The AFC North is starting to sort itself out, and the picture for Baltimore looks worse by the week.
After getting buried by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half, the Ravens are sitting alone in the cellar of the division. With Lamar Jackson still out and the rest of the North showing some real teeth, Baltimore suddenly has very little margin left.
Week 7 brought a mixed set of results around the division: the Steelers beat the Saints 16-10, the Browns beat the Titans 27-24, and the Bengals rolled past the Ravens 35-13.
At the top, the Cleveland Browns are making it hard to dismiss them. Todd Monken’s team keeps surviving tight finishes, and even if the win over Tennessee came with some help from the officials, the larger takeaway is that Cleveland’s defense looks legitimate.
It’s playing with more cohesion and physicality than Baltimore’s group, and that’s saying something given how shaky the Ravens have been. They’re sitting first in the AFC North almost halfway through the season, and they’re forcing people to pay attention.
Cincinnati is right there behind them, and the offense finally looks like it remembered what it’s supposed to be. In the second half against Baltimore, Joe Burrow turned it loose and started carving up the Ravens with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Mike Gesicki doing damage all over the field.
If that version of the Bengals offense shows up consistently, Cincinnati becomes a real division threat. The defense has improved enough not to drag the team down, and with that kind of skill talent, they can win this thing.
Pittsburgh isn’t loud about it, but the Steelers are getting real mileage out of Aaron Rodgers’ resurgence. He’s not back to his MVP peak, but he has clearly played better than he has over the last two seasons.
He’s buying time, pushing the ball downfield, and running an offense that actually looks functional. That doesn’t guarantee a deep playoff run, but it does make Pittsburgh dangerous enough to steal games from better teams.
It also gives them a chance to beat the Ravens twice later in the year and wreck Baltimore’s season.
Then there’s the Ravens, and the update is getting harder to spin. Jackson’s ankle injury was supposed to be minor, but it has now kept him out for three weeks, and his status for Week 8 is still unclear.
Even if he comes back, Baltimore has another problem hanging over it: the defense may not be good enough to carry the team back to the top of the division. Panic might not be fully here yet, but it’s close.
The runway is shrinking fast.
Baltimore turns next to a critical Week 8 trip to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Nov. 1st.
In Other News...
Ravens Maxx Crosby Pursuit Still Hangs On One Major Sticking Point
Trade chatter around Maxx Crosby has cooled as the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline approaches, and the biggest reason appears to be the same one that has shadowed talks for weeks: price. The Las Vegas Raiders are still believed to be asking a steep return for their star pass-rusher, and the market has not moved enough to meet it, even with plenty of interest expected from teams looking for edge help.
For Baltimore, the situation has a familiar feel after a previous deal for Crosby never got across the finish line. The sides had been aligned once before, but the hesitation around his health helped stop it then, and the present standoff is keeping him in Las Vegas for now. At this point, the expectation around the league is that the Raiders will hold onto Crosby through the season unless the asking price changes in a major way. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Face A Tough Deadline Call On An Underperforming Veteran
Baltimores 4-3 start has the Ravens sitting in a familiar but uncomfortable spot in the AFC North, good enough to stay in the hunt but not so steady that the trade deadline can be ignored. With the deadline closing in, the front office is weighing whether to stand pat or reshuffle pieces around a roster that has not quite found the right blend of production and fit, especially among a few veterans whose roles have become harder to justify.
Mark Andrews is among the names being kicked around, and the conversation around him speaks to how seriously Baltimore is taking this stretch run. Justice Hill is in the mix too, with his recent impact not matching the teams needs, while the depth chart at receiver and in the backfield leaves the Ravens with some room to consider changes. The next move will say plenty about how aggressively Baltimore plans to chase answers before the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Jacksons Ankle Suddenly Changes Everything For Ravens Vs Bills
Lamar Jacksons return is suddenly the biggest development hanging over Baltimores Week 8 trip to Buffalo. The Ravens quarterback has been out since Week 4 with an ankle injury, but he has been back on the practice field in limited fashion and now appears on track to suit up against the Bills after missing nearly a month.
The timing matters because Baltimore has spent the week navigating uncertainty at the most important position in football, and the market has noticed. Jackson still has not logged a full practice since the injury, so there is enough lingering caution to keep this from feeling entirely settled, but the direction of the matchup has clearly changed with his status trending the right way. [Read more 🡒]