The start of the 2025 NFL season is finally here after a long wait. For the AFC North, this season promises to be another one full of promise, notable storylines, and high stakes for all four teams in the division.
Week 1 will see two teams open the year with divisional matchups against each other — the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns — while the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers will each play non-divisional conference foes from the AFC East. Beginning the season with a 1-0 record
and getting an early leg up in the standings can go a long way later on down the line.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers will travel to New York and begin their season against the Jets on the road. The biggest storyline between these two teams is the swap of quarterbacks. Last season, Justin Fields was the Steelers’ Week 1 starter while veteran Aaron Rodgers was the Jets’ starting signal-caller. Fast forward to this year and the reverse is now the case.
Rodgers is the newest starting quarterback for Steelers in what’s been a shuffling at the position for the past several years. Pittsburgh is hopeful he will bring stability and increase their offensive ceiling, maximizing what he last left in the tank at age 41. The Steelers re-tooled their skill position groups on offense while also undergoing a remake in the defensive backfield as well.
Despite being the away team in this matchup, the Steelers are favored to win by a field goal. While they’ll be working to incorporate several new pieces on both sides of the ball, the Jets too are transitioning into this season with a new quarterback and new head coach, too. Aaron Glenn’s squad is at a talent deficit at most positions compared to the Steelers but will likely try to make this a low-scoring, gritty type of game to give themselves the best chance to pull off an upset.
Much of the Steelers’ contests last season were of this affair, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see limited offensive fireworks from either team. The Steelers would love to see Rodgers and new pass-catchers D.K. Metcalf and Jonnu Smith to create some explosive plays in the passing game, with Jaylen Warren and company running the ball well against a talented Jets’ defense.
Cleveland Browns
Following a rollercoaster offseason defined by their quarterback competition, the Browns will look to defy expectations with an upset divisional win in Week 1. The Browns are at home in this matchup but have won just one out of the previous three contests against the Bengals. After finishing with a putrid 3-14 overall record last season, the Browns have been widely predicted to again be one of the lower-win teams in the NFL.
Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco is back as the team’s starter after leading the Browns on a triumphant late-season playoff push two years ago. The Browns’ makeup has changed quite significantly since then, though, and they have a different look on both sides of the ball.
The Browns are hoping their offensive line can bounce-back this season compared to last and help keep Flacco upright, while helping lift an otherwise star power-lacking group of playmakers. Helping their case in this matchup is the Bengals lack of stout defensive talent.
If the Browns can control the ball and keep Cincinnati’s explosive offense off the field, while creating some turnovers and splash plays, they could make this game more competitive than many expect. Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward, who may be tasked with shadowing Ja’Marr Chase, will be key. The Browns are underdogs by almost a full touchdown.
Cincinnati Bengals
On the flip side of the divisional matchup for Week 1 is the Bengals, who will be the road team in the inter-Ohio showdown. The Bengals are looking to exorcise some early-season demons that have plagued them, as they’ve become notorious for getting off to slow starts in recent years. Under head coach Zac Taylor, the Bengals are just 1-5 in regular season opener games.
The stage is set for them to potentially win decisively and set the tone for a bounce-back season. On the heels of consecutive playoff absences, the Bengals are looking to capitalize on an elite offensive attack led by Joe Burrow at quarterback. While the Browns have a good defensive front and some talent in the backend, the Bengals should be able to move the ball and score with Chase, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown and company at the helm.
In contrast, the Bengals’ potential defensive struggles for this season have been well-documented. Their defense performed very poorly in 2024 and on-paper they don’t project to be too much better. The Browns don’t possess the offensive fortitude to put a scare in most opponents, so this will be a good early measuring test to see where the Bengals’ defense stands.
Divisional contests can get weird and wind up competitive regardless of talent discrepancy. If the Bengals get in their own way with careless mistakes or lack of execution, which they’ve done in Week 1 games over the past few seasons, they could find themselves in a close battle come Sunday afternoon.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are featured in what’s arguably the most anticipated game in all of Week 1. On Sunday night, they’ll travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills — the sight of their divisional round defeat at the end of the last season. Yet again, the Ravens are seeking to avenge a disappointing playoff finish and get over the hump with Lamar Jackson leading the charge.
Both the Ravens and Bills are super bowl favorites and repeat division champions. Jackson and Josh Allen, who narrowly edged out the former in MVP voting last year, are now MVP-winning quarterbacks. The Ravens have a well-rounded roster featuring returning Pro Bowlers and All-Pro talent on both sides of the ball.
The pieces are in-place for the Ravens to again be one of the league’s top teams. This will be a big early-season test against a Bills team returning much of their main core from 2024. It could also go a long way later in the year when tiebreakers come into effect for AFC standing purposes.
The Ravens are mostly healthy for this matchup minus Isaiah Likely and potentially Pat Ricard on offense. They will fortunately have the services of No. 1 wide receiver Zay Flowers, who was absent from the playoff matchup between these teams in January. Jackson and Allen will draw most of the headlines, but who controls the line of scrimmage and limits mistakes will ultimately determine the winner of the game.
