Pittsburgh Steelers fans were hopeful the Baltimore Ravens would take a step back in 2026 with John Harbaugh heading to New York. Unfortunately, this AFC North foe's efforts to rejuvenate and revitalize their team under new head coach Jesse Minter already seem to be working.
With Week 1 in the books, three AFC North teams sit at 1-0... and they're the three you'd expect: the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals. Meanwhile, the Browns fell flat in their road opener.
Cleveland was never going to be Pittsburgh's competition for the division, to begin with. However, the Ravens and Bengals are already giving them a run for their money, and the presence of Minter in Baltimore might be the icing on the cake.
And in my latest power rankings entering Week 2, the Steelers appear to have a significant problem on their hands.
Updated AFC North power rankings prove the Pittsburgh Steelers will have their work cut out for them
4. Cleveland Browns (0-1)
Who could have seen this coming? (I'm being sarcastic, of course). The Browns entered their Week 1 road contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars as heavy underdogs, but not heavy enough. At one point, Cleveland was down 31-0 before Andre Szmyt finally knocked in a field goal halfway through the third quarter.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson mustered up just 205 passing yards with a touchdown and a pick, but most of this came in garbage time. He also took five sacks and had a QBR of just 34.2 in Week 1. New head coach Todd Monken not only failed to offer a spark to the offense, but he also had no answer for Trevor Lawrence and the defense. This team is clearly at a tier of its own at the bottom of the AFC North.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
While some would make a case to slot the Cincinnati Bengals here, their Week 1 performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was more encouraging than what Pittsburgh offered against the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday. Despite the Falcons being without their top two edge rushers and top two quarterbacks, this was a three-point game until the fourth quarter.
DK Metcalf had a pair of ugly drops, while Aaron Rodgers couldn't seem to connect with his weapons downfield. The defensive performance was much better (thanks to T.J. Watt), but Pittsburgh still struggled to slow down Bijan Robinson—the one player they knew would be getting the football early and often.
Mike McCarthy's team looked rusty, and they should be thankful they escaped with a win and didn't draw a tougher Week 1 matchup.
2. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)
Had it not been for a whopping four lost fumbles (three from quarterback Baker Mayfield), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers probably would have escaped Cincinnati with a road win. The Bengals, meanwhile, are known for their slow starts to the season, but 33 points and four takeaways are as good as they could have expected in a season-opening contest.
Offensively, the Bengals did nothing special. Joe Burrow had an average-at-best game, by his standards, but Cincy's defensive additions are already making their presence felt. The Bengals are capable of playing much better football, so it's concerning that they still found a way to win despite their sloppiness.
1. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
We know the Baltimore Ravens can look strong early in the year, only to later fall apart in the playoffs. But there's no denying how good Jesse Minter's team looked in his first game as the Ravens' head coach. Despite playing on the road, Baltimore obliterated the Indianapolis Colts by dominating both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for a whopping 324 yards on just 25 attempts (13.0 yards per attempt). This led to an 82.8 QBR and 124.2 passer rating, per ESPN stats. Meanwhile, Derrick Henry bulldozed his way to 144 yards and a hat trick of touchdowns on 24 carries. New offensive coordinator Declan Doyle—Ben Johnson's former understudy in Chicago—already looks like a great hire by Minter.
Defensively, the Ravens held Daniel Jones to just 166 passing yards on 31 attempts (5.4 yards per attempt) and a 28.7 QBR. The Ravens looked like a rejuvenated team in Week 1, and they aren't going anywhere. As we enter Week 2, this clearly looks like the top dog in the AFC North.
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