AFC North Recap: A good week for the division, except for one team

The twelfth 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.

Cincinnati Bengals - 20
Tennessee Titans - 16

This was a very good football game which isn’t getting a lot of coverage considering how the other games in the division played out, but the Bengals going on the road and beating the Titans the way they did is notable. Consider how they limited Derrick Henry, and the Bengals have the look of a team to beat as they prepare for a stretch run for the division crown.

Cleveland Browns - 23
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 16 (OT)

This was Jacoby Brissett’s final game as the Browns starting quarterback, and he saved a good game for last. With Deshaun Watson joining the team after his suspension next week, Brissett led the Browns to a thrilling overtime win over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. The Browns and Steelers remain tied at 4-7 in the basement of the division, with the Browns holding the tie breaker over Pittsburgh with their head-to-head matchup on Thursday Night Football this season.

Jacksonville Jaguars - 28
Baltimore Ravens - 27

This game was possibly the shocker of the day, with the Ravens going to DUVAL and finding a way to lose. I say that considering the Ravens had a 27-20 lead with just over a minute left before Trevor Lawrence didn’t just lead the Jaguars down the field, but to the lead. Doug Pederson went for the two-point conversion after what could have been a game-tying score, and he converted. In an effort to kill clock, the Jaguars squibbed the ensuing kickoff, and it left Justin Tucker with a 67-yard field goal. But the All-Pro kicker couldn’t convert, giving the Jaguars the win and putting the Ravens in a tie with the Bengals atop the division.

Pittsburgh Steelers - 24
Indianapolis Colts - 17

After the exciting Sunday of football, the Steelers and Colts on Monday Night Football didn’t really have the draw of the other contests. Nonetheless, the Steelers proved a lot in their 24-17 win, and a lot of it hinges on the play of Kenny Pickett. Not only did the Steelers score 16 points in the first half, but they were able to come from behind, trailing 17-16, and put together a scoring drive to give them the lead. From there, the Steelers defense bent, but didn’t break, on their way to their 4th win of the season.

AFC North Standings

Baltimore Ravens - 7-4
Cincinnati Bengals - 7-4
Cleveland Browns - 4-7
Pittsburgh Steelers - 4-7

Week 13 AFC North Schedule:

Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons — 1 p.m. ET, Sunday
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans — 1 p.m. ET, Sunday
Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens — 1 p.m. ET, Sunday
Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals — 4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday

A look ahead...

The final opponents for all AFC North teams:

Baltimore Ravens: vs. Broncos, at Steelers, at Browns, vs. Falcons, at Steelers, at Bengals
Cleveland Browns: at Texans, at Bengals, vs. Ravens, vs. Saints, at Washington, at Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers: at Falcons, vs. Ravens, at Panthers, vs. Raiders, at Ravens, vs. Browns
Cincinnati Bengals: vs. Chiefs, vs. Browns, at Buccaneers, at Patriots, vs. Bills, vs. Ravens