Everything is back to complete chaos in the AFC North standings as the league enters its 15th week of competition. With the Bengals and Browns surging and the Steelers starting the slide into near obscurity, the standings have gotten tighter. It seems like other than the Ravens, there are no teams that have any guarantees.
Joe Flacco is turning things around in Cleveland as he seems to be reversing time. Jake Browning has been able to find success since coming off the bench for the Bengals. Pittsburgh continues to struggle as their defense can't stop bad offenses, and the Steelers offense continues to get worse somehow. The only constant has been Baltimore and they will win the division.
Cincinnati jumps into the playoff spot with their backup quarterback success
Somehow Browning has been able to find a way to be consistent and find quality performances since being named the starter. Normally, when someone like Joe Burrow goes down with a season-ending injury that sinks a team. Cincinnati has been able to rebound since losing to the Steelers a couple of weeks ago. They are actually in the playoffs if the regular season ended today.
It's a great story to follow as it seems unlikely that Cincinnati will find a way to somehow sneak into the playoffs with a backup quarterback. It is a tight race for the Wildcard spots in the AFC as plenty of teams are in a tiebreaker right now. Pay close attention to this week's game as the Bengals have another great opportunity to get another win.
The Minnesota Vikings go to Cincinnati this week and it will be a tough matchup for both sides. Minnesota has question marks at quarterback, and the Bengals offense will be up against a recently improved Vikings defense. This might be a real challenge for Browning to overcome, but he has proven that he can handle tough situations thus far.
Nothing seems to be going right for the Steelers heading down the stretch
Everyone else is having fun at the party right now except for the Steelers. They are in the dark corner of the room by themselves as the Browns, Bengals, and Ravens are out on the dance floor having a blast. The worst part is not that it looks like the Steelers might not find their groove again this season. They will struggle to find their way back on the winning dancefloor again.
Last week only sank the hopes of Pittsburgh fans everywhere as the Steelers completed the atrocious back-to-back losses against two 2-10 teams heading into their respective games. Both of those losses came in four days. Now with injuries continuing to be a concern, there seems to be little hope for the Steelers.
Somehow they are still in the playoffs if the season ended today, but it seems less likely with each passing week that the black and gold will hold onto that spot. They probably need to win at least two, probably three games to secure a playoff spot. It is going to be a tough finish to their season, especially as each phase of football on this team looks out of sync.
Week 15 brings on a new challenge as the Steelers need to win this game or their season might be over. They will head on the road to take on the Indianapolis Colts. The availability of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith will be huge in this one. Mike Tomlin has been great against the Colts throughout his coaching career, and he needs to find a way to beat Indianapolis again.
Cleveland has a new lease on life as Joe Flacco turns back the clock
Another team in the AFC North has found a new lease on life after stumbling upon a quarterback. Joe Flacco is still on Cleveland's practice squad and could sign anywhere at the moment. He seems content with the Browns as he will be their starter the rest of the way, barring any unforeseen circumstances. He has been great.
Flacco is an old veteran guy, but he comes from the playing days when the quarterback would just go out there and sling it. Cleveland has been able to rally behind that play style and the gun-slinger position and make another run at the playoffs. Flacco in a Browns uniform sure takes a lot of getting used to, but he has them in second for the AFC North standings.
Cleveland's defense hasn't been as good as it was before Flacco started games, but they have been able to do just enough. Flacco has rejuvenated a stale offense and has opened up many things from a play-calling standpoint. Unless something falls apart on defense or Flacco returns down to earth, it seems like Cleveland will lock up a wildcard spot in the coming weeks.
Another opportunity for Cleveland to expand their record in a positive direction here as they host the Chicago Bears. Justin Fields is playing great football for the Bears right now, and he should be a handful for the Browns to deal with. He is the best piece Chicago has right now, and that probably won't be enough to secure a victory on the road.
The AFC North division standings seems to have the Ravens rule all
Right now, the division lead is not close as the Ravens continue to find ways to win games. One of their losses has come against the Steelers in a fluke loss on the road earlier this season. As usual, the only person that could ruin things for the Ravens is themselves. They are coming off a game-winning return last week against a tough Rams club.
Baltimore has been the most consistent team in the AFC North all season from week to week. It seems more probable than not that they will win the division barring any crazy scenarios happening. There are only four more weeks of competition remaining and it seems like Baltimore might have the division locked up well before the schedule concludes.
Although there are going to be some asterisks, their week 15 matchup could be seen as an AFC playoff preview. Jacksonville will play host to the Ravens this week as the Jaguars try to deal with some injuries from last week. Trevor Lawrence seems to be playing on one ankle right now. It will be a tougher opponent for the Ravens this time around.
The Jaguars have started to stumble some over the past month or so. They have found ways to win big games even though they have shown signs of struggle in certain moments. It should be a good Sunday night football game for once. Most of those contests have been disappointing for most of this season. Baltimore will be the favorites, but this is nothing the Jaguars haven't overcome before.