AFC North
1. Baltimore Ravens: 15-2
There’s no such thing as a perfect roster in the NFL, but the Baltimore Ravens are pretty close. The Ravens are deep, they draft well, they hit in free agency, and they do as good of a job as anyone – or better – in player development. The Ravens are poised for a Super Bowl win this season and if I were a betting man, they would be the team I would bet on. Anything less than a dominant regular season and Super Bowl win is a failure for Baltimore this season.
2. Cincinnati Bengals: 11-6
Although the Bengals had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season, their 9-8 record still felt like a bit of a fluke. Very rarely do we see teams play as good as the Bengals did offensively last season and still not make the playoffs. And a lot of folks probably felt like they could have made some noise had they gotten in and traveled to Buffalo in the Wild Card round instead of Denver. This is a team that should bounce back this coming season and be in the mix in January.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-8
At this point, who is really buying what the Steelers are selling? I get the idea of going after Aaron Rodgers and making a big play for DK Metcalf, but the Steelers are banking on an inexperienced offensive line and a lot of “has-beens” at the NFL level. Aaron Rodgers was solid for the Jets down the stretch last season, but does this team have the juice to play well over 17 games?
4. Cleveland Browns: 3-14
I don’t know if there’s any doubt at this point which team is going to get the #1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns have an uninspiring quarterback battle (albeit, an entertaining one) and they’re already seeing injuries and off-field issues pop up before the regular season even starts. I’d bet on this team selling at the trade deadline and prepping for the 2026 NFL Draft by about Week 11.