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The AFC North continues to be the best and most competitive division in the NFL. After eight weeks of action, every team that calls the AFC North home has a winning record. This is something that no other division in the league can proclaim this far into the season.
In Week 8 divisional action, the Pittsburgh Steelers upset the Indianapolis Colts to move their record to 5-3, the Cleveland Browns defeated the Oakland Raiders to move above the .500 line with a 4-3 record and the Cincinnati Bengals pulled off a remarkable win over the Baltimore Ravens to reclaim the top spot in the division with a 4-2-1 record.
With eight weeks in the books and the division just as tight as it was in Week 1, it looks to remain so in the upcoming weeks.
The division-leading Bengals will host the Jacksonville Jaguars, followed by facing the Browns in Cincinnati before hitting the road for a game against the New Orleans Saints under the dome.
Second place is currently occupied by the Ravens, due to their Week 2 win over the Steelers, thus giving them the tie-breaker for that second spot. All that should be settled this Sunday night when the Ravens travel to Pittsburgh to wrap up the season series between the two arch-rivals.
After Sunday's game, the Ravens' schedule has them hosting the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium, followed by their bye-week.
The Steelers' schedule certainly is full after their rendezvous with the Ravens Sunday. After that game, they hit the road for two weeks, playing the New York Jets and at the Titans before getting their own bye-week.
The 4-3 Browns are sitting in the basement of the division but, as history has told us before, the standings could change quickly. The Browns host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday and follow that game with a trip to Cincinnati, before returning to Cleveland to host the Houston Texans.
Looking at all four teams' upcoming schedules truly shows that this division will not be a slam-dunk for any of the teams. The way things are going, the AFC North could have multiple teams playing in the post-season, but with all four teams currently having winning records, someone is due for a letdown. Which team that is, though, is anyone's guess.