The AFC North has turned into a three-team race with a fourth club still hanging around, and that was the focus on Monday’s episode of First Things First as the panel broke down the division through six weeks.
The Browns, Ravens and Steelers all sit at 4-2, while the Bengals are 3-2 after an early bye week. That kind of logjam has made the North the most crowded division in the league so far, and the discussion centered on which of those teams is actually built to last.
Chris Broussard leaned toward Baltimore as the safest pick. He pointed to Cleveland’s improvement, but said the Ravens have the edge because of their offense when healthy and a defense that may be on the rise.
He also gave Cincinnati a lower grade on that side of the ball and took note of Pittsburgh’s offense, saying Aaron Rodgers is putting up touchdowns but doing it in a controlled style. On Cleveland, Broussard also highlighted Deshaun Watson’s late-game work, noting the Browns have won four games and Watson has had to deliver in the closing minutes each time.
“Look, I’m a little bit excited about Cleveland. Like, I think they have shown improvement, but still… “Chris Broussard said.
“I think the Ravens are the best team because they obviously have the best offense when healthy, and I think their defense isn’t great yet. I think it potentially could get there, but it’s better than Cincinnati’s.
:And then you got Pittsburgh, where Aaron Rodgers is, I mean, he’s throwing some touchdowns, but you know, he’s just dinking and dunking and all that stuff. And then Cleveland has offensive challenges.
Deshaun, congratulations to him on these late-game-winning drives. It’s like four of these.
Every game they’ve won, he’s got a late, last-minute drive.
“But I just think Baltimore’s the most balanced team.”
Kevin Wildes took a different angle and said he’s beginning to buy in on Pittsburgh and Rodgers. He said the Steelers have a legitimate argument as one of the top four teams in the AFC.
“I’m starting to believe in Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers,” Wildes said before going on to say that he feels the Steelers have a case as a top-four team in the AFC.
Nick Wright also came away encouraged by Rodgers’ play, especially in the Steelers’ 26-19 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. He said Rodgers looked sharp late and that the previous week stood out to him as well.
“I thought he was good in the 4th quarter,” Nick Wright said of Rodgers’ performance on Sunday in a 26-19 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “I thought he was good in the 4th quarter. I thought he was quite good the week before.”
For now, Cleveland remains the division’s biggest surprise, and Pittsburgh’s offense has clearly looked more dangerous with Mike McCarthy than it did under Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin last season. But as the panel noted, the real answer will come only if those teams can keep it going through the grind of the full NFL schedule.
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