Ravens Finally Claim Long-Awaited Division Lead

The Baltimore Ravens exited their Week 7 bye riding pure hope in envisioning their way back to playoff contention, let alone a return to divisional dominance, staring down a 1-5 record and plenty of obstacles in their near future.

They didn't just need to play consistent, winning football, something they'd spent their first half-dozen games proving nearly incapable of. The schedule was set to get considerably easier after relentless matchups against the NFL's elites, but that would require a sudden seizing of the moment that even healthy teams struggle to channel.

Moreover, the rest of the Ravens' division had to clear the way for any of those potential wins to matter. More specifically, the Pittsburgh Steelers and their 4-1 start had to sputter out, with the Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals posing a neutered threat to the rest of the AFC North while the typically shorthanded Cleveland Browns were expected to continue bringing up the rear.

The Ravens felt momentum slowly shifting over to Baltimore as the wins started piling up, with Teddye Buchanan going as far as to boldly claim that the division was theirs for the taking several weeks before his team would get a shot at surpassing the Steelers. But following yet another recent Steelers loss coinciding with the Ravens' 23-10 win over the Jets, they've finally tasted their first gasp of fresh air back at the North's summit.

Heading in Opposite Directions

While Lamar Jackson still doesn't quite look like himself at the helm of the Ravens' offense, that's a lot more than the Steelers can say for their own quarterback situation. Aaron Rodgers, the oldest starter in the game, is dealing with a hand injury, which kept him out of the Steelers' defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bears. And even when he's healthy, he's averaging under 200 yards per game, a far cry from his MVP-winning prime.