Ravens Expected to Surpass Current Division Leader

The 1-5 record that the Baltimore Ravens once held would have been a death sentence in the AFC North that we've grown to know over the course of the 2020s.

The rough-and-tumble division was already known for its harsh rivalries and the cold terrains in which they squared off, but the influx of talent they enjoyed in recent years really raised the stakes. The Baltimore Ravens built around their franchise quarterback to turn into Super Bowl contenders, and so did the Cincinnati Bengals. The Pittsburgh Steelers held the line as defense-first grinders, and even the Cleveland Browns strung together enough good difference-makers to make the occasional playoffs.

Though time and injuries have chipped away at what these teams once did well in knocking the north down a few pegs, the parity somehow remains. The 3-5 Ravens aren't just still alive, but they're gaining steam as the brewing favorites to win their division.

Erasing the Deficit and Returning to Form

The Steelers have held that distinction ever since Baltimore's flat start to the fall, with the team in Pittsburgh enjoying a schedule that couldn't have differed more than what the Ravens had to endure. While they were stuck against a seemingly-never ending gauntlet of more coordinated contenders, the Steelers beat up on a middling schedule to jump out to a quick 4-1 lead.

They've since stumbled, though, dropping two of their last three games while the Ravens have started surging. They've cobbled together back-to-back wins now that the team's finally gotten healthy enough to seriously compete, and with the Browns out of the race and the Bengals barely hanging on, the Ravens have accumulated enough momentum against a few lesser opponents to finally start looking like themselves in the wide-open division.