Every morning, grab a cup of coffee and get your AFC North wake-up call here:
Few would be surprised to see the Ravens sitting atop the AFC North. No one would be shocked to see the Steelers right behind them. And hardly anyone would be startled to see the Browns hovering around .500.
But who predicted the Bengals to have the exact amount of wins as the Ravens and Steelers six weeks into the season? Or is the proper question: Who Dey?
The Bengals don’t have Carson Palmer or Chad Ochocinco, yet they have already matched their victory total from last year when they had both of them (Cincinnati has “cuatro” wins if that helps a certain receiver). Cincinnati doesn’t sell out home games (there were 13,000 empty seats Sunday), but this team generates weekly excitement with its dramatic fourth quarters.
Their 27-17 win over the Colts improved the Bengals to 4-2, which is tied with Pittsburgh for second place. The Ravens are in first with a 4-1 record.
This division continues to be the only one that has three teams with winning records. AFC North teams are 12-6 (.667) outside the division, sweeping the AFC South on Sunday.
Here’s what the local columnists are saying about the AFC North teams:
- BENGALS: The Enquirer‘s Paul Daugherty wrote the Bengals continue to make it hard on themselves, but they continue to win in dramatic fashion. “Time will tell how good the Bengals really are,” Daugherty wrote. “Or maybe it won’t, thanks to a schedule on loan from Dunkin’ Donuts. All we know for certain is that, entering the bye week, 4-2 is far better than 3-3.”
- BROWNS: The Plain Dealer‘s Terry Pluto wrote that the Browns missed out on a chance to make a statement in a 24-17 loss at Oakland. “Perhaps the worst thing about this afternoon was how the Browns have lost two aspects of their game that generally were productive the last few seasons — the running game and special teams,” Pluto wrote.
- RAVENS: The Baltimore Sun‘s Mike Preston wrote running back Ray Rice is the team’s most valuable player this year. “Rice just might be the most complete offensive weapon in the NFL,” according to Preston. “Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is having an excellent season, but what Rice is doing is on a different level.”
- STEELERS: The Tribune-Review‘s Dejan Kovacevic wrote that running back Rashard Mendenhall quieted his critics with 146 yards rushing and one touchdown. “Look, Mendenhall will never be beloved in this town. I get that,” according to Kovacevic. “Anyone who tweets all the nonsense he did in the offseason is never going to be a sympathetic character. It won’t help that he doesn’t have the most gregarious personality. But the man can run.”
