AFC North Recap: Steelers can clinch division crown in Week 15, thanks to the Ravens

The fourteenth week of NFL football is behind us, and it was quite the week in the AFC North division. With that said, it is time to see how the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns all did in the week that was.

Time to take a look...

Dallas Cowboys - 30
Cincinnati Bengals - 7

This game was over before it even started, and it was the Bengals who had to look of a team who has just given up. Since the injury to Joe Burrow, the Bengals’ offense has floundered and been unable to sustain anything resembling an NFL caliber offense. The road doesn’t get any easier for them as they host the Steelers, who have to be chomping at the bit to right the ship, in Week 15 on Monday Night Football.

Buffalo Bills - 26
Pittsburgh Steelers - 15

If you just tuned into the second half of this game, you would think the Steelers got their doors blown off, but that was far from the case. The Steelers’ defense held Buffalo to 3 points in the first half, and if it weren’t for a Ben Roethlisberger pick-six to end the half it would have been a different story. The Steelers are a banged up group, but they need to get things figured out before the playoffs, since they’ve already locked up a playoff berth.

Baltimore Ravens - 47
Cleveland Browns - 42

The Pittsburgh Steelers owe the Ravens a big thank you card after their crazy win over the Browns on Monday Night Football. The Ravens’ win keeps their playoff hopes alive, but it put a huge dent into the Browns’ hopes of winning the AFC North. The best-case scenario for the Steelers, without taking the top spot in the AFC, is for their Week 17 game vs. the Browns in Cleveland to mean nothing. This would allow them the opportunity to rest starters like Roethlisberger, T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and others as they prepare for the playoffs. Now, all the Steelers have to do is beat the Bengals on Monday night and they lock up the AFC North division prior to Week 16.

AFC North Standings

Pittsburgh Steelers - 11-2-0
Cleveland Browns - 9-4-0
Baltimore Ravens - 8-5-0
Cincinnati Bengals - 2-10-1

Week 15 AFC North Schedule:

Baltimore Ravens vs. Jacksonville Jaguars — Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Cleveland Browns at New York Giants — Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (SNF)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals — Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (MNF)

A look ahead...

The final opponents for all AFC North teams:

Baltimore Ravens: vs. Jaguars, vs. Giants, at Bengals
Cleveland Browns: at Giants, at Jets, vs. Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers: at Bengals (MNF), vs. Colts, at Browns
Cincinnati Bengals: vs. Steelers (MNF), at Texans, vs. Ravens