AFC North: Will Bengals Browns, and Ravens Fight for Division Crown?

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The AFC North was expected to feature a wild finish between Cleveland and Baltimore to end the season. However, at the start of the 2021 season through the first four weeks, a three-team race is taking center stage in what could be the toughest division in the NFL.

The team that is looking to take a nose dive is the Pittsburgh Steelers. At 1-2, the team is not looking like they will get any better this year. There are also questions about whether this may be the end of the line for their quarterback, Ben Rothlisberger. Will the Pittsburgh Steelers rise back up after getting knocked down a few times?

Baltimore is known for primarily winning through their Super Bowl caliber defense while Cleveland and Cincinnati feature their fast and furious offenses. The Ravens dodged a bullet last week when an apparent delay of game was not called setting the stage for Justin Tuck’s NFL record 66-yard field goal. How will this three-team race finish?

Chances are Baltimore will still finish as the top overall team in the division but “Battle of Ohio” could very well decide the fate of the AFC North. Only time will tell but don’t count out the possibility of either the Browns or Bengals finishing the year as the top dog or tiger of the division. Things could get interesting down the stretch. The Browns face the 1-2 Minnesota Vikings on the road at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time and the Ravens face the undefeated Denver Broncos in a true road test at 4: 25 p.m. Eastern Time.

Projected Finish

1. Baltimore 13-4
2. Cleveland 12-5
3. Cincinnati 11-6
4. Pittsburgh 7-10