NFL Power Rankings: Division rankings after Week 5
By Brad Rowland
6) AFC North
It was not a banner week for the AFC North. The division’s standard bearer, the Cincinnati Bengals, was systemically embarrassed in front of a national television audience, and despite a 2-2 overall mark, both victories were marked by questionable circumstances.
As for Cincinnati, it is definitely an overreaction to declare them as a fraud after Sunday night’s performance, but at the same time, their run defense is a significant issue. The Bengals must be near-perfect in order to overcome the sheer presence of Andy Dalton, and with the league’s worst run defense according to DVOA, that is anything but the case right now.
The two victories were snatched by Pittsburgh (17-9 over Jacksonville) and Cleveland (1-point win over Tennessee), but the Steelers looked putrid at times while beating arguably the worst team in the league, while the Browns needed to make NFL history to upend Chuck Whitehurst. Expectations should be low for Cleveland at this point, and in the case of Pittsburgh, the jury is firmly out on a team that has been wildly inconsistent at times.
Lastly, the Baltimore Ravens had a fairly “expected” result, losing by 7 points on the road in Indianapolis, and I continue to believe they are solid, but unspectacular. The Bengals likely hold the key to the rankings for this selection of teams, and this isn’t the week to boast about Cincinnati.