The Pittsburgh Steelers have one thing in common with their AFC North rivals: none of them made a splash at the NFL trade deadline. All four teams in the division will move forward with business as usual, but two teams are entering their biggest matchup of the season.
As the Browns look to bounce back after a tough loss to the New Orleans Saints and the Ravens try to get by with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, the Steelers and Bengals will face off in a Week 10 divisional matchup that could ultimately decide the AFC North champion.
Before this highly anticipated Week 10 contest, the Bengals trounced the Atlanta Falcons in Brazil, while the Steelers are fresh off their Week 9 bye. For now, Pittsburgh holds pole position in the AFC North power rankings, but their spot at the top hangs by a thread, and the Bengals could have something to say about it this week.
The Pittsburgh Steelers remain atop the AFC North Week 10 power rankings, but the Bengals are closing in
4. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)
Once thought of as the most threatening team in the division with the best chances of coming away with the AFC North crown, the Baltimore Ravens have proven they can only go as far as their two-time MVP quarterback will take them. And with Lamar Jackson watching from the sidelines with a thumb injury, the Ravens have plummeted to the bottom of the division.
This might not get better anytime soon. Jacoby Bissett is both a high-end backup and a low-end starter, but he's not a player you want to lean on to save your season—especially if your team has a bad defense like the Ravens.
With Jackson out, the Ravens' offense has plunged to 19th in EPA per play after being top-five in the first three weeks of the season, while their defense ranks 18th in EPA per play, per RBSDM Stats.
At 4-5, they aren't technically out of the divisional race yet, but their roster lacks talent on both sides of the ball. They are coming off a 33-10 blowout loss to the Jaguars and have now been outscored 117 to 43 during their current four-game skid, with a disgusting point differential of -74 during this span.
3. Cleveland Browns (5-4)
The Cleveland Browns are starting to show their true colors as AFC 'pretenders'. Despite their impressive 5-2 start to the season, Todd Monken's team has now dropped two straight games, including a blowout 27-6 loss to the Steelers in Week 8 and a 23-22 loss against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9.
The team confirmed that quarterback Desheun Watson will start in Week 10 against the Houston Texans, but they are home underdogs, and another loss could push them out of the division title conversation for the time being.
On paper, this is a middling team, at best, as the Browns are just 24th in offense EPA per play and 12th in defense EPA per play, while ranking just 25th in DVOA, per FTN Fantasy.
2. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
This is where the conversation for the top team in the AFC North power rankings really starts to get controversial.
The Cincinnati Bengals have won four straight games while scoring north of 30 points in each of these contests. Meanwhile, quarterback Joe Burrow is coming off another spectacular performance and is currently on track to throw for 49 touchdowns and just over 5,000 passing yards.
But while their offense is spectacular, their defense has struggled. At times, however, it can prove to be good enough to get the job done.
The Bengals currently rank 2nd in EPA offense and 15th in EPA defense. Cincinnati is third in total DVOA, ahead of teams like Buffalo and Seattle. The signs of a contender are there, but the defense too often falls flat. This will be a major test for them in their Week 10 redemption game against the Steelers.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Speaking of the Steelers, they are also on a four-game winning streak like their biggest division rival this year. But unlike the Bengals, they are fresh off their Week 9 bye. The bye week was a chance for Mike McCarthy's team to rest and rejuvenate, but it was also an opportunity for Cincy to close the gap on Pittsburgh.
Now both the Steelers and Bengals are knotted at 6-2, and the winner of this Week 10 head-to-head matchup could hold the upper hand in the division the rest of the way.
I'm giving a slight edge to the Steelers in the Week 10 power rankings, as their ability to run the football and play solid defense gives them a higher floor, but they may also have a capped ceiling because of their passing game.
If the Bengals claim a home win against the Steelers this week, they will almost certainly flip-flop in next week's AFC North power rankings.
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