Earlier this season, the AFC North became the first division since the realignment in 2002 to have three defenses ranked atop the NFL. Well, this stingy division has raised the bar again.

Seven weeks into the regular season, the four highest-ranked defenses in the NFL all reside in the AFC North.

The Ravens have taken over the top spot after Cincinnati and Pittsburgh swapped the No. 1 ranking last week. The Bengals (No. 2), Steelers (No. 3) and Browns (No. 4) round out the top defensive rankings. Cleveland made the biggest jump, moving up from No. 7 after holding Seattle to 137 total yards.

All four defenses have held teams to below 300 yards per game and 20 or fewer points per game.

Of course, the AFC North has been helped by playing teams from the AFC South and NFC West this season. Six of the worst nine offenses are from those divisions: Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Seattle, St. Louis and San Francisco.