NFLBy: Joey MacDonald
The AFC North in 2025 had a down year compared to previous years, as the whole division looked flat. As the division winner, the Pittsburgh Steelers were only 10-7, which was good enough for the AFC North division title. In 2026, I expect that the AFC North will be a much better division than it was in 2025. This division has always been known as the hardest-hitting in the NFL for its physical matchups. Here’s who I see coming out of the AFC North division and the teams that could be postseason-bound in 2026.
1. Baltimore Ravens
In 2025, the Baltimore Ravens were a wide right away from winning their 3rd straight AFC North division title. Entering 2026, the Baltimore Ravens will have a new head coach for the first time since 2008 with Jesse Minter. With a healthy Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry on offense, those two will make the Ravens offense look unstoppable. I expect the defense to be a top 10 or top 5 defensive unit with many players returning in 2026. The Baltimore Ravens, in my eyes, are the most complete team in the AFC North on both offense and defense.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals were the most disappointing team in 2025, after going 6-11 and finishing 3rd in the AFC North. One thing that will make or break the season for the Cincinnati Bengals will be the health of Joe Burrow. The offense no doubt can put points on the board and win games for this team throughout the season. But the Achilles heal for this football team is the defense, when they allowed 28 points per game in 2025. If the Cincinnati Bengals can fix the 31st-ranked defense, along with the offense, this team is a playoff team in 2026.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
The defending AFC North champs are the Pittsburgh Steelers; just like Baltimore, they are entering 2026 with a new head coach. Pittsburgh in 2025 backdoored their way to the AFC North title, and 2026 could be a fluke for this team. With this being Aaron Rodgers’ last season and an aging roster, the window might close on the Steelers in 2026. After this season, the big question mark for the Pittsburgh Steelers is who will be the quarterback in 2027. The expectations for the Steelers are that they will be the 3rd best team in the AFC North in 2026.
4. Cleveland Browns
As expected, the Cleveland Browns are going through another rebuild with a new coach and question marks at quarterback. In June, they traded away franchise player Myles Garrett to the Rams for 2 draft picks and Jared Verse. The question for Cleveland is who’s going to be the starting quarterback in Week 1: Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders. Though the defense was a top 5 unit in 2025, the offense marks from the offensive line, wide receivers, and so on. Even though 2026 will be a tough one for the Browns, 2027 will be when they find their next quarterback.
Overall Thoughts:
The AFC North in 2026 is going to be where all the games will be hard-hitting and exciting to watch. 3 of the 4 teams will have new head coaches roaming the sidelines in 2026 for their respective teams. Each team will have its own questions answered on the football field in 2026 in the regular season. As always, health is the #1 thing for any football team going into a new season with expectations. In 2025, the AFC North had only 1 team make the postseason; in 2026, 2 teams will be postseason-bound.
The Baltimore Ravens are my clear cut favorites in the AFC North with a very talented roster on both sides of the football. If the Cincinnati Bengals defense can be fixed it will be a playoff team in 2026.
Predictions:
1. Baltimore Ravens: 14-3
2. Cincinnati Bengals: 12-5
3. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-10
4. Cleveland Browns: 5-12
