The AFC North as we know it is only 23 years old, and still, this is not your dad’s AFC North.

Three of the five worst defenses in the NFL by total defense belong in this division. The Cincinnati Bengals have the worst statistical defense in the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers are right in front of them at 30th, and the Baltimore Ravens at 28th.

What was once a quartet of teams defined by ferocious pass-rushes and overly-physical tackling looks nothing like that identity anymore. Only the Cleveland Browns can boast defensive competency, and they’re 2-6 at the bottom of the division standings like they usually are.

So what’s going on? How did things get so bad for 75% of the division we all knew to be hard-nosed and tough as nails? Let’s go around the division to get answers from Kyle Crabbs of A to Z Sports Baltimore, Rob Gregson of A to Z Sports Pittsburgh, and Brandon Little of A to Z Sports Cleveland.

Why AFC North defenses have struggled so mightily

What’s been the main issue with your team’s defense through eight weeks?

Bengals: Major gambles were made on recently-drafted players developing into quality pass-rushers, and rookie linebackers being able to handle a lot immediately. Both bets are looking like losses at the moment as this is arguably the worst pass-rushing team in the league, and the linebacker play is equally horrendous. The secondary is doing what it can, but cornerback DJ Turner II’s uprising isn’t enough to compensate for minimal pressure and porous tackling in front of him. It’s bad. Really bad. — Sheeran

Ravens: The front has been, frankly, awful. There’s been far too little disruption and injuries have sideswiped one of the supposed strengths of the team. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is out indefinitely with long-term concern for his health, and the Ravens simply don’t have an alternative on the roster. The depth of the outside linebackers has been troublesome, and the team accelerated the departure of Odafe Oweh by trading him to the Chargers for a draft pick and Alohi Gilman. — Crabbs

Steelers: The defense has been up and down this year, but it’s been a lot more of the latter than the former over the last two weeks. Why? The turnovers have fallen off a cliff. Turnovers tend to mask some deficiencies on the defense. Well, now the secondary is being exposed as slow, unable to communicate, and out of sorts. That’s allowing teams to get the ball out quickly and avoid the Steelers’ pass rush. — Gregson

Which injuries, if any, have impacted how bad things have gotten?

Bengals: Trey Hendrickson missed all of Week 7, his first missed game since 2022, and Cincinnati barely squeaked out a shootout win in which 31 points were allowed. He also missed most of last week and was sorely missed as the defense allowed 39 points. Shemar Stewart was also out for about a month, but he wasn’t expected to be a consistent pass-rusher out the gate anyways. The rest of the unit has been healthy, but you’d think a few players were starting because of injuries. — Sheeran

Ravens: The Kyle Van Noy injury early in the season was compounded by a preseason injury to Adisa Isaac — only to see Van Noy return and Tavius Robinson land on injured reserve instead. Roquan Smith missed time as well on account of a hamstring issues, which put the youth and inexperience at off-ball linebacker behind him under the microscope. Jaire Alexander, who was supposed to be a ceiling raiser for the secondary, has battled knee issues all season. Packers fans are shocked (not). They all pale to the injury to Madubuike, who was a game-wrecker on the interior but is on injured reserve. — Crabbs

Steelers: Honestly, that’s the worst part when forecasting the Steelers’ defense. Before DeShon Elliott’s injury on Sunday, the Steelers had all of their starters and the majority of their rotational players at their disposal. And it was still Swiss cheese in the last two games; not a great sign by any means. — Gregson

What hope is there for things getting better?

Bengals: Hendrickson needs to heal his hip, which is a tricky situation on its own. That’s the only hope for this pass rush to be passable because it may not come from anywhere else aside from Shemar Stewart fast-tracking his development. Rookie linebackers Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. need to play with confidence in their angles and tackling, and perhaps that can also come with more reps. It’s a lot that needs to happen, but the youngest players have the most hope for getting better. — Sheeran

Ravens: Gilman is a good place to start for hope things get better. His addition to the safety room eases some of the pressure on rookie Malaki Starks and frees up Kyle Hamilton to be a force multiplier in the box. Hamilton’s role looked dramatically different against the Bears in Week 8 and he, as he is every year, appears to be the magic eraser to make issues go away. Baltimore is expected to get healthier on the edge as well. — Crabbs

Steelers: The only, and I mean only hope, is that the communication issues are sorted in the back seven. The Steelers tend to be stubborn in their scheme, and corners and safeties don’t suddenly find their legs down the back half of the season. If Pittsburgh can get on the same page, it can play as one and get back to forcing turnovers. — Gregson

Meanwhile, defense is all that’s right in Cleveland

We couldn’t leave the Browns out of this entirely as the one defense doing good things on a weekly basis. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and defensive end Myles Garrett continue living up to their respective reputations, and it’s a top-10 unit by pretty much all metrics that could come to mind.

Browns: The biggest reason the Browns’ defense has been so impressive this season is because of how poor the offense has been on the other side of the football. There’s been no such thing as complementary football in Cleveland. Every time the Browns take the field, they know they’re relying heavily on their defense and hoping the offense can do just enough — but that hasn’t been the case. Cleveland is averaging just 279.1 yards per game on offense, which ranks dead last in the NFL. On the flip side, the Browns rank No. 4 in the league in total defense, allowing only 297.6 yards per game. Despite being on the field far too often because of the offense’s inability to sustain drives, the defense continues to perform. — Little

Three horrendous defenses are holding back teams with hope, and defense is all the seemingly hopeless team has. That’s life in the AFC North in 2025, and it’s nothing short of bizarre.

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