PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 15: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the fourth quarter after being injured against the Seattle Seahawks at Heinz Field on September 15, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

The AFC North has always been competitive, but with the Pittsburgh Steelers perhaps taking a backseat, it’s now the Baltimore Ravens division to lose.

When you have a quarterback playing at an MVP caliber level to go along with a strong run game and defense with capable pass catchers, you’re seemingly a playoff lock. Add in a strong coaching staff and front office and things look exceeding good for your organization. That is precisely what the Baltimore Ravens have going for them right now.

Baltimore is locked in the AFC; a conference dealing with a ton of key injuries and retirements. The conference is wide open, with only the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs appearing to be the constants. Despite the Ravens making it to the post-season last year via an AFC North division crown, they were seemingly written off rather quickly.

That narrative has likely changed in a hurry.

The AFC North, containing Baltimore and its rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals, is now the Ravens to lose. This is because Steelers starting quarterback and future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger has been ruled out for the season with an elbow injury. While Mason Rudolph could put together a magical season for Pittsburgh, many are writing them off for 2019.

The Bengals are the Bengals; they’ll win games they aren’t supposed to, but they’re far from being competitive. And then we have the Browns… all the hype in the world, but are they legit? We’ll get to see how they rebound from a loss in week one vs. a weakened New York Jets team. Overall, the talent is much better in Cleveland than Baltimore, but it’s unclear if it’ll work out.

This now leaves the Ravens in an interesting scenario. Should things continue to play out the way they have, Baltimore has a clear path to the playoffs through the AFC North. I mean, all they really need are key victories over the Browns and they should be set. The remaining schedule features top-tier teams like the Chiefs and Patriots, but the AFC North, teams Baltimore has yet to play, could very well be a cakewalk.

Right now, at 2-0, the Ravens only need a couple victories from their remaining schedule and a minimum 4-2 record in the AFC North to be looking at a 9-7 or 10-6 season. That record is more than good enough to win the division, but this team is much better than a nine-or-ten win team. The way Baltimore is rolling right now, they might just compete for a top-two seed for the AFC playoff bracket.

Before we can start to dream about that, however, the Baltimore Ravens need to continue establishing themselves as competitors. The AFC North appears to be their division to lose at this point, but hopefully they can continue to prove their worth and skill to the rest of the league regardless. Until then, a straight path to the playoffs has been laid out; it’s simply a matter of following it closely.