In past years, you could almost guarantee seeing the AFC North in the top two of lists of the hardest NFL divisions. But after a down year for the division in 2025, the AFC North ranked fourth in Nick Shook’s list of the league’s toughest divisions. He admitted the league fell below it’s usual standard last season, but doesn’t see that changing.
“Simply put, the 2025 season fell below the standard of the AFC North. We enter 2026 with little reason to believe last year was an anomaly. Questions are present throughout the division, which features three new head coaches — including two first-timers — and returns only Zac Taylor, perhaps the most unlikely survivor of all, as a tenured sideline director.”
As for the Steelers, Shook believes the team will be “slightly better” offensively and stronger overall, but there’s no “sure thing” with a head-coaching change and an aging Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
The biggest questions among the division this year are the head coaching changes in Baltimore and Pittsburgh and overall quarterback health. The Ravens and Bengals both bolstered their defense this offseason, with Cincinnati bringing in Dexter Lawrence and Baltimore signing Trey Hendrickson away from the Bengals. If Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are healthy, the Bengals and Ravens will be threats to make the playoffs.
Even last season, Baltimore rebounded from a 1-5 start to force a winner-take-all game for the division with the Steelers in Week 18. The Bengals faltered when Burrow went down and never recovered, but they still beat the Steelers in a Week 7 shootout.
The Browns lost Myles Garrett and have questions at quarterback, and anything other than a last-place finish would be a surprise. But from the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals, I don’t see there being serious enough questions to think that a repeat of last season could be coming for the division.
I think the fourth-place placement on Shook’s list is fair given the AFC North came in behind the NFC North, NFC West and AFC West, three divisions that also have at least three capable playoff teams. But there are three capable playoff teams in the AFC North as well, and despite 2025 being a “bad year” for the division, I think it very well could return to being one of the toughest divisions yet again in 2026.
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