Around the AFC North in week 18 a lot of things are up in the air. Due to the scary events that took place with Damar Hamlin during the Monday night football. The NFL has chosen not to reschedule that game and has canceled it altogether. Therefore with this game being canceled, it may impact the winner of the AFC North division. However, during this last week of the season, the entire AFC North division plays each right before the regular season ends.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have already clinched a playoff berth, what they are playing for at this point is the division crown and playoff seeding. Cincinnati leads the division at 11-4 and has come on as of late. With the continued emergence of Joe Burrow, the Bengals are making the case for the best football team in the AFC conference. This upcoming Sunday the Bengals will have a monumental divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens. This game could ultimately decide the winner of the AFC North. If Cincinnati wins that would mark two consecutive seasons as the division winners.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are second in the AFC North with a record of 10-6. This past Sunday the Ravens lost a close game to division rival the Pittsburgh Steelers. In a close game, the final score was 16-13 in favor of the Steelers. Ravens superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson is injured and has not played in five weeks which could extend to this Sunday as well. Jackson has not played since December 4th, 2022. Likewise, with the Bengals, the Ravens have already clinched a playoff berth and currently are playing for seeding and the AFC North crown. For Baltimore, this should be a very interesting off-season amid the contract status of quarterback Jackson.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers come in third in the AFC North with a record of 8-8. Pittsburgh is coming off a massive victory over the Ravens with a come-from-behind effort. The Steelers have rebounded well this season in which at one point they were just 3-7. During this run for the Steelers Kenny Pickett has shown positive signs of growth for a future franchise quarterback. Pickett has shown the ability to lead the Steelers in multiple close victories and last-minute game-winning drives. Pittsburgh at 8-8 is still alive in the race for the playoffs. However, if they can not make the playoffs this team still has a lot to play for during the season. Pittsburgh will be fighting to avoid the first-ever losing season under head coach Mike Tomlin.
Cleveland Browns
Coming in at last in the AFC North are the Cleveland Browns with a record of 7-9. Cleveland won this past Sunday against the Washington Commanders 24-10. In that game, Deshaun Watson finally showed what many fans and the Browns organization expected when they traded for him. Watson put together a three-touchdown game in the second half. Cleveland’s offense finally looked like the Watson offense the Browns are investing heavily in. This Sunday Cleveland will look for momentum to carry over into next season. As well as looks to sweep the Steelers on the season for the first time in over 20 years.
AFC North Week 18: Conclusion
This has been a tough division all season long with close divisional records from each team. The AFC North could potentially send three teams to the playoffs. Those teams are the Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers. Week 18 could finally provide an AFC North champion after a long hard season. This week is the regular season finale and all four teams play each other it should be another bunch of AFC North Classics.
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