AFC North positional and coaching rankings: Best coach, top QB and more for perhaps NFL’s toughest division

There are seven divisions in the NFL, and then there’s the AFC North division. OK, that may be a little dramatic, but there’s no denying that the AFC North is arguably the NFL’s toughest and most competitive division, and that at least somewhat distinguishes it from the rest of the pack. 

Fresh off making history as the first division to see each team record a winning record, the AFC North isn’t expected to cool off this year. In fact, with quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson back from last year’s season-ending injuries, the Steelers’ revamped quarterback room and the Ravens’ offseason signing of former 2,000-yard rusher Derrick Henry, the AFC North should be even better this season. 

It should be no surprise that the AFC North has several close calls when it comes to positional rankings. Let’s go through each one while also ranking the four head coaches who make up the North. 

Quarterbacks 

1. Bengals (Joe Burrow)
2. Ravens (Lamar Jackson)
3. Steelers (Russell Wilson) 
4. Browns (Deshaun Watson)

This was a fun list to make, albeit somewhat of a challenge. Burrow was chosen over Jackson largely because of how well Burrow has played whenever he is healthy. He led the Bengals to the Super Bowl and an AFC Championship game appearance in his only two full seasons of action up to this point. Jackson, a great player in his own right with two MVP trophies to his credit, has struggled to live up to high expectations in the playoffs. 

I’m sure there’s more than a few people who are surprised to see Watson ranked below Wilson, but last year’s statistical evaluations of both players made that decision rather easy. Wilson bested Watson in just about every category prior to Watson suffering a season-ending injury after six starts. Watson has yet to return to his Pro Bowl form in Cleveland, while Wilson — despite getting benched late in the 2023 season — had what could be considered a…

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Author : Bryan DeArdo

Publish date : 2024-08-27 13:31:00

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