By Marvin Moore November 11 2023
It’s been over a decade since an AFC North squad took home the Vince Lombardi Trophy. However, if the NFL playoffs started after nine weeks of action, all four division teams would qualify for the postseason. Imagine that.
Last year, the NFC East was the toast of the league, with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Giants advancing to the playoffs. All three teams advanced to the second round, and the Eagles reached their second Super Bowl in six seasons.
The Baltimore Ravens sit atop the league’s most competitive division heading into Week 10. Lamar Jackson & Co. are tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the conference’s best record with a 7-2 card. But the two-time reigning division champion Cincinnati Bengals have won four straight games after an ugly 1-3 start to reclaim their status as division favorites.
The AFC North boasts three of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks. Joe Burrow tops the list and is the best-compensated player in NFL history, with an average salary of $55 million. Jackson ranks fourth with $52 million a year, while Deshaun Watson is eighth with an annual salary of $46 million. Although Patrick Mahomes is the measuring stick for today’s gunslingers, don’t count out these mega-rich passers.
The Ravens are seeking their first division crown since 2019 and have reeled off four consecutive wins. Baltimore will host the Cleveland Browns this weekend in a showdown featuring the NFL’s top two defenses. While the visitors are a 6.5 underdog, this matchup will go a long way in separating the contenders from the pretenders.
Jackson is having an MVP-caliber campaign with nine touchdown passes and five rushing scores. The Ravens have the league’s top-ranked rushing attack, an effective passing game, and outscored a pair of division-leading squads, the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks, by a combined score of 75 to 9. Barring injuries, Baltimore has all the ingredients to make a deep postseason run.
The Browns welcomed back Watson from a lingering shoulder injury last week and blanked the Arizona Cardinals. Cleveland has won just once in three road games this season but will be at full strength this week, with Watson feeling better than he has in over a month. Smart money is on Baltimore taking care of business at home, but Watson has enough weapons to make things interesting.
The Bengals have climbed back into the division race after a horrible start to the season. The Houston Texans will visit Cincinnati in a projected shootout featuring two of the NFL’s hottest passers. Burrow has tossed 10 scoring passes over his previous four games with just two interceptions. But rookie C.J. Stroud has been just as good, with eight touchdown passes and one pick in his last four outings.
Both squads have defensive units that are vulnerable to the passing game. On paper, the surprising Texans have the advantage. But Burrow is playing at an elite level, and even with Tee Higgins being ruled out and Ja’Marr Chase nursing a back injury, I won’t bet against Joe Cool.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are unbeaten in division play and host the struggling Green Bay Packers this week. How Mike Tomlin has steered this group to five wins in eight games is truly remarkable. The
offense ranks near the bottom of the league in rushing and passing yards, and the only things the defense does well are racking up quarterback sacks and stopping teams in the red zone.
Kenny Pickett remains a work in progress but has a knack for delivering game-winning drives in the fourth quarter. I do not think Pittsburgh can sustain its winning
ways down the stretch, but a win over the Cheese Heads will open the door for a possible return to the playoffs.
I like the Ravens and Bengals to fight for the division title, and both teams could meet for a third time in the championship game. One of these squads is my bet to dethrone the Chiefs and win Super Bowl LVIII. And you can take that to the bank.
