Oct 12, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (4) makes a catch for a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns rivals new favorites to win the AFC North

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Paul Keren | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 12:46 PM ET

We are in Week 7 of the NFL season already, and most of the buzz in the AFC North has been taking place in Pittsburgh. As we know, Cleveland dropped their 6th game of the season to the Steelers, bringing their record to 1-5.

The Steelers have skyrocketed to a 4-1 record this year and hold a 2.5-game lead over the second-place Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North so far. The Browns and Ravens come in at 1-5 and are tied for last in the division.

Cleveland has not helped itself by trying to bring a division title to the land. So far this season, they have already played every other AFC North foe and lost all three of those games.

Pittsburgh has become the overwhelming favorite to win the division, with odds over 77.5% according to ESPN Analytics.

Entering Week 7, the Steelers are the overwhelming favorite to win the AFC North, per ESPN Analytics:

Steelers 77.5%
Ravens 17.2%
Bengals 4.3%
Browns 1%
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) October 13, 2025

Baltimore has still been given the second-best odds, although it holds the same record as Cleveland. With most of Baltimore’s struggles attributed to key injuries to their MVP quarterback, Lamar Jackson, and many of their defensive starters, it is predicted that once they get healthy, they will have good odds to challenge the Steelers for the division.

Cincinnati comes in with the third-best odds, just over 4%. Again, though, the injury to their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, has plunged their season to a 2-4 start, with losses in the last four games.

And then there is Cleveland, with just a 1% chance of winning the division through only six games. So you’re saying there’s a chance? A slight one, but yes.

In the AFC North’s 54-year history and the 23-year history of the current teams, the Steelers and Ravens have dominated the division. The Steelers have the most division titles at 24, with the Bengals behind them at 11, and the Ravens at eight since they joined the division in 2002.

The Browns have only won the division six times, with the last crown coming in 1989. Five of those wins came from 1980 to 1989.

The Steelers last won the AFC North in 2020, finishing 12-4, but they consequently lost to the Browns in the Wild Card game 48-37.

It might be another season where the AFC North runs through Pittsburgh, but don’t get too down, as weirder things have happened throughout NFL seasons. With the Bengals being 0-4 in their last four, the Ravens banged up with injuries, and the Steelers taking advantage of it all, the season is still young.

If the Browns can get some consistency on offense, the division is in a weird position. Don’t count out Cleveland just yet.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: