AFC North Check: Division stays tight, no one excelling

For Cleveland Browns fans, the start of the 2022 NFL season could barely be worse. Thankfully, the team was able to beat their former starting quarterback and their division rivals for their two victories this season. Losing to Baker Mayfield or the Pittsburgh Steelers would have made this start far worse.

On the positive side, the entire AFC North is also struggling.

At the end of Week 6, the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals sit tied atop the division. Due to their win in Week 5, the Ravens hold the tiebreaker over the Bengals. One game back is the Browns and Steelers with Cleveland holding the tiebreaker after their Thursday Night Football victory.

No one has been consistently good in the division:

• Baltimore has won every other game
• Cincinnati started the season with losses to Pittsburgh and Dallas then barely defeated New Orleans who were without their top three receivers and starting quarterback
• Pittsburgh lost four straight after beating the Bengals but this week controlled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a majority of the game
• Cleveland, as you know, has been a mess but does have a division victory under their belt

Outside of their atrocious defense, concerns surrounding Jacoby Brissett and calls for the heads of some of the coaches, the biggest concern for the Browns is the schedule. Two straight division games against the Ravens and Bengals before visiting Miami and Buffalo to open up the November slate.

The Buccaneers finish off that gauntlet of a schedule before the team hits the bye week and gets Deshaun Watson back.

At that point, the season could be long over but, at least for now, the division is a mess as well with everyone within a game of the lead. Little solace but a little solace for Cleveland fans.

Are you surprised at how jumbled the division looks after six weeks?