AFC North -- Week 4

It's getting ugly.

Identity works in strange ways in the NFL. It's what teams try to establish in August, through the season, and if they're lucky, all the way to the Super Bowl.

But, identity can backfire, it can expose a team as one-dimensional, assist opposing coaches in what to watch in the tape room, and even divide a team in the locker room.

For the AFC North, only one team clearly has an identity, and that's the Baltimore Ravens. Still the leaders when it comes to divisional standings, the Ravens live and die by their defense.

This league has become one of parody, and even the Ravens much heralded defense is susceptible to dissection.

At this point in the season, statistics and standing don't mean much, but being on top doesn't' hurt. However, one stat that stuck out from week four's action could be a sign of things to come.

Of the four starting quarterbacks, not one of them passed for 200 yards, and not one wide receiver surpassed 100 yards.

Patience is a virtue, and fans of the AFC North will need a lot of it as they watch the slow assimilation of quarterbacks to their offenses.

Washington vs. Cleveland

It would be all too easy to point to clock mismanagement for the slow start of the Washington Redskins. Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs is taking shots for not holding on to time outs, perhaps he's allowing himself to be influenced by the lack of ball control his team has exhibited so far. On Sunday a combination of both led to the Redskins demise.

The Browns defense was the story of this game, containing Clinton Portis to 58 yards, and allowing the Redskins to convert only one in eleven attempts on third downs. A fumble recovery before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter allowed the Browns to wind the clock down for their second victory of the season. The Redskins couldn't challenge the ruling on the field because, stop me if you've heard this one before, they were out of time outs.

This game was simply ugly, and for the Browns offense things need to improve as quickly as possible. Going into this week the Browns have the second worse offense in the NFL, ranked just slightly higher than the Dolphins. The return of Lee Suggs did breathe some new life to an otherwise flat game plan, and though Jeff Garcia deserves some of the blame for the low ranking, his wide receiver core hasn�?Tt exactly been reliable.

Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh

There are mumbles in the Jungle for the replacement of quarterback Carson Palmer with current bench warmer Jon Kitna. The only problem for the Bengals is that Kitna can't play defense, though his services might be requested the way this season is going, especially if he can show some tackling ability. Pittsburgh didn't just run over the Bengals defense on Sunday, they ran around them, and at times they even ran through them.

But you can understand why Bengals fans are growing weary of last year's number one pick, the word pick being the key word in this sentence. In his first four games Palmer has a quarterback rating of 58.8, that's worse than Jeff Garcia, and he's thrown seven interceptions and only three touchdowns. He also has the worst passing completion percentage, and if it weren't for A.J Feeley he'd have the worst percentage of yards per attempt, though he does lead the league in attempts. Add in the fact that he's fumbled the ball once, and he's giving up two turnovers a game per start.

As the Bengals enter their bye week the buzz around Palmer is that if you were to bench him you'd be taking a step back not only in his development, but also derailing this teams quest for the Super Bowl. Only the Chiefs, 49ers, and Saints have allowed more points to be scored against them than the Bengals who just happen to be allowing 168 yards per game on the ground, the worst in the NFL. With the arrest of defensive end Justin Smith for drunk driving, the mumbles in the Jungle aren't going to cease any time soon.

Pittsburgh rookie quarterback Ben Rothlisberger continued to shine for the Steelers, winning his second straight game. But he didn't do it alone, safety Troy Polamalu came up with a crucial interception and returned it for a touchdown turning the momentum to the favor of the Steelers. If the Steelers can continue to find ways to keep the pressure off of Rothlisberger they should continue to see success, but that's a big if.

Kansas City vs. Baltimore

In front of a national audience the league leader in rushing Priest Holmes showed everyone why he's the best at his position, accumulating 125 yards and a touch down as the Chiefs outlasted the Ravens 27-24. The Chiefs defense allowed the Ravens offense to convert only once in eight attempts on third down, and the Ravens defense buckled under adversity. That wasn't a good sign given the rocky road ahead of a team about lose their star running back due to a league mandated suspension.

The loss of Jamal Lewis will not only mean that either Chester Taylor or Musa Smith will have to take his place, but Kyle Boller will have even more pressure thrust upon his shoulders. Boller has been mediocre at best, with two touchdowns and two interceptions in four starts. With the game on the line Monday night Boller didn�?Tt exactly wow the fans, or anyone watching at home.

Week 5 Previews

Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh

The first installment of the oldest rivalry in the AFC North is set to be a very large test for two teams that are still in the early stages of their hopeful development. The Steelers are confident that Ben Rothlisberger can continue to shine and lead this team to victory, on the other side of the ball the Browns are hoping that running back Lee Suggs continues to impress. Cleveland and Pittsburgh are similar cities, they have similar teams and similar blue-collar fans, and that's what makes this rivalry so intense, and so entertaining to watch.

Baltimore vs. Washington

This might be the last time we see Jamal Lewis for a while, and though Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs won't admit it, I'm sure he would have like to have seen the league push up that suspension a week. The Redskins are the payroll equivalent of the Yankees, but have the record of the Bengals, you would think something has to give. The Ravens defense stumbled Monday night, but don't expect them to fall, and the Redskins offense will be surely tested over and over again.

Cincinnati -- Bye Week

With the news of defensive end Justin Smith's drunk driving arrest and supporters of Jon Kitna demanding a quarterback swap, a week off would seem like a good thing. But for the 1-3 Bengals all it does is allow the pessimists to do what they do best, and that's second guess and accuse. Hopefully, a week off will allow this team to focus on stopping the run, and for Carson Palmer, he has to stop turning over the ball as much as he has, or he will be benched.