The Pittsburgh Steelers have a pretty firm grasp on the AFC North crown after improving to 9-3 with a 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. However, the Baltimore Ravens are still breathing down their neck. Although the Ravens just lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, they’re still a threat to win the division. If the Steelers slip up, the Ravens could capitalize.
“The odds kind of reflect that the Steelers don’t really feel like a runaway at this point,” CBS Sports analyst John Breech said recently on CBS Sports HQ. “The key game is that Ravens-Steelers game in Baltimore. If the Ravens win that, there’s no reason they can’t win this division. I think they’re, on paper, the more talented team. It’s just a matter of they can’t have any more slipups. There’s no more margin for error.
“There’s no more margin for Justin Tucker to be missing field goals. The Ravens have to put up or shut up now. I do think they will do that coming out of their bye. I think they will steal this division back from the Pittsburgh Steelers and end up the AFC North champions.”
It might be a toss-up who has more talent between the Ravens and the Steelers. The Ravens have a superstar quarterback, but the Steelers’ defense is loaded with studs. Their offense isn’t inept either, with George Pickens looking incredible when he’s focused. The same cannot be said about the Ravens’ defense, which continues to struggle.
Also, talent might not be enough for the Ravens to overtake the Steelers. They stumbled out of the gate to start the season, but then they got it together and looked like a favorite to win the Super Bowl. However, the past few weeks have been unkind to them. There are cracks in their armor.
Breech brings up a good point that the Ravens basically have to be perfect until the season ends if they want to win the AFC North. They have a favorable schedule, but in the NFL, everyone is a professional. Just because a team has a losing record doesn’t mean it isn’t a threat.
The Ravens have already fallen flat against inferior competition. Two of their five losses have come against the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns. To end the year, they’ll face the New York Giants, the Steelers, the Houston Texans, and the Browns. Those aren’t games they can sleepwalk through.
However, it is likely that the division title will come down to the game between the Steelers and Ravens. The Steelers’ remaining schedule features some top-tier teams, so they could drop a game or two. That would get the Ravens in striking distance. If the Steelers lose to the Ravens on top of that, they could cede their spot atop the AFC North.
The Steelers have already beaten the Ravens, but playing in Baltimore is going to be tougher. This year, the Steelers have been the better team, but a few mistakes could change that. Things in the AFC North are seldom easy.
Luckily, the Steelers have a decent hold on their division. The Ravens need to play catch-up while the Steelers control their own destiny. They’ve continued to improve as the year goes on, so as long as they don’t regress, they should be fine. Everyone counted them out before the year started, and they have proven their doubters wrong so far. We’ll see if they can continue to do that.
