AFC North Whiparound: Who is the favorite, who has better chance of rebounding from 0-2?

Each week during the regular season and occasionally during the offseason, our AFC North beat writers gather for a roundtable discussion on the happenings, player movement and pressing issues facing all four teams. It's time to analyze what we've learned heading into Week 3.

OK, we now have two weeks of intel. Who is the favorite to win this division?

Mike DeFabo ( Pittsburgh Steelers ): The Steelers might have a 2-0 record and a lead in the division, but there's plenty of time for that to change, especially with all of the division games waiting at the end of the season. I picked the Ravens to win the division in the preseason. Even though a home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders is pretty alarming, I won't let the first two games change my mind, yet. I still have faith in the overall strength of Baltimore's roster.

Zac Jackson ( Cleveland Browns ): Using my own personal next gen stats, I conclude that the Steelers will be tough to beat if they win every single game 13-10. Beyond that, though, this could be the toughest question in the history of the AFC North Whiparound. How could anyone know? Every offense has room (and time) to grow. My preseason opinion that any of the four can realistically win it hasn't changed, and at this moment I'd probably still stick with the Bengals , whose next two opponents are the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers . In Joe Burrow I (mostly) trust.

Jeff Zrebiec ( Baltimore Ravens ): The Steelers certainly are making a compelling case, and they'll have an opportunity with a forgiving schedule over the next seven weeks to create some breathing room. Still, it will take more than two weeks for me to be pushed off my preseason favorite. Yes, the Bengals have dug themselves a hole and there seems to be a lot of unnecessary drama with that team. But if they keep playing like they did Sunday in Kansas City — and if they get a healthy Tee Higgins back — they're going to rattle off a bunch of wins. When you factor in the offensive and defensive balance they're capable of and the fourth-place schedule, the Bengals are still the favorites in my book.

Paul Dehner Jr. ( Cincinnati Bengals ): This sounds weird to say and I'm sure comes off as homerism, but I do think the Bengals — even at 0-2 — are the favorites. For one, their schedule continues to stand out. Three of the next four come against the Commanders, Panthers and New York Giants. Their defense still looks unfit against the run, but they have eliminated the explosive plays that were their biggest issue last year. You could see Burrow and the offense rounding into form in Kansas City. Through the usage of multiple tight ends to produce new options when teams double Ja'Marr Chase and Jermaine Burton showing up as a deep threat, arrows are trending upward. Most importantly, Burrow looked like himself. There was no questioning water bottle holding or wrist-clenching or pocket jitters or whatever other theories levied following the New England Patriots debacle. A healthy Burrow and serviceable defense with Higgins expected to return this week against the schedule says they become the contending version of themselves very quickly.

Of the 0-2 Bengals and Ravens, which team is better equipped to overcome the poor start and make the playoffs?

DeFabo: I'm leaning toward the Bengals just because they haven't had their full arsenal of receiving weapons at their disposal through training camp and early in the season. Once Burrow gets all his targets back and has some time to round into form, they will be able to score points in a quarterback league and keep pace with the NFL 's best offenses.

Jackson: Different teams and different kinds of regrets about what's happened thus far, I would imagine. I'll stick with the Bengals as noted above, though I wouldn't be surprised to see Lamar Jackson go Superman mode to turn things around in Baltimore, either. I think the Bengals' defense can eventually be as good as any in the division, and I just think eventually Chase and Higgins will be back to doing what they've done.

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Zrebiec: The Bengals and Ravens are both capable of turning this around and making it to the postseason. Cincinnati just did it two years ago, which is one of the reasons the Bengals are easier to trust right now than the Ravens, who seem to lack an offensive identity and are prone to mistakes. Plus, the Bengals have the Commanders, Panthers, Ravens and Giants over the next four weeks. At the very worst, they should be 3-3 heading into Week 7. The Ravens have the Dallas Cowboys , Buffalo Bills , Bengals and Commanders. Their hole could get deeper.

Dehner: I explained my thoughts on the Bengals above, so I'll dive into the Ravens side here. Again, the schedule plays a role. The Bengals lived the first-place schedule life the last two years and it makes everything that much harder. That's the case for the Ravens. Getting back on track against Dallas and Buffalo hits much harder than doing so against Washington and Carolina. I know the Patriots and Raiders proved that counting wins before they happen will make you look foolish — I'm playing the betting lines on this one. Part of my concern for Baltimore is the same as when I watched the Bengals the last few years, when the offensive line becomes consistently unreliable it's far worse than any other position group becoming a weakness. You can scheme around the rest of it. I think both teams get back on track, but the Bengals have a better chance of not falling too far behind while recalibrating. Week 5 at Paycor Stadium sure tracks to be an even more significant one now, though.

