Why the AFC North is the Spine of the NFL

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Jayson Erwin. Follow him on Twitter @JaysonErwin2002

"The spine of the NFL" is what many of us should frequently say about the AFC North. Scrappy and old-school football is personified in nearly every game featuring the Steelers, Bengals, Ravens, and Browns. Whether it was the mean blocking from the Steelers Hines Ward, the dirty hits of Bengals Vontaze Burfict, the vicious play style of Ravens Ray Lewis, or the art of helmet swinging by Browns Myles Garrett, every AFC North game is a must-watch. Let's discuss what makes the AFC North so compelling.

It's debatable to say it's the best division right now, with almost all four teams in the NFC East making the playoffs last year and the entire AFC East being a threat every week. However, you can't deny all four teams in the AFC North are threats to at least make the playoffs, and it's the fact that every weakness each one has are outweighed by their strenghts.

The Browns have a QB situation involving massages and $230M---it's a long story---but they have arguably the best running back in the NFL with Nick Chubb, who is also behind one of the better offensive lines. The Ravens lack of an elite receiver has hurt them, and no, I'm not ready to say OBJ is the one yet. A 30-year-old receiver coming off an ACL tear and hasn't had a 1,000-yard season since 2019 doesn't scream a considerable threat. But the Ravens still have a dangerous defense, the unpredictable Lamar Jackson, and a top five tight end in Mark Andrews. The Steelers haven't had an elite offensive line in a while but still possess an elite defense with T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Bengals offensive line has been a question for a bit, but that doesn't stop Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase from wrecking opposing defenses. A lot of depth makes for a consistently entertaining match-up!

One of the reasons why the AFC North is a must-watch isn't just to see what will happen but what the score will be in the end. In all-time NFL history, all four teams in the North have faced off a total of 510 times. 243 of those games were decided by eight or fewer points. About 48% of AFC North games were thrilling to the end (PIT vs. CIN: 48%, PIT vs. CLE: 41%, CLE vs. CIN: 43%, CLE vs. BAL: 44%, CIN vs. BAL: 56%, PIT vs. BAL: 66%). Even when a team is at its worst, the game is still up in the air in the AFC North. Nobody is safe!

And finally, just all the shenanigans that happen are noteworthy, and are why a Steelers-Ravens slugfest lacking offensive is still appealing to primetime networks.

Browns Myles Garrett assaulted Steelers Mason Rudolph with his helmet, Bengals Vontaze Burfict knocked out Steelers Antonio Brown with a shoulder to the skull, Steelers Juju Smith-Schuster knocked down Burfict with a crack-back block, Bengals AJ Green choked out at-the-time Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey and then threw punches at him, Brown returned a punt and jumped and kicked Browns Spencer Lanning down "This is Sparta!" style. Bengals Von Bell knocked out Smith-Schuster after dancing on the Bengals logo, Ravens team dancing and kicking the Titans midfield logo after winning the game, Steelers Diontae Johnson throwing punches to Ravens Marcus Peters, Ravens Earl Thomas knocking out Rudolph with a helmet-to-helmet shot. Finally, Steelers George Pickens is all I have to say! This division is not for the faint of heart. It doesn't mean these actions were justified, but it does mean that this division REALLY doesn't like each other.

The AFC North is a division built on the true grit of football and respectful hatred between four teams wanting to win it all! They take no prisoners, and 2023 will be no different. What will make the headlines next year for the AFC North?