ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

After an exciting slate of games this week, here is how the AFC North fared in ESPN.com's most recent power rankings:

Baltimore Ravens (5-3)

• Walker's vote: No. 10
• Cumulative vote: No. 13
• Analysis: Baltimore has scored 37, 29 and 27 points in the past three games. I'm not sure many teams can beat the Ravens if they continue to score at that clip. The Ravens look like strong playoff contenders at the midpoint of the season. Health is always an issue, but they are clearly the second-best team in the AFC North division.

Cincinnati Bengals (1-8)

• Walker's vote: No. 31
• Cumulative vote: No. 29
• Analysis: OK, the Detroit Lions are officially the worst team in the NFL now. I've had the Bengals at the bottom of my rankings the past several weeks, but a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars upgrades them one spot in my book. According to our panel, Cincinnati has now hit the high-20s. Let's see what the Bengals have after the bye.

Cleveland Browns (3-5)

• Walker's vote: No. 23
• Cumulative vote: No. 24
• Analysis: The Browns have no one to blame but themselves. They lost three straight games to start the season. And although they played a good stretch of winning 3 of 4 games, Cleveland was bound to slip up at some point. Now, after a loss to Baltimore, the team is cooked and making a quarterback change that could prove to be a bit knee-jerk and premature. We'll see on Thursday.

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

• Walker's vote: No. 3
• Cumulative vote: No. 3
• Analysis: The Pittsburgh Steelers can beat someone in the NFC East after all, and it came in convincing fashion. The Steelers dominated the Washington Redskins for their biggest win of the season. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's injury status could affect how far this team can go. But at full strength, the Steelers have as good a shot as anyone.