The Best Division: Who Will Come Out of the AFC North?

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AFC North Dominance

If the playoffs began today, 3 out of the four teams in the AFC North would be in the playoffs. Three teams in a division making the playoffs have only occurred nine times in NFL history. The AFC North is the only division in football where every team is above .500. The division has combined wins of 24 games and only 13 losses.

Remaining Schedule of Each Team

Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens sit on top of the AFC North with a 7-3 record throughout ten games. The Ravens do not have an easy road ahead of them. Five out of the next seven games will be against teams with an above .500 record. 2 of those five games will be divisional games against the Bengals and Steelers.

Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers and their pesky defense sit second in the division with a 6-3 record. The Steelers have a similar demanding remaining schedule as the Ravens, where 6 out of the next eight opponents will be .500 or above. Including 4 out of the eight against division opponents.

Browns

The Cleveland Browns sit 3rd in the division with a record of 6-3. Luckily for them, they have the most manageable remaining schedule of all four teams. 4 out of the next eight games will come against teams that are currently below .500. They only have two remaining divisional games against the Steelers and Bengals.

Bengals

After dropping a crucial game to the Texans, the Bengals find themselves looking up at the rest of the division with a 5-4 record. The team that has been crowned AFC North champions for the past two seasons is in jeopardy of missing the playoffs. The Bengals have their work cut out for them. They have the most brutal remaining schedule of all four teams in the division. All of their next eight opponents have a record of .500 or above, including 4 out of the 8 being divisional games.

Which Team Wins The Race?

Three out of the four teams currently have the same amount of losses with only 3. If we’re going by the remaining strength of schedule, it makes sense to crown the Cleveland Browns division champions since they have the easiest remaining. However, this is the AFC North, the toughest division in football. If there’s one thing to guarantee is that the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals will not go down without a fight.