A quick recap of the AFC North to end your Christmas day. The Pittsburgh Steelers returned from last place after their convincing 34:11 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, pushing the Bengals into third place with the victory. The rest of the division remains unchanged, with the Cleveland Browns in second place at 10-5 and the Baltimore Ravens at 12-3 following their 33-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
You can find the updated division standings here.
AFC North Rankings (through Week 16)
1. Baltimore Ravens: 12-3
2. Cleveland Browns: 10-5
3. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-7
4.Cincinnati Bengals: 8-7
With the Ravens' win, they take another step towards becoming number 1 in the AFC. A win next week against the Miami Dolphins would secure that spot, meaning they could rest the starters for Week 18 against the Steelers. For a must-win Pittsburgh team, it's a rare opportunity to enjoy a Baltimore win.
AFC seeds after Week 16. The development tonight is that the Ravens can now secure the No. 1 seed next week with a win against the Dolphins. If that happens, there's a good chance they would rest their starters in Week 18 against the Steelers. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/3pbyWPCrUH
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) December 26, 2023
Of course you know how the Steelers-Bengals game ended. Pittsburgh in rare form, a dominant and dare I say comfortable win, with a 24-0 lead at halftime. Cincinnati threatened to make it a game when WR Tee Higgins ran 80 yards to open the second half, but QB Mason Rudolph and the Steelers' offense responded, hitting WR George Pickens down the left for a 66-yard score sideline for the 31-yard score. 8. Both kickers added field goals to make the final score. With the win, Pittsburgh defeated Cincinnati for the first time this season since 2019. The Steelers have the North's best record at 4-1, while the Bengals have the worst at 0-5.
The Browns magic continues under QB Joe Flacco. With three touchdowns, WR Amari Cooper had a historic day: He set a franchise single-game record with 265 yards and two touchdown catches in a 36-22 win against the Houston Texans. Despite the lack of a running game and numerous defensive injuries, Cleveland led at one point, 36-8, before backup QB Davis Mills took over for Case Keenum (who started in place of the injured CJ Stroud) and threw two touchdowns late in the game. With the Browns now having a 99 percent chance of making the playoffs, they can officially secure victory with a win on Thursday night over the New York Jets. If they do that, it would be only the second time they have made the playoffs since 2003.
To close out the week, the Baltimore Ravens traveled to Santa Clara to take on the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas Day. The beginning was bumpy, especially because of that wild safety when Ravens QB Lamar Jackson encountered a retreating official, which led to an intentional grounding call that gave the 49ers two points. Keyword: crazy music.
With the score 5-3 in the 49ers' favor, the Ravens turned an interception by Brock Purdy into a 1-yard touchdown by RB Gus Edwards, his patented short-yardage score. Purdy struggled throughout the half, throwing two picks, but the 49ers closed the gap and made it 13-12 when RB Christian McCaffrey scored from nine yards out. Justin Tucker added a short field goal to make it 16-12 at halftime.
After San Francisco opened the second half with a punt, Jackson hit WR Nelson Agholor on a scramble for a 6-yard score. Under pressure on the following possession, Purdy made another error and threw a pick to LB Patrick Queen, who returned it deep in 49ers territory. Jackson hit freshman WR Zay Flowers for a touchdown on the next play, giving them a commanding 30-12 lead.
Things progressed from there for Baltimore, their only concern coming from S Kyle Hamilton, who suffered a knee injury to his already bad knee midway through the fourth quarter. He appeared to be in pain on the ground, but was able to get off the field mostly under his own power. San Francisco threatened a late comeback, Sam Darnold replacing the injured Brock Purdy, but S Marcus Williams hit a fourth-and-goal shot into the end zone to end the game 33-19 in Baltimore's favor.
Next week the Steelers face the Seattle Seahawks. The Ravens will face another contending team in the Miami Dolphins, while the Ravens will face the reeling Kansas City Chiefs and the Browns will host the Jets to open Week 17.