Yes, it’s early. No, we don’t care.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Baltimore Ravens fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
A week ago, the Ravens were coming off a sour loss to the Indianapolis Colts and the sky was falling. After Sunday, the Ravens have a highlighted road toward winning the AFC North title as all three other teams in the AFC North suffered rough defeats and finished with a combined 12 points in their three losses. This has some, including Baltimore Beatdown asking if the Ravens are going to win the AFC North?
It’s incredibly early to stamp a confirmation that this race is over. Hell, it’s hardly begun as we enter Week 5. But, there is some merit as the division is shaking up poorly.
The Cincinnati Bengals are 1-3 and things look dire as quarterback Joe Burrow continues to be hampered with injury and production from their offense is minimal. The Bengals have started slow in recent years before putting it all together but something feels different this season.
The Browns’ success appears despite the offensive struggles, with their defense shouldering a heavy workload has given the offense enough short fields to work with. Deshaun Watson still hasn’t demonstrated on the field he’s worth the fully guaranteed deal he was worth.
As for the Steelers, their defense is another engine of violence but the offense is getting the most critique of any in the NFL with Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada being flamed worse than Ravens coordinator Greg Roman last year. This, combined with quarterback Kenny Pickett dealing with injury leaves the Ravens open to sweep all three road division games if they can win on Sunday.
But doing so is not always in the Ravens modus operandi. They struggle to lock the door behind them in these division races with a poor performance against their rivals or, like we witnessed in Week 3, a loss they had no business taking. But after last week, the Ravens showed they can battle with the best of them and succeed. Can they do it enough to win the division?