Few NFL divisions appeared to be as deep as the AFC North heading into 2023. The Browns had an elite defense and a full season of Deshaun Watson; the Bengals were coming off back-to-back AFC championship appearances; the Ravens seemed to have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball; and the Steelers, led by Kenny Pickett and always competitive with Mike Tomlin, looked better.
Not everything about the division turned out as many had anticipated. Due to injuries, Joe Burrow and Watson missed a significant portion of the season, while Pickett suffered setbacks that prevented him from playing in the final five games. It’s safe to say, though, that the AFC North not only exceeded expectations but made historic marks.
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In Week 18, the Bengals and Steelers triumphed against the Browns and Ravens, respectively, who were resting their starters after securing postseason berths. Pittsburgh’s victory marked the first step toward the Steelers’ unlikely playoff berth. Cincinnati’s victory sent the Bengals one game above.500 for the third consecutive year.
All of the AFC North teams, with the exception of the Bengals, had winning records at the end of the regular season. This campaign is historic for the division because of both, at least during the Super Bowl era.
There hasn’t been a division that solely included teams with a winning record since 1935.
There were two divisions: East and West, in 1935. The Cardinals(6-4-2) and Bears(6-4-2) finished at least two games ahead of the Lions (7-3-2), Packers (8-4) and Bears (6-4-2) all finish at least two games above .500.
AFC North became just the 11th division to send three teams to the postseason in 2023. With four division victories to its name, the AFC North is the most frequent performer.
It’s also unlikely that the AFC North’s dominance will diminish very soon. The Steelers will always be competitive no matter who is starting at quarterback, according to Tomlin, and Burrow and Watson will return healthy in 2024. Lamar Jackson is also guaranteed to start for Baltimore for the foreseeable future.