AFC North Recap: Steelers loss makes the stretch run in the division very interesting

The thirteenth 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...

Cleveland Browns - 41
Tennessee Titans - 35

Steelers fans thought they had the AFC North wrapped up, but the Browns just won’t go away. With the Steelers losing to Washington, suddenly the Browns are in serious contention for the division, especially if the Steelers continue to trend in the wrong direction.

In their game Sunday, Baker Mayfield came out red-hot and put up 4 touchdowns on the Tennessee defense. However, like the Steelers when they played the Titans, Tennessee came storming back, but came up just short. The Browns are now 9-3 and only 2.5 games behind the Steelers. A Monday Night Football game vs. Baltimore, at home, in Week 14 will be gigantic for Cleveland.

Miami Dolphins - 19
Cincinnati Bengals - 7

This might have been one of the most unwatchable games of the day, but one thing was noticeable if you did watch the game. You can change the head coach, but the Bengals will still be the Bengals. Cincinnati resorted to cheap shots and trash talking an opponent who was clearly the superior team. The Bengals have a lot of changing to do if they want to be considered contenders in the AFC North.

Washington Football Team - 23
Pittsburgh Steelers - 17

This strange game put an exclamation point on the sub-par football the Steelers have been playing the past few weeks. Pittsburgh has been winning, but it hasn’t been pretty. When the takeaways dry up, and you turn the ball over, it can be a recipe for a loss. The Steelers defense is banged up and a really tough game against the Bills, on the road, awaits. If the Steelers win Sunday night, all is right with the world. If they lose? People in Pittsburgh better guard the bridges...

Baltimore Ravens - 34
Dallas Cowboys - 17

The Ravens and Cowboys played on Tuesday night, and the Ravens, with all their weapons, did what everyone thought they’d do...run the ball down Dallas’ throats. Lamar Jackson and company made enough plays to win, but as I mentioned earlier, the game on everyone’s mind right now will be the game in Cleveland on Monday Night Football.

If the Ravens can find a way to continue their dominance over Mayfield and the Browns, they will keep their playoff hopes alive. Lose the game, and their playoff chances will dwindle with only four games remaining on the schedule.

Week 14 is going to be huge for a lot of teams in the division.

AFC North Standings

Pittsburgh Steelers - 11-1-0
Cleveland Browns - 9-3-0
Baltimore Ravens - 7-5-0
Cincinnati Bengals - 2-9-1

Week 14 AFC North Schedule:

Dallas Cowboys at Cincinnati Bengals — Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills — Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (SNF)
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns — Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (MNF)

A look ahead...

The final opponents for all AFC North teams:

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