Don't Look Now, But The Ravens Are Tied With Steelers In AFC North Race
Baltimore’s bye, Lamar Jackson’s recovery, and a softening schedule have turned a 1–5 start into a divisional dead heat as the Steelers continue to struggle.
After the Ravens lost in Week 6 to the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore fell to 1-5 on the season. Conversely, their biggest AFC North rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, defeated the Cleveland Browns to improve to 4-1. The Ravens entered the season as co-favorites to win the Super Bowl with the Buffalo Bills, but their season appeared to be on the brink before it ever really got started.
Oh, how things change.
Baltimore enjoyed a Week 7 bye that really couldn't have come at a better time. It gave star quarterback Lamar Jackson time to recover from a hamstring injury suffered in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4.
Jackson missed the team's first game out of the bye, a win over the Chicago Bears in Week 8. He returned in Week 9 against the Dolphins. After beating the New York Jets on Sunday, the Ravens have now won five straight games.
But the Steelers are struggling. They lost to the Chicago Bears in Week 12, their fourth loss in the past six games. They went from a 3.5-game lead in the AFC North to a tie with the Ravens in a matter of six weeks. Baltimore, though, holds the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh. The teams are scheduled to meet twice this season, once in Week 14 and again in Week 18.
Ravens Erase Massive Deficit in AFC North Race
Despite the Steelers' early lead, the Ravens remained favored to win the AFC North. Many questioned whether Baltimore, much like Kansas City, had simply lost its mojo. It turns out that those takes were premature. In addition, it's now Pittsburgh dealing with an injury to its starting quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers missed Sunday's game against the Bears with a fractured left wrist. Although the team held out hope that the veteran could return, it ultimately turned to backup Mason Rudolph. Rudolph has had success in the past as the Steelers' starting quarterback, but his two turnovers against Chicago (an interception and a lost fumble) proved costly.
The Baltimore Ravens erased a 3.5-game deficit to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North.
(Imagn Images)
It's clear the Steelers have no shot to compete if Rodgers can't get healthy. Rodgers led the team to two of its biggest victories on the season with wins over the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, two of the best teams (by record) in the AFC.
Meanwhile, the Ravens simply faced an overwhelmingly difficult early-season schedule. During the 1-5 start, Baltimore lost to the Bills, Lions, Chiefs, Texans and Rams. All of those teams have a winning record. Granted, good teams find a way to beat other good teams, but the Ravens dealt with myriad injuries, not limited to Jackson.
The schedule lightened considerably after Week 6, as Baltimore has beaten only one team with a winning record (Chicago Bears) in its five-game winning streak. The team takes on the 3-8 Cincinnati Bengals in two of its next three games, with that first matchup against Pittsburgh sandwiched in between.
The Steelers face the Bills in Week 13 before that showdown against the Ravens. If Pittsburgh loses to Buffalo and Baltimore, and the Ravens beat the Bengals, Baltimore could open a two-game lead in the AFC North. That seemed almost inconceivable when the Ravens trailed by 3.5 games just one month ago.
Such is life in the NFL; things can change quickly. The Ravens appeared dead in the water and the Steelers looked poised to capture a division crown. Now, we're two weeks away from Baltimore potentially taking a stranglehold on the lead in the division.
But things changed quickly once before. Don't count out that happening again in what has become a wide-open and wild AFC race this season.