Things are tighter in the AFC North standings as the Steelers have the weekend off as they enjoy their bye week.
Half of the AFC North division will be off this week because of their bye weeks. Both the Steelers and Browns will be watching the outcomes of the rest of their participating foes’ matchups. It should be another fun week of competition as neither of the Cleveland or Pittsburgh fan bases will need to stress.
Last week saw the black and gold continue their downward slide into sadness as they got blown out again. The Browns were able to pull off a great upset that could give them some momentum after their bye week. Baltimore continues to be the leader of the pack as they are the most consistent of all the clubs in the north.
The Steelers got dominated again before their bye week
Dark days are here for each person that calls themselves a fan of the Steelers. Things are ugly right now and it looks like there might not be any hope for the rest of the season. Trading Chase Claypool at the deadline was a smart move, but it looks like the club believes that this campaign is a lost cause.
Bye Week
Perhaps getting away from everything and starting with a clean slate is exactly what this young team needs. Or it could also just lead to more dysfunction and a loss for the games in the remaining schedule. T.J. Watt should be returning the next time the Steelers play, but it is not going to be a pretty end to the year unless a miracle happens.
Cleveland pulled off a huge upset to get them back in contention
Heading into the bye week after upsetting the Cincinnati Bengals at home is a great way to top off the first half of your schedule. They have been struggling since they beat the Steelers on Thursday night many weeks ago. This was a nice bounce-back performance for this club as they hope for a chance to make the playoffs by winning games like these to stay afloat.
Bye Week
Deshaun Watson is set to be the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns when he is eligible to return in week 13. He did not have a great pre-season, but the Browns organization has hope that he will be able to get this team into a playoff spot. They will try to win games as they did against Cincinnati to get the best chance possible of making the playoffs.
The Bengals continue to struggle against their divisional opponents
Besides their slow start to the season, the biggest knock on the Bengals has been their inability to win divisional games. They have struggled to get things done against the Steelers, Ravens, and Browns for the most part. That is going to be something to monitor closely as the remaining schedule is set to be played as it could affect their potential playoff placement.
Carolina Panthers (2-6) vs Cincinnati Bengals (4-4), Sunday at 1 P.M. EST
Luckily for these jungle cats, they will be taking on a bad team on Sunday at home. Another big cat will enter the arena as the Carolina Panthers hope to be another upset for the Bengals. Even though Ja’Marr Chase is out with injury. expect the Cincinnati offense to come back to life and get their season back on track.
Baltimore hangs onto first place after having a long time to rest
Baltimore has not played a game since last Thursday, so they have enjoyed a small bye week of their own. They have been the most consistent club in the division thus far. The Ravens have been able to win the games they were supposed to and emerged victorious over every divisional game that they have come face to face with.
Baltimore Ravens (5-3) vs New Orleans Saints (3-5), Monday at 8:15 P.M. EST
Another week of easy competition for the birds of Baltimore as they hit the road to take on the Saints. New Orleans has not been a great team this season, but they have been able to compete in almost every game they have played. The Ravens offense should be able to attack this defense and cause Andy Dalton issues as they did when he was in Cincinnati.
The Steelers have the week off because of their bye, but another team in their division will also enjoy a weekend getaway. The rest of the AFC North will hope to make things more interesting in the divisional standings.