AFC North Recap: Steelers win combined with the Bengals’ loss has tightened the division race

The eighth 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...

Pittsburgh Steelers - 15
Cleveland Browns - 10

Was it pretty? No. Was it necessary? Absolutely. The Steelers did it the hard way, mainly without a kicker, but the combination of them running the ball on the stout Cleveland defense, and essentially shutting down the stout Cleveland run game was the difference in this game. The Steelers’ win now propels them above the Browns in the division standings, and combined with the Bengals’ loss has the Steelers very much alive with back-to-back home games vs. the Bears and Lions upcoming. Don’t look now, but the Steelers could get on a run, and it is needed in a big way.

New York Jets - 34
Cincinnati Bengals - 31

If you were like me, you saw this game on the schedule and thought, “This is a no-brainer.” But that’s the reason they play the games. Coming off a huge road victory in Baltimore over the Ravens, the Bengals fell prey to the trap game. No one expected the Jets to pull off the win, especially with a backup quarterback starting. Nonetheless, the Jets got the job done, and it just so happened a bad call on former Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton was the play which essentially sealed the win for the home team. Tough loss for the Bengals, but it sure did help the rest of the division. Things couldn’t be tighter in the AFC North heading into Week 9.

AFC North Standings

Baltimore Ravens - 5-2
Cincinnati Bengals - 5-3
Pittsburgh Steelers - 4-3
Cleveland Browns - 4-4

Week 9 AFC North Schedule:

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals — 1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday
Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Ravens — 1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday
Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers — 8:15 p.m., Monday

A look ahead...

Next three opponents for all AFC North teams:

Baltimore Ravens: vs. Vikings, at Dolphins, at Bears
Cleveland Browns: at Bengals, at Patriots, vs. Lions
Pittsburgh Steelers: vs. Bears (MNF), vs. Lions, at Chargers
Cincinnati Bengals: vs. Browns, BYE, at Raiders