At around 11:00 PM EST on Sunday, it looked like the Baltimore Ravens were going to slip back into the muck of the AFC North title race. Down by eight in the fourth quarter with a backup quarterback, the challenge seemed too tough to overcome.
Then, Tyler Huntley strung together two near-perfect drives to earn a 30-23 overtime win. Rather than joining the rest of the division in a four-way tie, Baltimore now holds sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
After a chaotic Week 5, here's how the division stacks up.
AFC North power rankings after Week 5
Week 5 results:
- Bengals beat Dolphins 31-24
- Browns lose to Jets 17-12
- Steelers beat Colts 34-22
- Ravens beat Falcons 30-23 (OT)
1. Baltimore Ravens
Even with Lamar Jackson sidelined, the Ravens' offense posted a better success rate than any other team in the league on Sunday at 54.9%. After five games as Baltimore's offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle is already one of the biggest play-calling multipliers in the league.
As Jesse Minter's defense continues to improve and Jackson gets healthy, this Ravens team is going to become impossible to stop. They may only have a one-game lead in the division, but they're levels above their rivals.
Next game: Sunday, Oct. 18th @ Browns
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers has somehow rediscovered his MVP form after a few years of mediocrity. Since Week 3, the Steelers' offense has ranked inside the NFL's top five in EPA per play, per SumerSports. Rodgers is pushing the ball downfield more often and seems to have developed trust with his pass catchers.
Pittsburgh is still limited by its lack of explosiveness, but this team is at least capable of taking a wild card spot, if not more.
Next game: Sunday, Oct. 18th @ Buccaneers
3. Cleveland Browns
The Browns showed their true colors in an ugly loss to the New York Jets in Week 5. Deshaun Watson was constantly under pressure and completed fewer than half of his passes, leading to a meager 12-point output.
Cleveland may be more competent than analysts expected them to be, but that doesn't mean that it's ready to challenge the Ravens at the top of the division.
Next game: Sunday, Oct. 18th vs. Ravens
4. Cincinnati Bengals
Beating the 2026 Miami Dolphins is not an accomplishment. In fact, the Bengals' seven-point win acts more as a mark against them than anything, even if the game wasn't as close as the final score indicates.
The Bengals are certainly better on defense than they were last year, but their improvements may not be enough to complement what has been a sputtering offense at times this season.
Next game: Sunday, Oct. 25th @ Ravens (Week 6 bye)
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