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The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns win, the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens lose and we have a very competitive division after five weeks of NFL action.
The biggest surprise of all is the Browns. Pulling off the biggest road-comeback in NFL history with Brian Hoyer at the helm might be the single most surprising feat of the week, let alone in the AFC North. Coming off a bye-week, this was supposed to be the week Johnny Manziel took over at quarterback and began molding his legacy as the latest Browns starting quarterback.
Nonetheless, the Browns won and improved their record to 2-2 with a huge divisional matchup in Cleveland against the Steelers in Week 6.
The Steelers seem to be an assorted bag of goods in recent weeks. A defense that can't stop the run one week, can't stop the pass the next and then holds its opponent to only three field goals. Offensively, it's more of the same. Put up 31 against the Carolina Panthers, then tally 17 points (7 of which were defensive points) against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Week-6 game in Cleveland will be the biggest divisional game to date, with major implications on the line within the division.
The Ravens are coming off a difficult defeat to the Indianapolis Colts, bringing their record to 3-2 and tied with the Steelers for second place in the division. Their schedule softens in the coming weeks, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons both travel to M&T Bank Stadium before the Ravens travel to Cincinnati in what could be another huge AFC-North showdown.
The Bengals were handed their first defeat in dominating fashion on Sunday Night Football in Foxborough, Ma., moving their record to 3-1. But unlike the Ravens, they've got a tough row to hoe coming off of that loss. Although they still sit atop the division, they host the Panthers this Sunday and then travel to Indianapolis before their game against the Ravens in Cincinnati.
The AFC North has turned into an extremely competitive division from top to bottom and, as teams approach the midway point of the season, any advantage a team can get now will pay huge dividends down the stretch.