Steelers continue to win despite zero playoff hope in AFC North standings

Cincinnati gains the division lead heading into week 16 of the season

It has become uncommon for a team to win the AFC North division in back-to-back seasons. Cincinnati is going to have a good opportunity to make that happen, especially with how they have been playing. Six wins in a row for this group as they are playing their best football just at the right time of year.

Last week we saw the Bengals go down to Tampa Bay to take on Tom Brady and the Bucs. It was a rough go of things at the beginning, but Cincinnati was able to rumble back into the lead behind their offensive attack. The Bengals are the real deal, and they are set up for another deep playoff run in the next couple of weeks.

Cincinnati Bengals (10-4) vs New England Patriots (7-7), Saturday at 1 P.M. EST

One of the marvels of this effort of Cincinnati has been their performances in hostile environments. They can go into those tough games and find ways of coming out on top of their opponent. This week they head east to take on the New England Patriots who have not been the biggest success story of late.

This is a huge opportunity for both clubs as they try to alter their positioning in the AFC playoff race. New England is starting to fall out of the picture so they will be playing with desperation in a tough AFC matchup. The Bengals are playing too well right now and they should be able to extend their division lead this weekend.

The Steelers have almost no chance to make the post season, but they are playing for respect. They want to try and claw their way out of last place in the division and make a positive trajectory into next season.