NFL 2025: AFC North Predictions

The AFC North is always one of the most competitive divisions in football, and this year should be no different.

Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and the Baltimore Ravens remain the favorites after a strong 12-5 finish last season that earned them the division crown. Much like the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East, the Ravens have been a powerhouse for years behind their MVP-level quarterback, but have yet to break through to a Super Bowl in their current era. Both teams have the Kansas City Chiefs to thank for that.

The Cincinnati Bengals are the only team in this division to make it to a Super Bowl under their current quarterback: Joe Burrow. Despite some well-documented slow starts in previous years, the Bengals are always a threat when the playoffs roll around.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are notorious for finding ways to win and get in to the playoffs under head coach Mike Tomlin, but this year’s experiment is a little different, as Pittsburgh brought in 41-year old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and also acquired wide receiver DK Metcalf.

The Cleveland Browns had some promise for a few years, thanks in part to a fierce defense, but are a bit of a crossroads right now, with major questions at the quarterback position.

How will the division play out in the 2025-26 season? Read on for my 2025-26 AFC North Predictions, and if you’d like to debate or discuss any predictions, join the conversation with @SakSports on Twitter/X, on Facebook, or by commenting directly on this post!

2025-26 NFL Predictions

AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West

NFC East, NFC North, NFC South, NFC West

1. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)

Last Year’s Prediction: 13-4, 1st Place AFC North

Last Year’s Actual: 12-5, 1st Place AFC North

I think the Baltimore Ravens will be nothing short of an elite team in 2025-26. While a 13 or 14-win season is certainly a possibility, the Ravens do face a couple of hurdles.

Lamar Jackson’s availability is something the Ravens season often lives or dies by, but backup quarterbacks like Tyler Huntley were also able to utilize Baltimore’s scheme and roster to steal some extra wins for the Ravens even with Jackson off the field in previous years. This year? Former Dallas Cowboy Cooper Rush is Jackson’s backup, and the two quarterbacks do not play similar styles.

Additionally, the AFC North is a tough and gritty division, and the AFC is very competitive as a whole. But additions like DeAndre Hopkins at wide receiver and Chidobe Awuzie at cornerback will make an already stellar roster even deeper. With pass-catchers all over the field, and a lethal combination of Jackson and Derrick Henry, the Ravens are a force to be reckoned with.

Make no mistake: the think the Ravens could exceed my expectations, earn the best record in the AFC, and even represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. But I’ve been doing this for years, and even if the Ravens “feel” like a 13-to-14 win team, there’s usually at least one hiccup along the way.

2. Cincinnati Bengals (11-6)

Last Year’s Prediction: 12-5, 2nd Place AFC North

Last Year’s Actual: 9-8, 3rd Place AFC North

The Cincinnati Bengals are another perineal AFC North contender, with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins all locked up long-term. While there’s concern surrounding Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals got deeper on defense in free agency, and went defense or offensive line with five of their six draft 2025 NFL Draft selections.

The Bengals are re-tooling and getting deeper, all while retaining their offensive core. This should help Cincinnati bounce back from a 9-8 finish, subpar by their own standards in the Burrow era, and get back in to the postseason. While I have the Bengals finishing just one win behind the Ravens in the AFC North (and I do think the Bengals are the second-most likely team to win the division) I also think Baltimore is a strong favorite to win the division.

If it’s anything like years past, the Bengals will start slow, and then heat up late to finish 11-6. However, officially, I actually predict the Bengals will buck that trend, as coaching staff will make adjustments based on years of experience seeing slow starts.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)

Last Year’s Prediction: 6-11, 4th Place AFC North

Last Year’s Actual: 10-7, 2nd Place AFC North

The Pittsburgh Steelers are certainly the wildcard of the division, and the dark horse if you think they have a fighting chance at competing with the Ravens and Bengals.

Mike Tomlin wills his rosters to produce winning records: it’s just what he does. Aaron Rodgers might not have been the perfect quarterback Steelers fans envisioned, but the experiment is at least worth a shot. Acquiring wide receiver DK Metcalf also breaks the mold a bit for Pittsburgh, who usually doesn’t have a big name wide receiver on the roster unless they’re homegrown.

The Steelers have finished 10-7 the last two seasons, and have had a new Week 1 starting quarterback for the past four seasons. 9-8 is also certainly on the table, but another 10-7 finish, right in the wildcard hunt, only to be bounced by the AFC’s number two seed in the opening round of the playoffs if they do make it, seems right about on par.

Not to spoil too many future predictions, but 10-7 might not be enough to get in to the playoffs in the AFC this season, even in a seven-team field.

4. Cleveland Browns (3-14)

Last Year’s Prediction: 10-7, 3rd Place AFC North

Last Year’s Actual: 3-14, 4th Place AFC North

Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry enter their sixth season as the head coach/general manager combination for the Cleveland Browns, but are in desperate need of a bounce back season. Just two seasons ago, the Browns were a Cinderella story, finishing 11-6 with NFL Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco helping lead a late push.

But everything fell apart last season, leading to a 3-14 finish, and the Browns head in to the 2025-26 season with one of the most confusing quarterback rooms in NFL history. Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders make up the motley crew. As the old saying goes “if you have two quarterbacks, you have none.” Well what if you have four quarterbacks?

The Browns also will be without running back Nick Chubb for the first time in seven seasons, as he signed with the Houston Texans.

Cleveland still has talented players on both sides of the ball, but what once felt like an unlikely rising AFC powerhouse (2020, Browns finish 11-5 and win a Wildcard game under Coach of the Year Stefanski) now feels disjointed and without much direction.