The AFC North has tightened into a two-team race at the top, and the Browns are the one club sliding in the wrong direction. Cincinnati’s surge has changed the picture fast, while Pittsburgh’s bye week did nothing to protect its share of first place. Cleveland, meanwhile, is losing ground after a rough Week 9 that exposed how shaky things have become.
At the top, the Bengals are playing like the division’s most dangerous team. Since their Week 6 bye, Joe Burrow has been the NFL’s best quarterback by production, leading the league in EPA per play, passing yards, and passing touchdowns over that span. Cincinnati has topped 34 points in all three games since the break, and the Burrow-to-Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combination has been too much for defenses to handle.
The Bengals’ defense hasn’t exactly carried the load. It ranks 19th in EPA per play since the bye.
But with the offense humming like this, Cincinnati only needs the defense to stay out of the way. The schedule has also been kind during this run, though that changes in Week 10 when the Bengals face the Steelers in a matchup that will decide control of the division.
Pittsburgh comes out of its bye tied for first, even without taking the field in Week 9. Cincinnati’s win over the Atlanta Falcons pulled the Bengals level with the Steelers, and the head-to-head result from Week 3 still gives Pittsburgh something to lean on.
Even so, the margin for error is gone. The Steelers will have to keep winning the way they want to win, by leaning on their strength in the trenches, if they’re going to hold off Cincinnati.
Cleveland’s loss to the New Orleans Saints pushed the Browns deeper into trouble. With Shedeur Sanders running the offense, they still couldn’t take advantage of a Saints defense that had allowed the most EPA per rush in the league entering Week 9.
The Browns didn’t even get to 100 rushing yards. A two-point conversion in overtime could have changed the entire conversation, but instead Cleveland is now looking up at both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
The Browns are still not a total mess, but they’re clearly not the team that flashed as a possible dark horse AFC threat early in the season. Todd Monken has squeezed more out of the roster than it should probably be giving, yet the overall picture still points to a team that’s a year or two away from real contention.
Baltimore sits fourth, and the situation there looks even bleaker without Lamar Jackson. The Ravens haven’t scored more than 13 points in a game since Oct. 11, and the offense has completely unraveled. Derrick Henry appears to have taken a noticeable step back, and with no real passing threat, there hasn’t been room for him to operate.
Jacoby Brissett should at least make the offense functional. He isn’t a starting-caliber quarterback at this stage, but he’s a clear upgrade from Joe Fagnano.
Even so, Brissett alone isn’t enough to rescue Baltimore’s season. Unless the rest of the AFC North collapses down the stretch, the Ravens’ playoff hopes are finished.
In Other News...
Jared Verse Just Made Browns Fans Even More Concerned Down The Stretch
Jared Verses season has taken an unexpected turn, and the Browns are hearing about it at a time when every snap matters. The edge rusher said his struggles in 2026 are tied to a mental block rather than any physical issue, which at least clarifies why his production has slipped while Cleveland tries to stay on track down the stretch.
Verse said he has been working to fix the problem and believes he is ready to improve, but the bigger picture is hard to ignore for a fan base already on edge. He acknowledged the frustration from Browns supporters and said he is disappointed in his own play, leaving Cleveland waiting to see whether the turnaround comes soon enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Monken's Latest Gamble Has Browns Fans Debating His Limits
Todd Monkens latest call left the Browns talking after a recent overtime loss, when he chose to go for two instead of settling in for the longer haul. It was the kind of aggressive decision that can look bold when it works and reckless when it doesnt, and in this case it swung the game the wrong way for a Cleveland team still trying to keep pace in a tight AFC North race.
At 5-4 and sitting third in the division, the Browns cant afford many self-inflicted setbacks if they want to stay in the playoff mix. Monkens approach has already drawn comparisons to other coaches who lean into risk, but the bigger question now is whether his willingness to push the envelope gives Cleveland an edge or puts too much pressure on a roster that needs every break it can get. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Rebuilt Offensive Line Already Feels Like The Same Old Problem
The Browns spent the offseason rebuilding their offensive line from top to bottom, bringing in five new starters through the draft, free agency and trades in hopes of finally stabilizing the front. There have been flashes that suggest the group can come together, but the early returns have also looked familiar in the way that matters most to Cleveland: the run game has not consistently moved people, and the line has already been tied to some costly breakdowns.
In the overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints, those issues showed up in the kind of moments that tend to linger. A failed fourth-and-goal run, a lost-yardage play after a long pass and a holding penalty that stalled a late drive all underscored how much the Browns still have to sort out up front. For a unit that was supposed to represent a fresh start, the bigger question now is whether the fixes are real or just a new version of an old problem. [Read more 🡒]