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 NFL team was in action, obviously, in Week 1, but the AFC North had games on multiple days. When all was said and done, the Steelers were the lone victors through one week of action.

Time to take a look at how the AFC North played out in Week 1, the latest standings and the upcoming schedule in Week 2.

Kansas City Chiefs – 27
Baltimore Ravens – 20

The Baltimore Ravens didn’t hit the ground running in this contest, but they started to play better down the stretch when it mattered most. However, their loss was absolutely brutal to the fan base when Isaiah Likely was unable to keep both feet fully in bounds, negating a touchdown which would have tied the game at the end of regulation. One toe, literally, was out of bounds, and the Ravens curse against the Chiefs continue as they start the season off with a heartbreaking loss.

New England Patriots – 16
Cincinnati Bengals – 10

The shocker of the week had to be the Patriots going into Cincinnati and finding a way to beat the Bengals. The Bengals, like many teams in the league, just didn’t look right in their season opener. Joe Burrow was less than stellar, but the Bengals historically get off to a slow start in the Joe Burrow era. What might be the worst part of this situation is how the Bengals are staring 0-2 square in the face with a trip to Arrowhead Stadium coming up in Week 2.

Dallas Cowboys – 33
Cleveland Browns – 17

The Cowboys paid Dak Prescott handsomely before the Week 1 game, and he paid the organization back with a big win over the Browns on the road. The Cleveland defense is legitimate, but even they couldn’t stop Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Deshaun Watson’s performance in the game was troubling, but that isn’t anything new for Browns fans. It’s just one game, but this was a bad start for Browns fans who had brighter hopes for the start of the 2024 season.

Pittsburgh Steelers – 18
Atlanta Falcons – 10

It wasn’t pretty, but the Steelers were able to do something no other team in the division can say. They won. Can they stack wins by beating the Denver Broncos in Week 2? That has yet to be seen, but one thing was on full display in Atlanta in Week 1, and it had nothing to do with the offense. It was all about the defense. If this unit can stay healthy, I will go on record to say this will be a Top 5 defense in the NFL at season’s end. In this regard, what we saw on Sunday vs. the Falcons was just the beginning.

AFC North Standings

Pittsburgh Steelers – 1-0
Baltimore Ravens – 0-1
Cleveland Browns – 0-1
Cincinnati Bengals – 0-1

AFC North Week 2 Schedule

• Las Vegas Raiders at Baltimore Ravens — 1:00pm EST
• Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars — 1:00pm EST
• Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs — 4:25pm EST
• Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos — 4:25pm EST