The Baltimore Ravens lost 13-10 to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, October 18, and are 4-2, according to NFL.com. That leaves three teams level at the top of the AFC North, with Baltimore hosting the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, October 25.
A week ago the Ravens held a one-game lead. The sections below show how that lead disappeared, what the numbers say about each contender, and what the Week 7 schedule offers.
What happened to the Ravens in Week 6?
The Ravens went to Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland as the division leader at 4-1 and came home with a 13-10 loss, according to NFL.com’s Week 6 results page. It was Baltimore’s first road defeat of the season: the team had been 3-0 away from home and is now 3-1, according to NFL.com’s division standings.
The same Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-19, per NFL.com. The Bengals, Lions, Dolphins and Vikings were on bye.
The combined effect was a reshuffle. Cleveland rose from 3-2 to 4-2 and Pittsburgh from 3-2 to 4-2, while Baltimore slipped from 4-1 to 4-2. Cincinnati, idle in Week 6, stayed at 3-2.
Where does the AFC North stand now?
Here is the division as shown on NFL.com’s standings page when it was checked on October 24, 2026. The page does not display its own update date, so treat this as a snapshot as of that day, before the Week 7 games.
| Team | Record | Win pct. | Points for-against | Net | Home | Road | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 4-2 | .667 | 106-122 | -16 | 3-0 | 1-2 | 1 win |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4-2 | .667 | 137-128 | +9 | 3-0 | 1-2 | 2 wins |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4-2 | .667 | 156-132 | +24 | 1-1 | 3-1 | 1 loss |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-2 | .600 | 128-109 | +19 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 1 win |
Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore share a .667 winning percentage (4 wins in 6 games). The Bengals are a half-game back with a game in hand, because they have played only five.
Why does a tie in the standings not mean equal teams?
Records tell only part of the story. Point differential, the gap between points scored and points allowed, often shows whether a record is sturdy or fragile. The tied teams look quite different by that measure.
Worked example: points per game
Illustrative arithmetic from the standings figures, dividing season totals by games played (six for the first three teams, five for Cincinnati):
| Team | Points for per game | Points against per game | Net per game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ravens | 26.0 | 22.0 | +4.0 |
| Steelers | 22.8 | 21.3 | +1.5 |
| Bengals | 25.6 | 21.8 | +3.8 |
| Browns | 17.7 | 20.3 | -2.7 |
For Baltimore, 156 ÷ 6 = 26.0 points scored and 132 ÷ 6 = 22.0 allowed, a net of 156 − 132 = +24, or +4.0 a game. Cleveland is the opposite case: 106 ÷ 6 is about 17.7 scored and 122 ÷ 6 about 20.3 allowed, a net of 106 − 122 = −16. The Browns have the same record as the Ravens while being outscored over the season, which is typical of a team that has won close games.
Point margins are not destiny. Six games is a small sample, and one fumble or missed kick can swing a game decided by three points. Still, the Ravens’ +24 is the best in the division and Cincinnati’s +19 is second, even though the Bengals are the team a half-game behind.
How did the Ravens’ season split between home and road?
The home and road splits on NFL.com are unusual. Baltimore is 3-1 on the road and only 1-1 at home. Cleveland and Pittsburgh are both 3-0 at home and 1-2 on the road. In other words, the two teams that have caught Baltimore have done their winning in front of their own fans.
That matters for the schedule ahead. A team that is strong at home but shaky away can be vulnerable when the calendar turns to road games. For Baltimore, the reverse has held so far: the road has been kinder than M&T Bank Stadium, with one home win and one home loss in two tries. Two games is hardly a pattern, and the split may simply reflect the opponents faced.
What does Week 7 look like for the division?
All four AFC North teams play on Sunday, October 25, according to NFL.com’s Week 7 schedule page:
| Game | Time | Network | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers at Saints | 9:30 a.m. | NFL Network | Saint-Denis, France (international game) |
| Bengals at Ravens | 1:00 p.m. | CBS | M&T Bank Stadium |
| Browns at Titans | 1:00 p.m. | CBS | Nissan Stadium |
The page does not state a time zone for the kickoff times. The Bills, Jaguars, Chargers and Commanders are on bye, so no AFC North team has the week off.
Can the Ravens retake the division lead on Sunday?
Simple record arithmetic shows what is possible. Every result below is a scenario, not a forecast.
- If the Ravens beat the Bengals, they move to 5-2 and Cincinnati falls to 3-3. Baltimore would then be alone in front only if both Cleveland and Pittsburgh lose, which would leave each of them at 4-3. If one of them wins, it would share the lead at 5-2, and if both win, all three would again be level at 5-2.
- If the Ravens lose, they drop to 4-3, and Cincinnati moves to 4-2. Cincinnati would then be 4-2 and Baltimore would trail any team that wins its own game by a full game, while a Cleveland and Pittsburgh double loss would leave the division bunched at 4-3 and 4-2.
- Games played: Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh will each have played seven games after Sunday, while Cincinnati will have played six, so the Bengals’ game in hand disappears.
- Cleveland and Pittsburgh each play non-division opponents, so those games do not change the head-to-head records among division teams, but they do change the overall win-loss column.
Division records and other tiebreakers will decide the order if teams finish level, and those details are not covered in the pages reviewed here. Standings can change quickly, so check NFL.com before kickoff.
Quick facts: the Ravens at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 4-2 (.667) |
| Last result | Lost 13-10 at Cleveland, October 18 |
| Points for-against | 156-132 (+24) |
| Home / road | 1-1 / 3-1 |
| Next game | Bengals at Ravens, Sunday, October 25, 1:00 p.m., CBS |
| Venue | M&T Bank Stadium |
All figures are from NFL.com as of October 24, 2026.
What about the Orioles and the rest of the Baltimore sports calendar?
The Orioles’ season has ended, and the offseason is the focus at Camden Yards for now. For fans who want the background on the ballpark, the story of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the retro stadium movement explains why the building still shapes how new parks are designed.
Fans heading to Sunday’s game can read the guide to M&T Bank Stadium and the Baltimore Ravens for venue basics. Our earlier look at the Ravens’ 4-1 start and the AFC North race shows how the division looked before the Cleveland trip, and the table above shows how much changed in a single week.
Why Sunday’s game matters more than its place in the schedule
Three weeks ago, nobody in the AFC North had a better record than the Ravens. One 13-10 loss later, Baltimore has the best point margin in the division but no record advantage over two teams that have won all of their home games and struggled on the road. The Bengals sit one half-game back, and they come to Baltimore with a streak of one win.
The Ravens’ margin suggests a team better than its record, and a home win against Cincinnati would put them back in front by a full game over anyone who is not also winning. A loss would make for a crowded, four-team race at the end of October.
This article is general sports information based on published league pages as of October 24, 2026. Records, scores and schedules are subject to change.
Sources: NFL.com
