The AFC North was widely considered the toughest division in the NFL heading into the regular season, but there certainly have been some bumps in the road where the division played poorly. Every AFC North team was in action in Week 7, but the AFC North had games at multiple times. When all was said and done, the Steelers beat the Jets combined with a Ravens win over the Buccaneers meant the distance between the top of the division and the bottom got even greater.

Time to take a look at how the AFC North played out in Week 7, the latest standings and the upcoming schedule in Week 8.

Cincinnati Bengals – 21
Cleveland Browns – 14

Don’t look now, but the Bengals have slowly started to crawl out of the hole they dug themselves at the beginning of the season. Now, with back-to-back wins Cincinnati is starting to look like the team most fans thought they were entering the 2024 season. But when you consider if the Bengals could be a player in the division, and conference, you have to look at their upcoming slate of games. Here they are:

• vs. Eagles
• vs. Raiders
• at Ravens
• at Chargers

The Bengals don’t have an easy road ahead, but at the same time they could absolutely climb back into the division race if the two front-runners stumble.

As for the Browns, who lost Deshaun Watson for the season, they could see an uptick of offense, but it is likely too-little-too-late.

Pittsburgh Steelers – 37
New York Jets – 15

Did anyone see the Steelers scoring 37 total points and completely blowing the doors off the Jets on Sunday Night Football in Week 7? Yeah, I didn’t either. I predicted a 20-17 final score, but the way the Steelers turned this game on its head was insane. As for what the future will hold for Pittsburgh will hinge on quarterback play. There was a clear difference between Russell Wilson, especially in the second half, and Justin Fields, but is it sustainable? Is Russ just getting started, or have we seen the best of what he has left in the tank? Only time will tell, but back-to-back games with 30+ points is certainly something Steelers fans aren’t used to seeing.

Baltimore Ravens – 41
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 31

Monday Night Football had a high scoring affair on their hands, which is just what the NFL wants, but the game started in Tampa Bay’s favor. It didn’t take the Ravens to take over. Lamar Jackson accounted for 5 total touchdowns, and Derrick Henry continues to look more and more comfortable in the Baltimore offense. Is there a cause for concern with the Ravens defense? Some might say yes, but when the offense is averaging 31.1 points per game, tied for 1st in the league, it can overcome a lot of shortcomings for the defense. The Ravens have rattled off five straight wins after starting the year 0-2, but can they keep it going?

Let’s take a look:

• at Browns
• vs. Broncos
• vs. Bengals
• at Steelers

I think it’s safe to say the Ravens aren’t going anywhere anytime soon…

AFC North Standings

Baltimore Ravens – 5-2
Pittsburgh Steelers – 5-2
Cincinnati Bengals – 3-4
Cleveland Browns – 1-6

AFC North Week 8 Schedule

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns — Sunday, 1pm EST
Philadelphia Eagles at Cincinnati Bengals — Sunday, 1pm EST
New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers — Monday, 8:15pm EST (MNF)