Baltimore Ravens Hold Off Bengals for AFC North In 2024

Some things rarely change and the Baltimore Ravens dominance is locked in. They topple the Bengals for the AFC North crown in 2024.

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We start our divisional rundowns in the AFC North. Last year, the North was home to three playoff teams and four teams with winning records. A lot has changed, but expectations remain high for all four clubs. Dropping from first to worst or rising from worst to first hardly seems noteworthy when everyone is starting from such a successful baseline.

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The quartet of teams in the AFC North will be hard-pressed to find the same level of success in 2024. Not enough has been done to improve these teams and quarterback uncertainty remains front and center. Who will dominate the AFC North in 2024?

AFC North Division Preview

Todd Salem – Bengals Are Back Baby

Leading the group last year was the Baltimore Ravens. Led by new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Lamar Jackson won the MVP award, the defense flourished in kind, and this team was one of the best in the sport. The offense, perhaps wary of a sophomore slump under Monken, added Derrick Henry to give Jackson the best running back he’s ever had in his backfield.

I’m not convinced Henry, at this stage of his career, is a difference-maker at the position though. The team lacks weapons, as we seem to say every season, and it just felt like everything went right in 2023 on both sides of the ball. This is a team primed for a drop.

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In its place steps…perhaps the team with the easiest schedule by far of any of our North squads. In fact, while the Cincinnati Bengals have the sixth-easiest schedule in the league, all three of the other teams in this division are among the five hardest. I don’t always put a ton of stock into preseason strength of schedule expectations since it’s such a finicky metric, but this gulf is wide.

Cincinnati is never slept on thanks to Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Tee Higgins is still on this roster, and the running back room is taking on a new look. The offensive line should be pretty solid. All in all, if Burrow and Chase remain healthy, this should be one of the best offenses in the sport.

The defense isn’t as sure of a thing, but I feel like the AFC North in general doesn’t have the fearsome defenses it was once known for, with the exception of Cleveland. Can the Browns generate enough offense to keep pace?

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We said a similar thing last year, but Cleveland, once again, has one of the most talented all-around rosters in the sport. A zero at quarterback is tough to overcome though. It all comes down to Deshaun Watson. If he performs well, this team is the best in the division. I just don’t buy that it’s going to happen.

And based on roster construction, Pittsburgh is probably the worst in the division. Again, we know all four teams are good, but Pitt brings up the rear. There is very little to like on offense after George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth. And the defense is top-heavy with stars. A bounce-back Russell Wilson season is probably necessary just to keep Mike Tomlin’s streak alive of not having a losing season, but I don’t see a plausible scenario for this club to jump up to first.

1. Bengals
2. Ravens
3. Browns
4. Steelers

Dan Salem – Baltimore Ravens Remain Unstoppable

I’m not picking against Mike Tomlin’s streak of winning seasons and I’m not picking this division to repeat its top to bottom dominance either. That means someone must finish behind the Steelers and I’m looking at Cleveland. The Browns find themselves to be average at best and they have the most uncertainty at quarterback among all four AFC North teams. In Pittsburgh, Russell Wilson and or Justin Fields is more than enough for the Steelers to succeed, helping them to finish in second place.

Cincinnati claims third place with eight or nine wins. They look feisty early with a rejuvenated Joe Burrow, but fail to truly compete for the division title. Until proven otherwise, I’m backing Lamar Jackson and the Ravens to win the North division. They were quietly dominant last season, despite such strong competition. Now that the competition has weakened, Baltimore finds itself in a similar situation in first place.

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Only the Ravens held any shot of challenging for the AFC title last year, but how about in 2024? Baltimore may be the best in the AFC North once again, but I don’t view them as serious Super Bowl contenders. We agree on Henry’s inability to make a huge impact in the Raven’s offense, meaning little has changed for this team.

The AFC North was the strongest of all four AFC divisions in 2023, but no longer. Without serious movement in the standings, the overall quality drops off. I still don’t like the Browns from a big picture standpoint and the Bengals must earn my respect all over again. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are riding long streaks of consistency and that’s where my picks land this season.

1. Ravens
2. Steelers
3. Bengals
4. Browns

Meet our Writers:

Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.

Baltimore Ravens Photo Credits: nfl.com and 247sports.com via Getty Images

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