AFC North Breakdown: Which Team Will Win The Division?

The AFC North is arguably the best division in the NFL.

The Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns are all playoff-caliber teams.

Last season, the Ravens won the AFC North and made it to the AFC Championship game.

Cleveland finished second with an 11-6 record.

The Steelers were 10-7 and made the playoffs last year.

Both the Browns and Steelers lost in the wild-card round.

Cincinnati finished last in the division with a 9-8 record but dealt with numerous injuries, most notably to star QB Joe Burrow.

Below, we will break down each team in the AFC North and predict which team will win the division.

AFC North Breakdown

No division in the NFL is tougher than the AFC North.

Every divisional contest feels like a playoff game.

Scroll down for a breakdown of each AFC North team heading into the 2024 NFL season.

Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore won the division last year and made it to the AFCCG but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

It was a close contest that could have gone either way.

Baltimore made some critical mistakes that cost them a chance to go to the Super Bowl.

The Ravens had a poor offensive scheme but were still very close to defeating the Chiefs.

They got better in the offseason by adding RB Derrick Henry.

The Ravens always have a tough defense and this year will be no different.

Lamar Jackson is a star QB and when he is healthy, the Ravens are a top team in the league.

The Ravens ranked fourth in points per game and first in points allowed per game last season.

Baltimore was one of just two teams in the league to rank inside the top five in both categories.

As long as Jackson is healthy, the Ravens are one of the best teams in the AFC.

Cleveland Browns

Cleveland finished second in the division last year and made the playoffs.

They lost in the wild-card round 45-14 against the Houston Texans.

For as much hype as their defense gets, they only ranked 21st in points allowed per game last season.

Myles Garrett is a game wrecker and game changer but the Browns were susceptible to allowing points.

Stroud had his way with their defense in the playoffs, going 16/21 for 274 passing yards and three passing TDs.

The Browns ranked 12th in points per game, despite losing star RB Nick Chubb and QB Deshaun Watson for most of the season.

Watson played in just six games (shoulder) and Chubb (ACL) played in just two games last year.

Kevin Stefanski deserves a lot of credit for Cleveland’s offensive success last season.

Chubb will return at some point during the season but he may not be ready to return for week 1.

Watson should be ready to be under center for week 1 after suffering a displaced glenoid fracture in his right shoulder.

It is not a common injury and there has not been a precedent to go off of for a QB.

It is unknown if Watson will be fully recovered when the season begins.

Cleveland has a very good head coach and all-around team but they need Watson and Chubb back at full or close to full health to compete in a tough AFC North.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished third in the division last year with a 10-7 record.

They lost in the wild-card round against the Buffalo Bills.

Nobody gave the Steelers a chance to defeat Buffalo and they were very fortunate to even make the playoffs.

They got in because the Jags lost in week 18 and faltered down the stretch of the season.

The offense was absurdly poor for Pittsburgh last year.

They made some major changes that began mid-season last year.

During the season last year, they let offensive coordinator Matt Canada go.

Many thought it took way too long to let Canada go.

This was just the beginning of revamping the offense.

The Steelers signed QB Russell Wilson to a one-year, $1.2 million deal in the offseason.

This prompted the Steelers to trade QB Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles.

With Pickett and Rudolph gone, this left a void at backup QB.

The Steelers would then trade for QB Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears.

Fields will be the backup QB to begin the season, with Wilson starting.

The offensive changes would not stop there.

Pittsburgh drafted Troy Fautanu in the first round to be a starting offensive tackle.

In round two, they drafted Zach Frazier to be the day-one starting center.

They also drafted WR Roman Wilson in round three to compete to be the starting slot WR.

All of these changes were made in an attempt to revamp an offense that has been sluggish for a few years.

The defense hinges mostly on the health of star pass rusher T.J. Watt.

With Watt on the field, the Steelers have one of the top defenses.

However, in games that Watt misses, the defense looks completely different.

They have other good players on defense but none have the impact Watt does.

Pittsburgh hopes Watt can stay healthy and all of their changes to the offense will significantly improve their offense, which has been terrible the last few years.

Cincinnati Bengals

The only reason the Bengals finished 9-8, last in the AFC North, and missed the playoffs last year was because Joe Burrow dealt with injuries all year and his season ended in mid-November.

When Burrow is healthy, the Bengals are a Super Bowl favorite.

Two years ago, they lost in the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs.

Cincinnati made it to the Super Bowl three years ago but lost to the LA Rams.

The point is when Burrow is healthy, the Bengals are one of the best teams in the league.

Burrow will return and hopes he can stay healthy all year and if he can, the Bengals will return to being a top team.

Cincinnati has a lot of work to do with contracts.

Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins need to be signed and chances are Higgins will not be.

Higgins was franchise tagged but the Bengals will prioritize Chase over Higgins.

Barring Higgins sitting out games, the Bengals will have both Chase and Higgins for one more year before Higgins in all likelihood leaves.

This is a very talented Bengals squad, led by one of the best QBs in the league.

Which Team Will Win The AFC North?

There is no easy victory when the AFC North teams play each other.

Every divisional game is hard-fought and feels like a playoff game.

Baltimore won the division last year as Lamar Jackson stayed healthy.

However, the best QB in the division returns fully healthy.

Joe Burrow’s season ended in mid-November but he dealt with injuries from the beginning of the season and was never truly healthy.

Burrow is one of the best QBs in the league and outside of Tom Brady, is the only other QB to ever beat Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs.

He has two talented weapons at his disposal Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Cincinnati had a respectable 9-8 record, even with Burrow’s season ending in mid-November.

With Burrow healthy, the Cincinnati Bengals will return to being a Super Bowl favorite and win the AFC North this upcoming NFL season.