What's been the biggest surprise, good or bad, with the team you cover through two weeks?

DeFabo: Broderick Jones will always hold a special place in Steelers' history as the first-ever draft pick of general manager Omar Khan's tenure. Now in his second season, the 2023 first-round pick has been relegated to a backup swing tackle role . When the Steelers moved up to 14th overall to select Jones, they were getting a lineman with the right physical traits to become a dominant left tackle. He had the size at 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds and great mobility after running the fastest 40-yard dash (4.97) of any lineman at the 2023 scouting combine. However, the Steelers needed to realize he was also raw after playing in just 19 college games. If Jones was going to reach his full potential, development was going to be the most important factor. To this point, the Steelers have taken an odd approach, asking Jones to play right tackle until this year's first-round pick Troy Fautanu got healthy and rounded into starting form. That would have been fine if Jones played up to his draft position. But now Jones is struggling on the right and will have to work to get back in the good graces of the coaching staff before he has a shot to become the future left tackle. He's also dealing with an elbow injury that has made his punch lose its power. It will be very interesting to see where his career goes from here.

Jackson: There haven't been a lot of surprises in Cleveland, but there are two: One is D'Onta Foreman going from one snap in the opener to starting (and closing) at running back last week. The biggest surprise is a negative, and that's the generally ultra-reliable Amari Cooper looking disengaged and having three drops in two games. The Browns need Cooper to be a big part of this offense, and he's had zero chemistry with Deshaun Watson since the summer.

Zrebiec: The Ravens have myriad issues, but that they've struggled on the offensive line with three new starters and seem to really miss defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson isn't at all surprising. What is surprising is how few impact plays they are getting from their most impactful players. Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton have played a role in some of the defensive breakdowns. Nnamdi Madubuike has been called for two crucial penalties and has just half a sack. Mark Andrews has been quiet. Justin Tucker has missed two field goals in close losses. Jackson has gotten off to a solid start. Otherwise, the Ravens need their best players to play like it or their season is going to spiral out of control.

Dehner: You could say the surprise is that they're 0-2 again. The Bengals are now 1-11 in the first two weeks of the season under Zac Taylor. As stunning as the Patriots loss was , given history, can you really be that surprised? Given Chase's decision to hold in during camp , it shouldn't be a huge surprise he's struggled to get involved the first two weeks — especially as extra attention has been paid to him with Higgins out. He's only managed 97 yards over two games, but more surprisingly, his meltdown against the Kansas City Chiefs signaled something even more concerning about his frustration levels and overall demeanor. Once he decided to play, I thought he'd mostly be back to his normal self. Between the low numbers and selfish outburst, I didn't expect to have Chase as this big of a concern right now. It only takes one big game to straighten everyone out, but they could certainly use that on Monday.

Interesting matchup between 2-0 teams in Pittsburgh. Steelers or Chargers , who you got? Will the Ravens avoid going 0-3 in Dallas? Will the Browns and Bengals take care of business against NFC East also-rans in the Giants and Commanders?

DeFabo: I like the Browns and Bengals to pick up wins against lesser opponents. Sometimes the more desperate team wins, and in this instance, that's the Ravens. The Chargers' defense is currently the best in the NFL in points allowed and will challenge the Steelers' offense in new ways. I think this is a game the Steelers can't win with just great defense and a game manager behind center. I have them dropping to 2-1.

Jackson: I'll take the Steelers, 8-2. That's the second-easiest pick of the week besides Browns-Giants. Jim Schwartz's defenses generally feast on bad quarterbacks, so I think the Browns win comfortably. I'll take the Bengals to eventually pull away Monday night, and I think the Ravens lose a close one in Dallas as the new greatest kicker in the history of the universe, Brandon Aubrey , overtakes the previous one, Tucker.

Zrebiec: If the Chargers' prized young tackles can contain T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith , they should move the ball. However, the Steelers know plenty about defending a Greg Roman run game. I think the Steelers make enough plays offensively to win a close one. The Ravens should beat the Cowboys, but the prospect of Micah Parsons facing that struggling Baltimore offensive line is concerning. The Ravens have been too mistake-prone to trust against a quality opponent on the road. There's a few results every week that surprise me, but I can't see the Browns or Bengals having issues with the Giants and Commanders.

Dehner: Assuming Justin Herbert plays for the Chargers, if his mobility is compromised by the ankle injury, that could end up a deciding factor while Watt and company chase him around Acrisure. I'll give the nod to Pittsburgh. The Cowboys looked exposed for who they really are by the New Orleans Saints , and I'd lean to a Ravens bounceback. The Browns and Bengals shouldn't have trouble disposing of the Giants and Commanders. If either of those two lose, raise the red flags high and buckle up for a long season.

(Top photo: Jeff Dean / Associated Press)