A great weekend if your favorite football team resides in Baltimore. The Ravens got to enjoy their bye week and see the AFC North tumble down the standings a notch. The Browns were not able to overcome the big plays made by the LA Rams offense. Upon writing this article, the Bengals still have to play their game on Monday night.
Over here on the Still Curtain website, we are running a day early since the Steelers play on Thursday night football. Speaking of the black and gold, how terrible was that game on Sunday? Not only did the Steelers lose, but it was almost like God controlled the weather to make us suffer further. Two weather delays nearly made those who cheer for Pittsburgh lose their minds.
Pittsburgh will try and turn things around on a short week as they get ready for another team that could upset them. Kenny Pickett just had surgery on his ankle and that could leave him out for nearly a month according to some reports. It will be up to Mitch Trubisky or Mason Rudolph to guide this sputtering team into the playoffs with at least 3 more wins.
Bengals remain at the bottom of the AFC North standings
As it was motioned earlier, Cincinnati still has to play their Monday night football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars upon writing this article. It is going to be a tough matchup for them to overcome. Jake Browning did a respectable job last week against the Steelers, but the Jaguars should be able to make his second start more difficult.
On top of that, Cincinatti's defense has not been good this season. They will need to find some clarity on that problem if they want to slow Trevor Lawrence and company down. It will be a tough contest for the Bengals to win. Things won't get any easier either for them on a short week as they host the red-hot Indianapolis Colts.
Cleveland is continue to show signs of struggle without a quarterback
Back-to-back losses for the Browns these past couple of weeks, and the issue at quarterback seems to be spelling the end. Joe Flacco got the start this past week against the LA Rams, and it started on a good note. They scored a touchdown, but that momentum stopped and the offense struggled to score points after that.
19 points overall in today's NFL will normally not be enough, but that has been the winning recipe for Cleveland this season. Get the points that you can and the defense will take care of the rest. Well, the defense couldn't the past couple of weeks and Myles Garrett is still dealing with an injury issue. There are a lot of things working against the Browns right now.
After two weeks of losses of two possessions or more, Cleveland will host the Jaguars. Two things of good news for the Browns in this one. One of those is that Jacksonville will have one day less of rest and preparation for their game since they play on Monday night football. And two, the Browns will be playing this game at home.
That is basically where all of Cleveland's positives end coming into this game. Jacksonville is not a juggernaut, but they are one of the most powerful young teams in football. They have shown the ability to beat AFC North foes this season and that should continue here. The Browns just can't find the answer at quarterback since their injuries and that could cost them a playoff spot.
Steelers remain in a playoff spot despite their terrible loss
Perhaps the worst loss in Steelers history occurred this past weekend, and if it wasn't the worst, it was surely up there. Everything that could have been bad regarding the Steelers this past Sunday was there. The team looked unprepared, outbattled, injuries everywhere, and the weather just added a cherry on top. Nothing went well this past weekend.
Pickett is now out with injury for the next handful of weeks, and now it will be up to Mitch Trubisky to get this team to the playoffs, or Mason Rudolph if Trubisky falters. Just a completely embarrassing performance this past week for Pittsburgh that might push them toward a steep decline over the last several weeks of the regular season.
Short week this week as the Steelers host the New England Patriots. Both offenses are terrible, but it seems like the Steeler's defense has found ways to make even bad opposing starters at quarterback seem effective. Both clubs will be dealing with injuries as we get ready for a game on a short week. Keep an eye on those injury reports.
Even with Trubisky in the game, the Steelers should be able to win this game in a low-scoring affair. The Patriots offense is unbelievably bad, and their most recent starting quarterbacks have not helped the cause. Expect both defenses to have a strong game and it will come down to which offense can make a couple of big plays when it matters most.
Ravens enjoyed a bye week that only helped their AFC North lead
No team in the AFC North division had a better weekend than the Baltimore Ravens. They were able to sit back and enjoy their bye week while the rest of their division rivals fell down the standings. Now Baltimore sits at a comfortable 9-3 record and holds control of the division. They do have a challenging conclusion to their schedule, but the AFC North is theirs for the taking.
The only way this team slips up is if Lamar Jackson doesn't continue the level of play that he has up to this point. The Steelers are likely their only challenger, but they have a bunch of issues that will probably cause them to struggle to stay in the playoff picture. Expect the Ravens to pull away with the division lead over the next month.
It will be another week where the Ravens get to stay at home as they host the LA Rams. It will be a cross-country trip for LA, and that is never an easy task to overcome. The Rams are battling for a playoff spot after pulling into a 6-6 record after their most recent win over the Browns. LA is still on the outside looking in, but they are nipping at the heels of the last couple of seeds in the NFC.
Expect Matthew Stafford and company to give the Ravens defense some issues throughout the game. It will all come down to how Jackson plays for Baltimore moving forward. That will change the thought process on whether the Ravens are Super Bowl contenders or potential playoff failures again. This could be a sneaky good game with a desperate Rams team.