2025 NFL Divisional Previews: AFC North

Can the Bengals finally play to their potential? Will Pittsburgh emerge as contenders in the AFC? Or will Baltimore work to maintain the status quo in the AFC North?

Like any other season, the AFC North could go any which way. 

On one hand, the Cincinnati Bengals could finally play to their potential and win the division, setting themselves up for a deep postseason run. On the other hand, Cincinnati’s defence could play terribly once again, setting the Bengals up for a miserable season. 

Conversely, we could see a revamped Pittsburgh side lay claim to the division for the second time in six seasons. Or we could see said revamped team fail to jumpstart, allowing Baltimore to cruise to another division title. 

Let’s discuss which of these scenarios is the more plausible and what the rest of the division will end up looking like. 

Cincinnati Bengals: 

2024 finish: 9-8, 3rd in AFC North

Considering how the last few seasons went, Cincinnati’s 2025 season is going to look like one of the following two scenarios:

They start 2-0 and use the early start as a confidence boost for a strong season. 

They don’t start 2-0 and they potentially struggle to build any real momentum; the season ends with the Bengals right inside in the playoffs or right outside of them.

Why do I mention a 2-0 record? Because in the last two seasons, the Bengals have gotten off to 0-2 starts or worse. And each of those seasons has seen Cincinnati finish 9-8 and just outside the playoffs. 

To add fuel to the fire, of the six seasons with Zac Taylor as Bengals head coach, Cincinnati has started 0-2 or worse in five of them. In addition, the Bengals have a combined 1-11 record in the first two weeks of the season, measured over the last six seasons. 

The one year they didn’t start 0-2? They went to the Super Bowl. 

Granted, the Bengals did get to the AFC Championship Game in 2022 after an 0-2 start but generally, it is far tougher to make the playoffs from 0-2 than it is at 2-0. 

And who does Cincinnati play in the first two weeks of the season? Cleveland and Jacksonville. Cleveland enters this season with a competitive roster but no real ambition outside of five wins maximum, while Jacksonville is a fringe playoff contender with a ceiling of eight or nine wins. 

Despite the challenges the two teams could bring, there is no excuse for Cincinnati to not start 2-0. 

Now I could rant about the season’s first two games for another three pages, but I need to get to the rest of my preview, which I notice is quickly becoming a rant about my favourite team. 

Let’s move on to the defence (shudder), shall we?

Despite Trey Hendrickson recording 17.5 sacks, leading the NFL in that statistic, the Bengals defence gave up a whopping 348.3 yards per game and 25.5 points per game.  

That’s not on par with the Super Bowl contenders. That’s on par with the worst teams in the league. That’s on par with the Dallas Cowboys getting destroyed in consecutive home games.

And oh boy it was painful watching this defence last season. 

For starters, they ranked middle of the pack in terms of defensive penalties, but really it felt like the defence was so bad that the referees just had to get in on the fun (I can’t really blame them). Just ask Kansas City, who benefited from a (controversial) penalty call against Cincinnati in Week 2 of last season. 

And generally, when you thought the defence couldn’t find new ways to let you down, they found those ways to let you down. 

Giving up backbreaking drives against Washington? They did that.

Throwing away two leads on Baltimore? All on the defence.

Giving up 44 points to (checks notes) Russell Wilson? That happened.

And did the defence really get better over the offseason? While they lost cornerback Mike Hilton to Miami and released Germaine Pratt, they did bring in linebacker Oren Burks from Philadelphia; he contributed several key plays in the team’s run to the Super Bowl. The Bengals also sent defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, in addition to linebackers coach James Bettcher and defensive line coach Marion Hobby, into the abyss as a result of their roles in Cincinnati’s continued slow starts.

But they also had issues in getting defensive players like Trey Hendrickson just to practice. Contract negotiations with him and Shemar Stewart have caused a myriad of issues for Cincinnati, and now the Bengals’ front office finds itself looking into trading Hendrickson. 

Even though it is Cleveland and Jacksonville, the Browns did just name Joe Flacco, who had himself two underrated seasons in 2023 and 2024, as their Week 1 starter. And should Jacksonville handle business in Week 1 against Carolina, they could be going into the game against Cincinnati with a lot of confidence. 

While I did initially have Cincinnati at 13 wins, I’m now having a very hard time justifying that. Cleveland and Jacksonville both have cases to win their respective games against Cincinnati, and playing Denver, Detroit, and Green Bay in consecutive weeks following a Week 3 tie against Minnesota does nothing to help the Bengals out.

As of now, I am going to give the Bengals the benefit of the doubt and say they can win at least one of their opening two games; doing so should give this team plenty of confidence in attempting to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2022. However, should the team go 0-2 once again, there could be significant questions raised about the future of this roster. 

Projected finish: 11-6, 3rd in AFC North

Baltimore Ravens:

2024 finish: 12-5, 1st in AFC North, lost in divisional round to the Buffalo Bills

Is the third time the charm for Baltimore? 

In each of the last two seasons, the Ravens have won a playoff game and put themselves in position to go on a run to the Super Bowl. 

