NFL Power Rankings: Predicting every division for 2024 season

1. AFC North

1. Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are the best team in the best division in football. Unfortunately, they still wet the bed in the playoffs last year.

The Ravens are sort of becoming known for not coming through when it matters most and Lamar Jackson has taken the brunt of the heat for that. This Baltimore roster is once again loaded up for another playoff run in the AFC and the addition of Derrick Henry at the running back position has this team thinking Super Bowl or bust.

2. Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow is back, back again.

The Bengals have their superstar quarterback under center again and this team was still really good last year even after he went down with a season-ending thumb/hand injury. The Bengals haven’t exactly had the most seamless offseason in 2024 with both Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson requesting trades, but they remain in a championship window despite some of the departures on the roster.

And with Burrow under center, I think this team is always going to be in contention.

3. Cleveland Browns

I think you could put the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers as interchangeable on this list. The Browns have arguably the best defense in the NFL, but what is this team getting out of Deshaun Watson?

They threw $230 million fully guaranteed at Watson a couple of years ago and have barely gotten 12 games out of him since then. That acquisition is looking more and more like a bust when you have Joe Flacco coming in off the street and playing better than any stretch we’ve seen from Watson in Cleveland.

Will Watson continue to hold this franchise back or will the Browns finally be unleashed?

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

Russell Wilson has missed the start of training camp after allegedly “waking up” with a calf issue one day. Wilson was supposed to be the obvious upgrade at quarterback for the Steelers, who moved on quickly from former first-round pick Kenny Pickett.

The addition of Wilson, coupled with the trade to acquire Justin Fields, has given the Steelers a unique quarterback competition to open up training camp. Either way, you have to figure this team upgraded over what we saw last year but it’s the NFL. The Steelers might have upgraded at QB and still won’t win as many games as 2024.