The AFC North carries a rich history of rivalry and competition between the four combatants. Close geography and impassioned disdain usually make for grueling battles when the teams cross paths.
Given all the history and the connections between franchises, these games never really need any extra juice. Regardless of record or circumstance each of the four teams never have an issue getting up for these contests.
The Cleveland Browns served as a perfect example of this phenomenon in 2024. A disastrous campaign that saw the team go 3-14 and lose starting quarterback Deshaun Watson did not keep them from being a thorn in the side of their rivals.
Cleveland picked off both playoff teams that emerged from the North, beating the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers in shocking upsets last season. Ahead of the 2025 campaign, defensive superstar Myles Garrett has already launched a bold callout of the latter.
He sent a message to new Steelers quarterback Aaaron Rodgers Tuesday during media availability, claiming he wanted to put Aaron Rodgers "in the graveyard."
The graveyard would seem to be a reference to a clever Halloween decoration at Garrett's home a few years ago, depicting tombstones of quarterbacks that had fallen victim to a sack on his part.
It may be in good fun but stands as a verifiable threat given Garrett's decorated resumé. The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has not had less than 12 sacks in a season since 2019.
Garrett would be eager to at Rodgers' new No. 8 to his collection. Of the 102.5 sacks he has registered in his career, not one has come against Rodgers. To be fair, he has only gotten one chance which game in a game against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 25, 2021.
He will have two chances in 2025 to put that feather in his cap when the teams meet in Week 6 and Week 17.