What Happened To The AFC North?

In recent years, the AFC North has been one of the best divisions in the NFL. The emergence of the Cincinnati Bengals, after they drafted quarterback Joe Burrow, along with the consistent strength of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, made the division arguably the league's toughest in most years. Even the Cleveland Browns have two playoff appearances since 2020. 

But not this year. Following a Week 13 that saw both the Steelers and Ravens lose and fall to 6-6, there are no teams in the AFC North above .500. The Ravens lost on Thanksgiving night to the Bengals, who improved to 4-8. Of course, Burrow returned after a lengthy absence because of a turf toe injury. 

Still, it's strange to see a division that regularly has at least three teams competing for playoff position in a situation where they are likely to only have one postseason team. 

Injuries to quarterbacks have played a large role. Burrow missed nine games and Cincinnati went 1-8 in his absence. Lamar Jackson missed three games; Baltimore lost two of three with him out. Aaron Rodgers missed one game, last week, and Pittsburgh lost. 

Injuries, defensive lapses, and soft stretches have the AFC North on track to send only one playoff team, which is an abrupt fall for a division that has dominated the NFL in recent years.

(Imagn Images)

However, the problems appear to run deeper than that. Pittsburgh allowed the Buffalo Bills to run for an Acrisure Stadium opponent record of 249 yards on Sunday in a 26-7 loss. Regardless of the poor offensive showing, the defense allowed the Bills to gash them all game long. 

The Ravens won five straight games prior to the loss on Thanksgiving, but it's important to note the opponents. Tyler Huntley led the team to a win over the (suddenly very good-looking) Chicago Bears, which is a strong win. But the teams Baltimore beat upon Jackson's return are as follows: Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets. Not exactly a murderer's row. 

We can give the Bengals a pass for struggling without Joe Burrow for 75% of their games, but that doesn't excuse their putrid defensive performances. Cincinnati is the only team in the NFL allowing opponents to gain more than 400 yards per game. The Bengals are also the only team allowing more than 30 points per game. 

The Browns are bad and potentially headed for a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

AFC North In Danger Of Sending One Team To NFL Playoffs 

None of the teams in the AFC North rank in the top seven of the conference by record. The Ravens currently hold a playoff spot by virtue of a tiebreaker over the Steelers, making them the de facto AFC North leaders. If the NFL didn't allow automatic postseason bids for division winners, none of the teams in the AFC North would currently hold a postseason spot. 

Since the Bengals drafted Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, the AFC North hasn't had fewer than two teams in the playoffs in a single season. Twice the division sent three teams to the postseason (2020 and 2023). 

Since 2020, the AFC North has had at least three teams reach eight wins in every season. It's theoretically possible that none of the teams reach that mark in 2025. Additionally, the AFC North has had at least one team reach 12 wins in each of the past three seasons (and four of the past five). That's not even theoretically possible this season. 

This year, AFC North teams are a combined 19-29 (.400 winning percentage). The top three teams in the division (Ravens, Steelers and Bengals) are 16-20 (.444). 

From 2020-2024, the entire AFC North was a combined 188–145–2 (.564). The top three teams went 157–93–1 (.627) combined. 

Consistency on the field has led to consistency off the field. The AFC North hasn't seen a new head coach since the Browns hired Kevin Stefanski in January 2020. It is the only division in the NFL without a coaching change in the past two years.

Could that change? That's the big question. John Harbaugh seems unlikely to lose his job, despite the down year. Zac Taylor could face some heat, but the Burrow injury might have bought him another season. Kevin Stefanski and Mike Tomlin find themselves firmly on the proverbial hot seat. 

For a division with incredible stability, it seems strange to wonder if there might finally be some turnover in 2026.