Each week during the season and occasionally during the offseason, our panel of AFC North writers takes on the pressing issues, trending topics and pending decisions facing the AFC North teams. This week, we look at the Steelers’ chance to clinch the division title and a little at what’s ahead …
We’re close to the end. If the Ravens fall in Green Bay Saturday night, the division will be decided. Is there still some compelling reason for fans to stay engaged with the team you cover? Or is this all over but the post-Christmas burps?
Mike DeFabo (Steelers): Between DK Metcalf’s altercation with a fan, T.J. Watt’s uncertain status after suffering a partially collapsed lung, a division title on the line and a team that might be peaking at the right time, there are plenty of reasons for Steelers fans to stay engaged. You better believe a lot of Terrible Towel twirlers will be tuned in for Saturday night’s Ravens game. However, for the Steelers themselves, it’s about more than just getting into the playoffs. For much of the year, the Steelers looked like the best team in a bad division — and nothing more. But over the last three weeks, they’re starting to play their best football. The run game and defense that were supposed to support Aaron Rodgers have finally arrived. Will that continue to help the Steelers gain momentum going into the playoffs, or will they limp to the finish line?
Jeff Zrebiec (Ravens): The Ravens are quick to say they still have something to play for, that they haven’t been mathematically eliminated yet, but let’s be serious here. When you need to not only beat the Green Bay Packers and the first-place Steelers on the road, but you also need the Cleveland Browns to beat the Steelers — all while not knowing whether Lamar Jackson will play again this year — it’s time to start booking that trip to Cancun. At this point, just about the only thing that matters to most Ravens fans, many of whom have grown tired of watching the 2025 version of this team, is whether owner Steve Bisciotti will mandate organizational changes and how extensive those changes might be.
Paul Dehner Jr. (Bengals): Cincinnati fans spent all offseason yearning to watch Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins play together. They’ve only been able to see them start and finish three total games together this year, but they could get to do so two more times. The Bengals can send a reminder of how dominant they can be in full force and set the tone for 2026. That’s worth enjoying even if there’s no real meaning in their remaining games, against Arizona and Cleveland.
Zac Jackson (Browns): Myles Garrett is going to set the NFL single-season sack record and Shedeur Sanders remains interesting, even if there’s little chance he’ll establish anything as it relates to the Browns’ uncertain future. I think the Steelers probably wrap up the division this weekend, and I think that makes for an even cloudier forecast for Sunday’s game in Cleveland; if the Steelers have already clinched, they might hold back and let the Browns win themselves out of a top-two pick in next April’s draft. But to answer the question directly: It’s all over but the burps.
We’ll get deeper into what’s next and potential player movement in the coming weeks and months. But with the regular season coming to a close, who is the most prominent player on the team you cover who’s likely playing his last games with his current team?
DeFabo: Is it too soon to start wondering what the future holds for Rodgers? Shortly after the veteran QB signed, he said on the Pat McAfee Show that he was “pretty sure” this year would be his last. Maybe this will in fact be the future Hall of Famer’s last act, but considering the college QB class hasn’t been as strong as anticipated and Rodgers has generally played well, we could be in for another offseason of speculation and indecision.
Zrebiec: Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum is Baltimore’s most prominent pending free agent, but there still seems to be interest from both sides in working out a deal; I’m not ready to say his days in purple are numbered. The guy to watch is longtime Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, a four-time Pro Bowl selection. Humphrey turns 30 before 2026 training camp begins. He still can create turnovers and is a physical tackler, but he’s getting picked on more often with each passing week. He’s due to make a base salary of $15.25 million next year, and that’s obviously a lot of cash to dole out for a player who has shown signs of decline. It would likely have to be a post-June 1 situation, and there’s always the option of a pay cut, but Humphrey’s status bears watching. General manager Eric DeCosta will have a lot of tough decisions to make this offseason, and Humphrey will be at or near the top of the list.
Dehner Jr.: Well, Trey Hendrickson won’t be playing, otherwise he would be the easiest answer. There’s not much prominence beyond him among Cincinnati’s upcoming free agents. Perhaps Joseph Ossai draws interest, but he won’t be at the top of the class. An interesting name to follow will be B.J. Hill, who signed a three-year deal last offseason but could be on the chopping block to clear cap space as the Bengals search for more pass rush. Five seasons of Hill in exchange for Billy Price has been an incredible reward for one of the best trades in recent Bengals history.
