AFC North becomes first division post-NFL merger to have all 4 teams finish with a winning record
The Ravens clinched the top seed in the AFC, and the Browns, Steelers and Bengals all finished above .500
Thanks to the Cincinnati Bengals, the AFC North was historically good this season.
The Bengals rolled past the Cleveland Browns 31-14 Sunday afternoon at Paycor Stadium, which officially wrapped up their regular season. The Bengals were already eliminated from playoff contention entering Week 18, so the win didn’t mean much in that regard.
It did, however, bring the Bengals to 9-8 on the year — which made the AFC North the first division since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to have every team finish with a winning record in a single season.
With the @Ravens (13-4), @Browns (11-6), @Steelers (10-7) and @Bengals (9-8), the AFC North is the first division since 1970 with all teams finishing with a winning record.
— NFL345 (@NFL345) January 7, 2024
There have been a few divisions who have come close to all hitting the .500 mark. The Washington Commanders could have done that last season for the NFC East, but they had one game end in a tie and lost three of their last four to finish the season at 8-8-1.
This year’s AFC North is the first division to have all teams finish with a winning record in the Super Bowl era, though it's been done before. The last time a division finished with a winning record was the NFL West in 1935, but professional football looked very different then. That division was led by the Detroit Lions, who eventually won the championship, and had the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Chicago Cardinals.
The Baltimore Ravens won the AFC North and went 13-4 on the season, clinching the top seed in the AFC for the playoffs. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Ravens in their regular season finale on Saturday, which brought them to 10-7 on the season. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has now recorded 17 straight winning seasons.
Despite losing Deshaun Watson to a season-ending shoulder injury, Cleveland still went 11-6 and clinched a playoff spot. The Browns, who have since turned to veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, rested most of their starters Sunday. They’ll take on the Houston Texans next weekend in the wild-card round.
That allowed Bengals quarterback Jake Browning to throw three touchdowns Sunday. The Bengals took a 24-0 lead at halftime, and running back Joe Mixon ran for a season-high 111 yards and a touchdown in the 17-point win. Browning, who replaced the injured Joe Burrow, finished 4-3 as a starter this season. He was replaced by A.J. McCarron in the final quarter.
Though Browning and the Bengals won't get into the playoffs, the win was still huge for the division. That has to count for something.
