When one sits down to look for football the way it was a decade or more ago, one NFL division is always the go-to. The AFC North is still “real” football. There are four outdoor stadiums in cold-weather climates. The teams legitimately do not like one another for reasons that would take 1,000 words to get through, and the division always seems to be incredibly competitive. So how do the AFC North power rankings look heading into 2023?
Be sure to check out our other divisional power rankings here: AFC East | AFC South | AFC West | NFC South | NFC East
AFC North Power Rankings
It’s important to note that in early predictions for the season (courtesy of the playoff predictor website), the Baltimore Ravens finished with an identical record to Cincinnati but had the divisional tie-breaker in the simulation. But while that prediction stands, it will take seeing it on the field over the course of 18 weeks to prove.
1) Cincinnati Bengals
Two straight seasons making the AFC Conference Championship is nothing to scoff at. During that run, Lou Anarumo has become a household name. Few defensive coordinators continuously provide answers to specific questions on a weekly basis the way the Bengals’ defense has. And to this day, their defense has gone underrated by many because there is some really good offensive talent on the roster.
Joe Burrow is one of the three best QBs in the NFL. Burrow took strides last season in the quick game, and although he doesn’t have the strongest arm in the NFL, he’s made his living by attacking the intermediate areas of the field, hitting back-shoulder throws, and creating outside of structure.
But the Bengals changed things up last season offensively. Their underwhelming offensive line takes some of the viability away from the intermediate areas. Getting the ball out in under 2.5 seconds became the norm, and Cincinnati went out and added a mauling left tackle to double down on their strategy.
Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd are the best WR trio in the NFL (Seattle could have something to say about that shortly). That gives Burrow three uniquely talented individuals to distribute the ball to. Additionally, the Bengals’ run game has improved since essentially ditching the under-center game.
2) Baltimore Ravens
The problem over the past two seasons for the Baltimore Ravens has been health. But eventually, the injury bug has to take a break and hibernate, right?
The Ravens’ roster has been good enough to compete in the AFC the past two seasons, but they’ve had critical injuries pretty much everywhere on the field, including at the most important position in professional sports.
If Lamar Jackson remains healthy for a 17-game season, there’s no telling how efficient Baltimore’s offense could be in 2023.
They’ve finally begun addressing their passing-game deficiencies by adding Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers to the depth chart. But another significant addition is Todd Monken, who is one of the few play-callers who actually decides to feature tight ends. Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely could both see production increases because of it.
Then, there’s the defensive side of the ball. The Ravens somewhat surprisingly traded Chuck Clark away, but with Kyle Hamilton looking to take over alongside Marcus Williams as one of the split-field safeties, the move makes sense.
Baltimore’s defense improved as the season progressed a season ago, and the continuity from Year 1 to Year 2 under Mike Macdonald should pay dividends. Getting a fully healthy season of David Ojabo and Odafe Oweh on the edges could be devastating for opposing tackles.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers
Once again, it appears the Cleveland Browns have a better roster on paper than the Pittsburgh Steelers. But one franchise is habitual overachievers, and the other nearly always finds a way to rip out the hearts of the Dawg Pound.
After years of looking at an offense with underwhelming QB play (sorry, over-the-hill Ben), a Swiss cheese OL, and Matt Canada calling the shots, it’s time just to sit back and let the miracles happen. However, Pittsburgh has tried improving on the offensive line, and they still seem to develop receivers unlike anyone else in the NFL.
In the end, Mike Tomlin has never had a team finish with a losing record. And if it were going to happen, it would have been at some point over the past few seasons.
Pittsburgh has improved the roster, and getting a fully-healthy T.J. Watt will be a huge boost for the team defensively. Cameron Heyward is one of the best in the game, and the addition of Keeanu Benton should help what’s been an underwhelming LB corps for them. But Pittsburgh also has some firepower on the back end, boasting decent starting talent and depth pieces like Tre Norwood, who can wear multiple hats in a pinch.
4) Cleveland Browns
Every year, we (I) believe it’s finally time for the Cleveland Browns. And every season ends in disappointment. Last season, it was the defensive side of the ball that underwhelmed, and when Deshaun Watson returned from his 700-day hiatus from the game, he was a shell of his former self.
But this is the year! Watson should be able to bounce back to a version that nearly mirrors his old self. Cleveland has one of the best offensive lines in the NFL! The Browns drafted Cedrick Tillman, traded for Elijah Moore, and they still have Amari Cooper and Nick Chubb. This offense should be POTENT!
The team also added Jim Schwartz to the coaching staff to fix the defense. While things should be more vanilla in 2023, there’s so much talent on the back end of the Browns’ defense that vanilla is the best flavor. Adding Juan Thornhill after the botched John Johnson experiment should help as well.
Za’Darius Smith and Myles Garrett make for arguably the most dangerous EDGE duo in the NFL, and Dalvin Tomlinson is a bonafide stud on the interior.
Still, it’s hard to be too optimistic because the burns of Browns’ past haven’t healed yet.
