Each week during the regular season and occasionally during the offseason, our AFC North writers tackle the pressing questions and biggest storylines around the division. This week, we present the rare edition of the Whiparound with Baltimore sitting at the bottom. Will that last? Let’s explore …

It was quite a game last Thursday night in Cincinnati. Are you fully aboard the Joe Flacco for MVP train? Or does the clock soon strike midnight on the veteran, whose usual bedtime is closer to 8:30? Either way, is this a story that will continue to have some real legs going forward?

Mike DeFabo (Steelers): The Steelers more or less built their secondary to beat the Bengals, believing the trio of Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay would be better equipped to handle the unique challenge of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Flacco diced them up. All night, he was one step ahead of the Steelers.

This feels like the ideal scenario for Flacco. He may not be capable of single-handedly lifting an offense. But now that he’s surrounded by weapons in Cincinnati, Flacco is experienced enough and still has enough in his right arm to keep the Bengals’ playoff hopes afloat.

Paul Dehner Jr. (Bengals): Oh, the story has legs — and apparently so does Flacco, the new zone-read king. Flacco makes the Bengals relevant. There’s nothing we’ve seen over the last six quarters that feels fraudulent or circumstantial about the life he’s injected into Cincinnati’s attack. Incredibly, for a guy playing two games in his first nine days with the Bengals, it actually looked simple.

The Bengals just needed someone capable of properly activating their weapons, not a superhero. Flacco is just that. The Bengals’ defense might still be a trainwreck, but this offense will be enough to keep them relevant in a flawed AFC.

Zac Jackson (Browns): I like Flacco because he’s blunt and professional in his dealings with the media. We both are a little gray and cranky, too, but that’s sort of irrelevant here. What matters in the context of the next month is that Flacco can still fling it. As long as Chase and Higgins are healthy and available, the Bengals should play in meaningful games. The North is still a race, and until I see it much differently, I’ll believe the race for at least the last spot in the AFC playoffs is going until January.

​​Jeff Zrebiec (Ravens): I think the answer to this question lies with how much confidence you have in Cincinnati’s offensive line. If Flacco is properly protected, if he doesn’t have to do a lot of dodging pressure or lifting himself off the turf, and if the Bengals can run the football, he and they will continue to have success offensively. Flacco will probably be throwing a beautiful ball well into his 70s. He hasn’t lost that ability.

Now, he also has probably the NFL’s best receiver duo at his disposal. If the Bengals can avoid situations where he’s getting hit or hurried consistently, this “story” will get more and more intriguing. But I’d fully expect there to be a few ugly chapters mixed in where defenses can get to Flacco, and his age and lack of mobility show.

The first one was a bridge to this: Are you a believer that this division is now fairly wide open? Or do you still view this as the Steelers, then some space, before everyone else?

DeFabo: I have been saying for a couple of weeks that I think the division could come down to the last game of the season, when the Steelers play the Ravens. With Jake Browning behind center for the Bengals, it was a two-team race between the Ravens and Steelers. Flacco changes things. If the 40-year-old can capitalize on winnable games against the New York Jets and Chicago Bears, the Bengals could re-enter that conversation.

It wouldn’t be a shock to see Cincinnati atop the division standings within the next few weeks, especially as the Steelers begin the more challenging part of their schedule against the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts.

Dehner: There’s a (decent?) chance the Bengals are playing with first place on the line when they roll into Pittsburgh on Nov. 16. Cincinnati plays the winless Jets and Bears at home the next two weeks before a bye. The Steelers’ schedule stiffens, and after last Thursday, there have to be questions about how their defense will handle Jordan Love and the Packers, the top-seeded Colts and a trip to LA to face Justin Herbert the next three weeks.

Even if the Bengals lose to the Bears, if the Steelers go 1-2 over this stretch, a victory on Nov. 16 in Pittsburgh would give the Bengals the tiebreaker and division lead. Still stunning to believe I’m even mentioning these possibilities, considering the state of affairs two weeks ago.

Jackson: It usually is, so while this year has been different in structure and in the category of significant injury to this point, I think it’s mostly the same. The Steelers have a little breathing room because they’ve been the best of the bunch thus far, and they’ll have a chance to keep that space over the next month-plus. I’ll work under the assumption that every team is alive through the Nov. 16 Ravens-Browns game after the Bengals play in Pittsburgh. After that day, we’ll take another look at things.

Zrebiec: I’m not excusing the Steelers’ defensive performance, but that was a tough spot for them last week. They were playing a desperate team in season-saving mode, facing a quarterback who had success against them and had to win on the road on a Thursday night, which has been tough on everybody.

To me, there’s still a little space between them and everyone else, but I do concede that this is a “let’s revisit in a couple of weeks” storyline. Pittsburgh has three really tough games on tap. The Bengals, meanwhile, have two very winnable games ahead, and so do the Ravens if their starting quarterback returns. This still could get interesting.

The NFL’s trade deadline is 11 days away. We’ve covered the possibilities individually, and we’ll take a closer look in this format next week. But with Flacco Fever in Cincinnati and Lamar Jackson’s uncertainty in Baltimore, what’s the state of the game’s most important position for the team you cover? Might something be markedly different four to six weeks from now?

