Meanwhile, the Bengals (4-8) are threatening to make it a three-team race. Their win over the Ravens and having quarterback Joe Burrow back have given them hope.
Cincinnati is 3-1 in the division (Baltimore and Pittsburgh are 2-1) and will host the Ravens in Week 15 and the Cleveland Browns in Week 18. Record in divisional games is the second tiebreaker (after head-to-head results).
ESPN’s Dan Graziano said that with the Ravens and Steelers sitting at .500, the Bengals have a shot, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the AFC North winner could have a losing record.
“We all know Mike Tomlin’s Steelers have never finished a season with a losing record, so this is a tough call to make. But my goodness, did they stink Sunday,” Graziano wrote. “So the Steelers are playing extremely poorly. Thing is, the Ravens kind of are, too. Yeah, they had won five in a row before Thursday night, but Lamar Jackson hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in three games, and Baltimore’s offense looks out of sync.
“The 4-8 Bengals are in this thing, folks, and looking at those schedules and the way these teams are playing, don’t tell me they can’t win the division at 8-9.”
No team has ever won the AFC North with fewer than 10 wins.