As Jaylen Warren hit a center hole and then zigged to the right, 5 yards still stood between the Pittsburgh Steelers running back and the successful conversion of a third-and-13 in the first quarter.

But Warren’s teammates blocked Cleveland Browns pursuers downfield. Warren slipped behind one block and out of the grasp of another defender as he zagged back toward the middle of the field. 

Not until Warren had barreled 51 yards would the Browns down him. By then, the Steelers were well on their way to a field goal that would extend Pittsburgh’s lead to 10-0.

“I was running, running out of gas, then finding the next dude to make a cut,” Warren said. “I try to make cuts into my blockers so I can get a blocker on my way down so that’s basically what it looks like.”

The Browns would never catch up.

And on a day when the Steelers’ 27-6 statement delivered them sole possession of the AFC North lead, the Steelers also found themselves facing another reality.

Like Warren’s run, gaining 51 yards when they needed just more than 13, the Steelers won one game and were arguably helped as much by their other two division rivals.

Pittsburgh’s recipe to win seemed as telling as its statement itself.

A Steelers team that won just two of its first four, dropping a game to the same Browns team they’ve now beaten, has since ripped off four straight wins.

In the AFC North, they seem to have the right ingredients at the right time.

“You got to stop the run and you got to make sure you run the ball,” defensive lineman Cam Heyward said after tallying 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, one pass deflection and six tackles. “And that's what it’s always been about in the AFC North.”

For the second straight week, the Steelers outgained their opponent on the ground by more than 130 yards.

Their 148 to 18 advantage over the New Orleans Saints last week secured a win in Paris. Their 200 rushing yards to the Browns’ 34 on Sunday made a divisional opponent one dimensional, paving the way for eight sacks of Deshaun Watson a month after the Steelers notched just two on him.

Credit the Steelers’ two-headed running attack of Warren and Rico Dowdle for part of that defensive success. Yes, Heyward gave the running backs flowers for what the defense did.

Why? 

“They do a great job of being a one-two punch,” Heyward said. “And so when they're able to sustain drives, that means [the defense] is on the sideline, and we can put our feet up.”

Rodgers after 21-point win: ‘Should’ve been a lot more points’

As rhythm eluded the Browns against the Steelers, AFC North counterparts Baltimore and Cincinnati were struggling, too.

The Baltimore Ravens entered Sunday with high hopes of avenging last year’s blown game against the Buffalo Bills. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, for the first time in four games, was healthy enough to suit up.

Then, on the Ravens’ first offensive snap, Jackson hit his throwing hand against Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau. A close-up shot from CBS’ broadcast footage revealed what appeared to be swelling and an unnatural bend.

Later Sunday afternoon, the Ravens placed Jackson on injured reserve and announced he would undergo thumb surgery.

The Bengals escaped less scathed from a shootout against the Tennessee Titans. Most importantly for their playoff hopes, quarterback Joe Burrow suffered no injuries. But the Bengals still needed overtime to beat a one-win Titans team, Cincinnati’s defense ceding a season-high 36 points. Burrow’s 472 and six touchdowns from scrimmage (462, five passing) suggested his ceiling is as high as ever. The Bengals’ four turnovers, with three Burrow interceptions and one Chase Brown fumble, called into question how reliable they are.

For a team that’s already lost in a head-to-head with the Steelers, can the Bengals afford that?

The Ravens’ and Bengals’ weaknesses on display — Baltimore’s more punishing, down to its emergency third quarterback after Tyler Huntley suffered a right toe injury — highlighted the division opportunity in the Browns’ matchup against the Steelers.

Pittsburgh rose to the occasion. Cleveland stumbled.

“We certainly earned that,” Browns head coach Todd Monken said of the loss. “We didn't start fast, turned the ball over a couple times early, then going three-and-out. Really never got the run game going. Couldn't stop the run early. Went three-and-out twice to start the second half, 10 penalties, didn't play with poise, however many sacks. So, didn't coach well enough, didn't play well enough. 

“That's what's going to happen when you play a good team, a well-coached team, and you don't play your best. You don't give yourself a chance.”

The Steelers leaned into their run game, parlaying 33 carries into 200 yards and all three of their touchdowns. 

Warren led the pack with 143 yards and a score. Dowdle added 15 for 56, while tight end Pat Freiermuth scored on a 1-yard keeper.

“He’s a bowling ball with teeth, man,” outside linebacker T.J. Watt described Warren.

The Steelers appear to be finding their identity in their first year under head coach Mike McCarthy, who’s reuniting with longtime Packers colleague and quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers still makes a handful of key plays, including a third-quarter pass to tight end Darnell Washington that Washington took 58 yards. But even those plays most often feature heavy yards after the catch, Washington tacking on 44 to the 14 Rodgers sent the ball by air.

Mastering the line of scrimmage to set up his run game, Rodgers set up his teammates for success against the Browns. He felt the performance was “not very complete,” particularly with two missed opportunities in the red zone, even as winning at the line of scrimmage powered Pittsburgh to victory.

“Defense played excellent, special teams did fine, but offense should’ve been a lot more points…” Rodgers said. “We’d like to play our best and still win. We also like to win. So we’re 6-2 going into the bye, first in the division, so right where we want to be.”

What do playoff predictors say about AFC North teams’ chances?

At 4-4, the Ravens’ chance at the division seems to be slipping. Healthy or nearly that, they may be the most talented team. But in a competitive division, with Jackson out at least four weeks and “potentially” the whole season per head coach Jesse Minter, Derrick Henry and co. seem unlikely to compensate.

The Ravens already return to prime time on Thursday to face the 5-2 Jacksonville Jaguars. Will Baltimore’s fifth loss come then?

The Browns, right now, hold a 32% chance of making the playoffs, according to Next Gen Stats’ playoff predictor model. It’s a chance halfway through the season that perhaps exceeds some Browns’ fans expectations entering Week 1 (and even moreso coming out of a miserable Week 1) and a benchmark that shouldn’t surprise in light of the Browns’ quiet rebuild. But it may disappoint fans taken in by Watson’s fourth-quarter comebacks amassing more early wins than predicted.

This loss to Pittsburgh wasn’t one Cleveland’s playoff chances could comfortably afford. The Browns have more wins than every NFC East and NFC South team, but the AFC wild-card bid is still an uphill battle.

Then comes Cincinnati. At 5-2, the Bengals currently have an 86% chance to make the playoffs even as their division hopes are complicated by a 30-27 Week 3 loss to the Steelers. The teams rematch again in just two weeks, in Cincinnati. Pittsburgh will be more rested, coming off the bye. If the Steelers win, their path to the division crown will clarify still further.

“That game in two weeks is going to be really important,” Rodgers said. “But yeah, right where we want to be.”

Can the Steelers’ frenetic defense and old-school offense power them deep into the playoffs? Despite their current hold on the division, Next Gen Stats — which factors strength of remaining opponents into its 10,000 simulations that create the formula — estimates a 75% chance to make the playoffs, strong if not as strong as Cincinnati’s.

Pittsburgh was guarded in celebrating that its lopsided win could represent a step forward from four prior one-score wins. The Steelers’ identity is starting to crystallize. But nine regular-season games remain.

“We can’t take the foot off the gas one second here,” Watt said. “Get our bodies back for bye week and come back blazing. …

“We still need to continue to go. Our identity is still being formed. A lot of football left.”