Jackson: Joel Bitonio is finishing his 12th season. He may or may not land in Canton as a guard who played mostly on bad teams, but he’s been a high-level player for a long time and a rock-solid force internally for a messy organization. What anyone would ask for in an offensive lineman is durability, dependability and adaptability, and Bitonio has long delivered in less-than-ideal health, less-than-ideal conditions and less-than-ideal team circumstances. He hasn’t officially announced anything about his future plans, but if this is it, he’ll certainly be missed.
Perhaps you missed the Pro Bowl announcement while finishing your Christmas shopping — and shame on you if you did. But we must ask the panel: Did the team you cover have a true Pro Bowl snub?
DeFabo: The Steelers got three players into the Pro Bowl: outside linebacker T.J. Watt, defensive back Jalen Ramsey and special teamer Ben Skowronek. I think voters pretty much got it right — although Watt mostly got in based on reputation during what’s been a somewhat quiet season for a player who is paid to be in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation every year. You could make a case for defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, who has strong PFF numbers overall and three tackles for loss in the last two games. Second-year center Zach Frazier also likely has a Pro Bowl nod in his future. Given how much people here love Frazier, I’m almost surprised he didn’t get in via fan vote.
Zrebiec: The Ravens got six guys selected to the Pro Bowl despite being 7-8 and one of the league’s most disappointing teams, so there are absolutely no grounds to be talking about Pro Bowl snubs. Punter Jordan Stout and safety Kyle Hamilton were certainly deserving, but the rest of the team’s selections probably benefited from name recognition and reputation to some extent, or their positions just not being a particularly strong field. Derrick Henry is fourth in the league in rushing and he has 12 touchdowns, but the three guys who made it ahead of him have more rushing yards and a higher yards-per-carry average.
Dehner Jr.: Have to give the nod to cornerback DJ Turner. He’s tied for the NFL lead in passes defensed, including two interceptions, while shadowing the opponent’s best receiver every week. Teams stopped going after Turner midseason as he kept getting his hands on passes and forcing turnovers. His breakout year didn’t draw much praise nationally given how brutal the rest of the defense was around him, but those in Cincinnati know they found a real one at corner, and pressure will be on the organization to lock him up long-term.
Jackson: Though I do think it matters to players inside the locker rooms to some extent, we as outsiders never get back the time we spend talking about the Pro Bowl. My Browns-related surprise was that rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger didn’t make it. He might be an All-Pro this season and should be the Defensive Rookie of the Year. In any case, he’s been a bright spot and is a keeper. The rest is just extra.
Weekend prediction time. Can the Ravens stay alive on Saturday? Will the Steelers be playing for anything in Cleveland? Will anyone watch Bengals-Cardinals?
DeFabo: I believed in Baltimore all year and they’ve just never put it together. I think Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have officially run out of gas. The Browns will have a much better chance if the Steelers rest their starters, plus Huntington Bank Field has been a house of horrors for Pittsburgh recently. Still, I think the Steelers will get the job done. I’ll ride with Burrow and the Bengals.
Zrebiec: As I write this, I have no idea who will play quarterback for the Packers Saturday, but the Ravens look and feel done. I was really impressed with how hard the Browns played against the Bills, but I can’t see a Tomlin team losing to the three-win Browns with a division title on the line — unless they already cliched with a Ravens loss Saturday. And Burrow and the Bengals will win out; they’ll be drafting midway through the first round because of it.
Dehner Jr.: Have to credit Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. They rallied and found a way to play their best football the last three weeks, and I’ll wear my old takes exposed on their demise. Major trap vibes going to Cleveland, but I think they win. Baltimore loses in Green Bay and the North officially goes to the Steelers. As for the Bengals, this season has a strong scent of the finish with a flourish to put lipstick on the 2025 pig. Bengals win 34-21 over the Cardinals.
Jackson: The Browns really shouldn’t want to win. That’s just one weird factor involved with this game that gets weirder if the Steelers have already clinched. I think we’ll know early in this one who’s inspired; for now, I’ll take the Steelers in an ugly one, 17-14. I’m guessing Angry Burrow is better than what the Cardinals are putting out there, 28-20. And if there’s no Lamar Jackson playing well for the Ravens, I have to say there’s no chance: Green Bay 24-13.