AFC North defenses, except one, are down in the dumps — what's gone wrong with a once proud division?

The NFL trade deadline is less than a week away. Could the Seattle Seahawks find a taker for a player that has been the subject of such speculation?

That’s the issue: Burrow could still come back and the Bengals are, technically, second in the AFC North at 3-5 behind Pittsburgh, a 4-3 team Cincinnati has already defeated once. Baltimore is 2-5 and Cleveland 2-6. In theory, a win in Week 9 keeps the Bengals at 4-5 and in the hunt while Burrow remains on track for a mid-December return.

The AFC North standings perfectly convey the division's parity. No one is really eliminated from the race yet, not even last-place Cleveland, which is 2-6. The Baltimore Ravens are just above them at 2-5, with the Cincinnati Bengals only slightly better at 3-5. The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the way at 4-3.

Week 8 was another rough stretch for the AFC North, with inconsistency defining the division. The Bengals came out strong but couldn’t sustain their momentum. The Steelers also started fast before collapsing late in a 35-25 loss to the Packers.

Lamar Jackson returns Thursday night, the Steelers and Bengals look to bounce back from Week 8 losses and the Browns take a break.

The New York Jets likely took the Cincinnati Bengals out of the AFC North hunt with their upset win. The Dallas Cowboys' playoff chances took a massive hit with their loss to the Denver Broncos, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to be cruising toward their fifth straight NFC South title.

The AFC has been the NFL’s dominant conference for years. More recently it’s been Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Through the first seven weeks of the season, NFC teams were 25-13 vs. AFC teams.