Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

AFC North sets historic mark for NFL

The Baltimore Ravens' 34-27 win at the New Orleans Saints made NFL history for the AFC North.

This marks the first time that every team in a division is at least three games above .500, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The first-place Cincinnati Bengals are 7-3-1, and the rest of the division (Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns) is a half-game back at 7-4.

Of course, there were many years when the NFL was separated into divisions with five teams. The current setup of four teams in each division didn't start until 2002.

Still, it is impressive that every team has seven wins, even if it's the result of beating up on two bad divisions (AFC South and NFC South). In every other division, the last-place team is at least three games below .500. That's why the Ravens felt so much pressure to win at the Superdome.

"You're going to have to win a lot of games to win the division," coach John Harbaugh said. "You're going to have to win a lot of games to make the playoffs in our conference. I's just a fact. You're going to need every win you can get."

The last time AFC North teams received both wild-card spots was 2011. That's when the Ravens won the division and the Steelers and Bengals earned wild-card berths.

^ Back to Top ^