- The AFC North has barely settled into October, and the division is already being shaped by who is healthy enough to keep playing.
- Cincinnati lost Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in a 22-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
- Baltimore escaped Tennessee with a 24-18 win, but the victory came with its own damage: Lamar Jackson left with an ankle injury, and the Ravens did not score again after he exited.
- Pittsburgh, meanwhile, did not even have to play Sunday to move ahead of Cincinnati in the standings.
- That is the kind of week that can change the feel of a division before anyone has time to declare it changed.
- Cincinnati is now 2-2, tied with Pittsburgh, but the Steelers own the head-to-head tiebreaker because of their Week 3 win over the Bengals.
- The Steelers are tied with Cincinnati at 2-2, but the tiebreaker belongs to them.
- They host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5, and with Baltimore managing Jackson’s ankle and Cincinnati trying to replace Chase and Higgins at the same time, Pittsburgh has a chance to keep separating itself from a division that is suddenly being sorted as much by availability as by record.
AFC North’s Injury Churn Is Already Shifting the Standings
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Sources & Referenced Reporting
- Baltimore Ravens, “News & Notes: Jesse Minter's Update on Lamar Jackson's Ankle Injury,” Oct. 5, 2026.
- Baltimore Ravens, “Around the AFC North: Bengals Lose Ja'Marr Chase And Tee Higgins to Injuries,” Oct. 5, 2026.
- stillcurtain.com, “Steelers quietly stay ahead of Bengals without lifting a finger on Sunday,” Oct. 5, 2026.
- Baltimore Ravens, “Late for Work: Pundits React to Ravens' 'Painful' Win Over Titans,” Oct. 5, 2026.
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