While the Cleveland Browns have mostly held in place in Week 9 NFL power rankings following their competitive loss to the 49ers on Sunday, the rest of the AFC North division is steadily moving up this week. The division hosts some of the top defenses in the NFL and presently, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Below, a look at what the division is doing this week in power rankings:
The Steelers just beat the New England Patriots and Ben Roethlisberger looks as good as any quarterback in football. They're moving up every major power ranking, including SB Nation, ESPN, FOX Sports and CBS Sports. They're as high as number two, their spot in Brian Billick's FOX Sports power rankings.
They dropped a couple spots a week ago after losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but showing a spark offensively to come back against the Arizona Cardinals in a trap game on Sunday has been enough to move them back up, mostly into the top five. They're at No. 4 in ESPN's power rankings, but are number six in SB Nation's.
The Bengals are rising on most power rankings, and are as nine on some power rankings - SB Nation is the only one to include them in the top ten. Oddly enough, FOX Sports and Brian Billick dropped the Bengals a point, down to number 16, the lowest where you can find them in the major rankings.
FOX Sports | ESPN | SB Nation | CBS Sports