DeFabo: I don’t think the Steelers could ask for much more out of Aaron Rodgers at this stage of his career. While he may not be in his prime, Rodgers has been efficient with quick, precision passes. More recently, he has picked his spots to be aggressive and add an explosive element. Beyond that, he’s winning and having fun here. Barring injury, Rodgers is QB1.

The only change in the next four to six weeks might be to the 2026 plans. If Rodgers can maintain this level of play, it’s fair to start wondering if this might not be his final season after all.

Dehner: The Bengals’ pro shop is inundated with orders for Flacco jerseys. “Flacco ‘Round and Find Out” T-shirts are flying off the shelves of the local print shops and questionable pop-up tables set up outside the stadium. People can’t get enough of everyone’s favorite father of Bengals football.

You asked about things being different in four to six weeks, but I’d wonder more about eight to 10 weeks when (maybe) Joe Burrow can return. There are still way too many variables to speculate, but that might be the most fascinating storyline in football if Flacco can keep the Bengals in the mix.

Jackson: It’s not good. Dillon Gabriel got in the win column last week, but he’s been less than spectacular. And just like no one fully blamed Flacco for the early-season mess, any evaluation of Gabriel’s upside or short-term development is clouded by the awful wide receiver play and offensive line carousel.

The Browns should be healthier this week across the offense, so we’ll look for improvements. If the team is well out of the race, we’ll see Shedeur Sanders in December (but likely not before then). It’s hard to imagine we’ll see Deshaun Watson take another snap in a Browns uniform, but Watson is on active-PUP, and that door isn’t completely sealed and locked at this point.

Zrebiec: There’s a lot of angst, that’s for sure. Jackson got a hero’s welcome in his return to practice on Wednesday, and why wouldn’t he? Watching the team’s offense without him makes you yearn for the Kyle Boller days. Jackson, though, has a way to go before he’s ready to play. At least as I write this on a Thursday afternoon, he should be considered questionable at best for Sunday.

The Ravens signed Cooper Rush because they believed he was capable of leading them to a few wins if Jackson had to miss time. He’s really struggled, so much so that the Ravens probably have little choice but to turn to Tyler Huntley on Sunday in a game they probably need to win to have any hopes of a turnaround. Yeah, it’s pretty bleak.

Sunday prediction time: Could the Browns and/or Bengals make it two in a row? Will the Ravens get a victory in their must-win game? What happens Sunday night in Pittsburgh?

DeFabo: The Packers will be the first true test for the Steelers — and it’s not a great matchup. The Steelers want to establish the run, and the Packers have allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per game this season (76.5). The Steelers’ defense is turnover-reliant, and the Packers have committed just three all year. The Steelers’ defense is eighth-worst on third down, and the Packers’ offense is the best in the league on third down.

But the one thing going in the Steelers’ favor is the Rodgers factor. At home. On “Sunday Night Football.” Extra emotion with Rodgers’ old team in town. This is the kind of game Mike Tomlin usually wins, and I’ll pick the Steelers to get a victory on a Chris Boswell field goal. I’m riding with Flacco over the Jets. And I think the Ravens will come out motivated after their bye week with a win. For the final game, I’m believing in the New England Patriots more each week and think they’ll beat the Browns.

Dehner: The Patriots’ offense against this Browns defense is lowkey must-see TV on Sunday. Unfortunately, for Cleveland, the other half of the matchup probably requires an NSFW label. I held onto my Ravens stock for as long as I could, but I don’t think I can buy them to slow down Ben Johnson’s offense enough, regardless of who plays quarterback for Baltimore on Sunday.

Having watched both the Packers and Steelers up close the last two weeks, Green Bay is the more complete team, but I don’t love this spot in Pittsburgh. And the Bengals better hope they don’t lose to the Jets, or I will take back everything I wrote in this Whip.

Jackson: The Browns will go to New England and turn it into the kind of brawl they’ll need it to be, but they’ll come up short. Something like 19-13. I like the Bengals to keep rolling, too. Yes, it’s a hangover game, but the opponent is the Jets. Cincinnati 27-21. I’m assuming a healthier Ravens team will be better, so I’ll take Baltimore 27-17, and I’ll take the Steelers to squeak one out Sunday night in the Rodgers Bowl 20-19.

Zrebiec: A Flacco versus Tyrod Taylor matchup would be fun for Ravens fans who would prefer reminiscing these days than watching what’s become of their team. The Bengals have some momentum and are at home, and the Jets are 0-7. This should be a Bengals victory. If Jackson plays and looks close to himself, I’ll take the Ravens to win their first game in over a month. If they can’t win at home after the bye against a better but still unproven Bears team, they should start selling pieces as early as Sunday night. If Jackson doesn’t play or isn’t right, I think the Bears win.

Rodgers typically plays well when he has a point to prove, and the Packers haven’t been good on the road this year. Give me the Steelers in a close one. The Patriots are on a roll right now, and I think they get past the Browns.