The AFC North’s early-season hierarchy already looks shaky, and the Browns are the team forcing the issue.
After four weeks, Cleveland is 3-1 and has turned itself into the biggest surprise of the NFL’s opening stretch. The Browns kept that momentum rolling on Thursday Night Football with a 27-24 win over the Steelers, and suddenly the gap between them and the Ravens at the top of the division is barely there.
Baltimore still sits in first, but not comfortably. The Ravens’ 24-18 win over the Titans came with plenty of wobble, including 11 unanswered points allowed before they escaped with a one-score result against one of the league’s weakest teams.
Jesse Minter’s squad is hanging on for now, but the margin is thin enough that one bad week could flip the order fast. Lamar Jackson’s health only makes the picture more fragile.
Cleveland, meanwhile, keeps building a case. The Browns have already collected a win over Pittsburgh just days after the vintage Aaron Rodgers performance that had Steelers fans feeling better about themselves.
Deshaun Watson, at the very least, “looks like an average NFL starter,” which is a major step up from where things stood before the season began. The Browns still have to prove they belong in the division-title conversation, though.
Their best win so far came against the Carolina Panthers, and that Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars is still part of the file. Their next real measuring stick comes in two weeks against the Ravens.
Cincinnati is sitting in the middle of the pack after a 22-17 loss to the Jaguars. With Ja’Marr Chase sidelined, the offense stalled, and that has been a recurring issue all season as the Bengals try to get more out of a talented group. The defense has at least moved into average territory, which is a clear improvement from 2025, but the Bengals still haven’t shown they can navigate a division this tight and climb to the top.
Pittsburgh brings up the rear after the loss to Cleveland. Aaron Rodgers looked every bit like the 42-year-old version of himself this time, not the prime version from Week 3, and the Browns made him feel it. The Steelers were pushed right back to the bottom of the division.
Week 4 results: Browns beat Steelers, 27-24
Bengals lose to Jaguars, 22-17
Ravens beat Titans, 24-18
Next games: Ravens: Sunday, Oct. 11th @ Falcons
Browns: Sunday, Oct. 11th @ Jets
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Former Bears QB Turned A Terrifying Health Scare Into A New Mission
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Now Shaw is turning that frightening experience into a broader push for preparedness through HRTHUDL, the nonprofit he founded to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest, teach CPR and help get AEDs into communities in South Carolina. For anyone around football, especially youth sports, it is the kind of reminder that the most important play can happen long before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]