As noted in a recent story over at SB Nation's Cincinnati Bengals blog, Cincy Jungle, the AFC north rules the NFL in terms of defense. The Cincinnati Bengals are rated as the top defense in the NFL in terms of total yardage allowed. The Pittsburgh Steelers rank second and the Baltimore Ravens third overall.
While it might be surprising that the Bengals lead the league in giving up the least amount of yardage, they have also exceeded expectations as they head into week six hosting the Indianapolis Colts with a 3-2 record and should be able to win and move to 4-2. While the Steelers are also 3-2 heading into an easily-winable home game versus the Jacksonville Jaguars to also move them to 4-2, they are looking nowhere as solid as they have in recent years.
Both teams are chasing the Ravens who are 3-1 after their Bye week and have a better than average chance to protect their home turf and go to 4-1 with a win over the Houston Texans. The Ravens defense may be ranked third in both the NFL and the AFC North, but their ability to win games through defensive touchdowns is unmatched, leading the NFL in both defensive touchdowns (4) as well as the most important defensive statistic, points allowed (14/game).