at home in prime time rather than having to go there.
The offense still has the ability to score 30 on anybody, but the expectation is that it won’t need to do that quite as often. The secondary improved quietly as last season went on, and even if the linebackers remain a concern, the Bengals look like a team due for a fast start instead of another year spent chasing the rest of the AFC.
Baltimore still has plenty going for it, and the Ravens remain the team many people expect to make the deepest run. But there are enough warning signs to keep them behind Cincinnati in this ranking.
The division games will matter most, and the Ravens are dealing with a lot of new pieces. That kind of turnover matters, especially with a staff this young and inexperienced.
NFL history has not been kind to teams trying to win it all immediately in that situation.
There are also roster concerns. Some of Baltimore’s key spots are aging, Lamar Jackson is entering what amounts to a walk year if a new deal does not get done soon, and the offense does not have the same playmaking depth Cincinnati can offer Burrow. Todd Monken is still viewed as a strong offensive mind and could make the unit more competitive than expected, but the overall picture is less settled than it looks from the outside.
Pittsburgh comes next, and the reaction there is skepticism. The idea of bringing back Aaron Rodgers and leaning on familiarity with Mike McCarthy, their new head coach, is not enough to inspire much confidence.
The move feels convenient rather than bold, and the sense is that the Steelers are trying to squeeze out nine or ten wins and get back to the playoffs without changing much of anything. That has been the story there for a while.
Cleveland rounds out the division, and this is the team that looks most clearly in transition. The roster has been gutted, the Myles Garrett trade says plenty about where the franchise is headed, and the long-range plan appears to be positioning itself to draft a quarterback very high in 2027.
Shedeur Sanders is expected to play a fair amount because Deshaun Watson ain’t long for this. Denzel Ward could still be dealt, and the offensive line no longer resembles what it once was.
For now, the AFC North stacks up with Cincinnati first, Baltimore second, Pittsburgh third and Cleveland fourth.
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