And in each of those seasons, they fell short. 2023 saw them lose in the AFC Championship Game to Kansas City, while 2024 saw them fall a two-point conversion short of forcing Buffalo to overtime in the Divisional Round. 

Now, with Derrick Henry firmly established in the Ravens’ playbook and others like wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and cornerback Jaire Alexander set to be considered shortly, Baltimore may be in a position to finally make a run to the Super Bowl. 

The question is, can they get wins on the board early and gain a leg on the likes of Buffalo and Kansas City? They play both the Bills and Chiefs on the road in the first four weeks of the season; couple that with a home game against the Detroit Lions, and you have what is one of the roughest stretches possible for a team to open this 2025 NFL season. 

With a showdown against Cleveland set to complete that stretch, the Ravens should ideally go 2-2 to put themselves in a good position to go on a run later in the season. Even though just five of their remaining thirteen games coming against non-playoff opposition, going 1-3 could easily set Baltimore back against the likes of Buffalo and Kansas City; the former enjoys a very doable stretch to open 2025, which could easily give them a multi-game advantage on Baltimore. 

The Ravens have done well in the middle-to-end stretches of the last two seasons; both runs have seen them clinch key positions in the playoff picture. I would not be surprised if Baltimore does the same this year; whether it will be enough to earn the top seed in the conference remains to be seen. 

Projected finish: 13-4, 1st in AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers:

2024 finish: 10-7, lost in Wild Card Round to the Baltimore Ravens

It’s now or never for Pittsburgh.

Over the offseason, the Steelers reinforced their offence by adding the likes of wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, while also revamping the quarterback room in its entirety. On top of that, they signed T.J. Watt to a contract extension. Pittsburgh is arguably in a position to finally make a run in the NFL playoffs. 

But with T.J. Watt now in his thirties and with their new quarterback Aaron Rodgers ever closer to retirement, Pittsburgh has to make a move in the AFC hierarchy now before the window slams shut and forces them to play the waiting game once more. 

Their start to the season will play a major role in this regard. After opening against the New York Jets, who could be a fringe playoff contender, two of the next five games come against AFC playoff contenders: one against New England, the other against Cincinnati. 

Then, after games against Green Bay and Indianapolis, Pittsburgh plays Los Angeles and Cincinnati in another two-game set that could play a role in the Steelers’ playoff hopes; this and a game in Chicago comes before the Steelers play Buffalo and Baltimore in consecutive weeks. 

If the Steelers’ defence can once again play to its potential, Pittsburgh will be able to win at least nine games. Any additional wins will require the offence to at least be functional. 

That said, another winning season will be great and will also serve to reinforce the team’s capacity to perform under head coach Mike Tomlin. However, the big goal for this season harks back to my original statement: it’s now or never for Pittsburgh. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in almost eight years; simply doing so could give this experienced roster the confidence it needs to make a mark on the AFC playoff picture.

I can see a slight improvement in the win column coming, but the standard this season will be a playoff win. Failure to do so could mark yet another missed opportunity, perhaps the biggest one yet for this roster.

Projected finish: 11-6, 2nd in AFC North

Cleveland Browns:

2024 finish: 3-14, 4th in the AFC North

Initially, I was quite bullish on the Browns heading into training camp. 

I had them winning just one or two games and easily claiming the first overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft. 

But with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco being named the Week 1 starter for Cleveland, the ceiling may be a little higher for Cleveland. 

After briefly being out of a job, he signed with the Cleveland Browns towards the midpoint of 2023, eventually getting the role of starting quarterback after the then-starting quarterback Deshaun Watson sustained a season-ending injury. He would lead Cleveland to a 4-1 record in the five regular season games that he started, earning his team the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs. 

2024 would see his record fall to 2-4 as starter for the Colts, however he did maintain the same statistical performance from his stint in Cleveland.

After re-signing with Cleveland, Flacco would face off against Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel for the starting job. While Sanders and Gabriel both impressed in their preseason performances, both sustained injuries at some point in preseason, allowing the veteran to claim the starting job. 

That said, the task ahead of Joe Flacco is a monumental one; with both Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel more than capable of earning starts at some point down the line, Joe Flacco will have to put his best foot forward if he is to maintain his position in the roster. 

That said, playing Cincinnati and Minnesota in the first five weeks should work into Flacco’s favour. While Joe Burrow could easily light up the Myles Garrett-led Browns defence, major questions face the defence; the front office might end up trading defensive end Trey Hendrickson, with Las Vegas and Indianapolis among the favourites to land his services. As for Minnesota, former Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J McCarthy is set to start his first season in the NFL; a matchup on the road in Cleveland can be a very miserable experience in the right conditions, especially for rookie quarterbacks. 

I could see Cleveland being competitive in the first few weeks, especially if Joe Flacco gets off to a strong start. However, with a top pick in the draft a likely option, the Browns may end up tapering off towards the end of the season, with maybe one or two more wins coming against regional or divisional foes. 

Projected record: 4-13, 4th in AFC North

Projected AFC North standings:

1. Baltimore Ravens (13-4)

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (11-6)

4. Cleveland Browns (4-13)

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Article written by Noah Guttman