Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker
Two teams in the AFC North won (Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens) and two teams lost (Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers) during this weekend's slate of games.
With that in mind, here is how the AFC North fared in ESPN.com's most recent power rankings:
Baltimore Ravens (4-3)
- Walker's vote: No. 15
- Cumulative vote: No. 14
- Analysis: The Ravens made one of the biggest jumps in the power rankings this week, going from No. 20 to No. 14 in the cumulative vote. Baltimore has scored 29 and 27 points the past two weeks, which would make the Ravens extremely difficult to beat with the way their defense is playing. Rookie quarterback Joe Flacco is gradually getting better and looks poised to have a good second half of the season. A big AFC North game against the Cleveland Browns awaits.
Cincinnati Bengals (0-8)
- Walker's vote: No. 32
- Cumulative vote: No. 31
- Analysis: The Bengals are holding steady at No. 31 with our expert panel. We still believe the Cincinnati is the worst team in the NFL, but that's pulling straws at this point between the Bengals and Detroit Lions. Without quarterback Carson Palmer, there is not enough talent on this team to expect it to win on a given week. Anything is possible, but it's hard to pick a game on the schedule the Bengals are expected to win the rest of the way.
Cleveland Browns (3-4)
- Walker's vote: No. 19
- Cumulative vote: No. 22
- Analysis: Cleveland jumped a couple spots in the cumulative panel, but we think the Browns are a little underrated for this week. Cleveland is quietly playing solid football lately, having won three of its last four. That stretch includes quality victories over the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars on the road and a close loss to the Washington Redskins. That's why we voted the Browns at No. 19. But at 3-4, the team needs to continue to win if it wants to get into the teens with the overall panel.
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
- Walker's vote: No. 4
- Cumulative vote: No. 4
- Analysis: The Steelers dropped just one spot in the cumulative vote after Sunday's loss to the defending Super Bowl champions. No shame there. But Pittsburgh does need to be careful against these NFC East teams. The Steelers need to beat the Washington Redskins on the road on "Monday Night Football" to avoid its first two-game losing streak of the season.
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
ABOUT THIS BLOG
James Walker
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after three seasons covering the Cleveland Browns for the Columbus Dispatch. He also covered the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Cavaliers at the Dispatch. Walker grew up in Hyattsville, Md., before attending Temple University, graduating in 2001 with a B.A. in communications and mass media. He resides in the Cleveland area.