AFC North Makes History: All Four Teams Above .500 Through Week 7

The AFC North is on a historic run. For the first time ever, all four teams are above .500 through Week 7, showing stellar depth.

The biggest shocker is the Cleveland Browns, who are 5-2 after a road win over the Tennessee Titans. Cleveland is a far cry from the joke many thought it would be before the season; however, the Browns may be a little fraudulent at 5-2. They have a minus-13 point differential, the worst in the division and well below the Ravens' plus-2. Still, they are finding ways to win, which deserves credit.

The Steelers are 5-2 and have won three straight games, over the Colts, Buccaneers and Saints. Their wins over Tampa Bay and New Orleans were one-possession games decided near the end. They lost to the Browns and Patriots. Pittsburgh is forcing turnovers and has a dominant defense that is especially good at keeping teams out of the red zone.

The Ravens are struggling with Lamar Jackson's injury, losing two straight games and falling to last in the division at 4-3 after a 35-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, in which Joe Burrow led Cincinnati to 35 unanswered points in the second half.

The season won't go to plan if the Ravens don't have Jackson, who has been day-to-day. Every game except their first, against the Colts, and their most recent, against the Bengals, has been within one possession at the end, which explains their plus-2 point differential. When Jackson returns, they will have the opportunity to land on the right side of those close games.

Cincinnati, by contrast, leads the AFC North in point differential by a wide margin at plus-41 but is being punished for its early bye week and a head-to-head loss to the Steelers. To be fair, the Bengals sit in third place in the division behind the 5-2 Browns and Steelers.

The Bengals have been playing complementary football lately and have by far the easiest remaining schedule in the league. Their remaining opponents are 36-37-1, with only four games left against teams with a winning record as of Week 7.

They play the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns in their next six games. The Bengals will have plenty of opportunities to separate themselves from the pack. They'd better take advantage now, given that they will play the Browns, Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs in a four-week window from Nov. 15 to Dec. 13.