Brutal injuries, bad offense are making AFC North wide-open mess

On paper, the AFC North seemed like it was going to be one of the toughest divisions in the NFL during the 2023 season. It still very well might end up being that, but the first two weeks of the season saw all four teams develop some pretty significant issues in terms of injuries and overall quality of play that should make the division even more wide-open than previously thought.

It is also a little messy.

The Cincinnati Bengals are already facing an uphill climb thanks to an 0-2 start that has not only seen them drop consecutive games but also drop consecutive games within the division. That leaves them with almost no margin for error the rest of the year when it comes to their divisional games as they relate to tiebreakers. 

Even worse, quarterback Joe Burrow's calf injury has not yet fully healed and he aggravated it during Sunday's loss in Baltimore. If Burrow is not healthy or has to deal with a lingering injury it is going to significantly alter their potential and will make overcoming another 0-2 start even more difficult.

The Cleveland Browns have what looks to be a potentially great defense that is going to keep them in games, but the offense is now facing a major uphill climb. The season-ending injury to running back Nick Chubb is a complete game-changer for their entire offense and their identity. Chubb is not only the best player on the offense, he is the player the offense is built around. Without him, that is going to put significantly more pressure on $250M quarterback Deshaun Watson to do the heavy lifting. 

So far in his Browns tenure, he has not shown that he is capable of doing that. After a sloppy debut at the end of the 2022 season, Watson is off to a pretty miserable start in 2023 and was one of the single biggest reasons they gave away Monday's game in Pittsburgh. If he isn't better, the Browns risk wasting a top defense.

It is a similar story for the Pittsburgh Steelers whose defense has the potential to swing games at any moment with a splash or two but has an offense that can not seem to get out of its own way. Everything about the Steelers offense seems like a struggle for the second year in a row. 

The offensive line play is poor, second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett has not shown much sign of improvement, and the entire offensive philosophy installed by head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Matt Canada seems completely lacking in feel and rhythm. 

The Baltimore Ravens are the team in the best position with a 2-0 start and an offense that seems to be making strides under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, but they are also on what seems to be a yearly run of injuries that decimates the roster. 

They were already without a couple of starters on the offensive line and running back J.K. Dobbins, while Odell Beckham Jr. left Sunday's game. The Ravens should be in the driver's seat, but we seem to say that about them every year and the injuries always seem to slow them down.