Bengals get holiday gift from Browns, sit first in AFC North

Daniel Carlson kept the Raiders season alive and gave the Bengals the division lead heading into Week 16’s major showdown with the Ravens.

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Christmas came a bit early for Cincinnati Bengals fans. At least part of what they hope becomes a full present in a few weeks.

After Daniel Carlson kicked the game-winning 48-yard field goal Monday night (actually going 2/2 thanks to the timeout), the Raiders defeated the Browns, 16-14, putting both teams at 7-7. The result means the Bengals will go into Week 16 with the AFC North lead at 8-6, with their win over the Ravens serving as the tiebreaker. The Browns actually fell to last place with the loss, behind the 7-6-1 Steelers.

AFC North Standings through Week 15

  1. Cincinnati Bengals 8-6
  2. Baltimore Ravens 8-6
  3. Pittsburgh Steelers 7-6-1
  4. Cleveland Browns 7-7

All four teams have a gauntlet in the final three weeks of the season.

Cincinnati’s remaining schedule:
Week 16 vs Baltimore
Week 17 vs Kansas City
Week 18 at Cleveland

Baltimore’s remaining schedule:
Week 16 at Cincinnati
Week 17 vs L.A. Rams
Week 18 vs Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh’s remaining schedule:
Week 16 at Kansas City
Week 17 vs Cleveland
Week 18 at Baltimore

Cleveland’s remaining schedule:
Week 16 at Green Bay
Week 17 at Pittsburgh
Week 18 vs Cincinnati

As for the playoff standings, the Bengals will enter Week 16 not only as the division leader, but as the only AFC North team currently in the playoffs at the moment, when it seemed for a while this division was destined to send three to the playoffs.

AFC Playoff Standings

  1. Kansas City Chiefs 10-4
  2. New England Patriots 9-5
  3. Tennessee Titans 9-5
  4. Cincinnati Bengals 8-6
  5. Indianapolis Colts 8-6
  6. Los Angeles Chargers 8-6
  7. Buffalo Bills 8-6
  8. Baltimore Ravens 8-6
  9. Pittsburgh Steelers 7-6-1
  10. Las Vegas Raiders 7-7
  11. Miami Dolphins 7-7
  12. Cleveland Browns 7-7
  13. Denver Broncos 7-7

So for those following along, that field goal was a huge swing for the Browns. Instead of sitting fourth in the playoffs, they enter Week 16 12th with a trip to Green Bay on Christmas.

As for the Bengals, this sets up their biggest game in years when they host the Ravens on Sunday. With Pittsburgh and Cleveland both on the road against the current No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences (Kansas City and Green Bay), Cincinnati has the chance to take absolute control of the AFC North if they can complete the season sweep of the Ravens.

A win would assure them of being the only nine-win team in the division heading into Week 17. And if things go their way in Week 16, there could be some division-clinching scenarios for them in Week 17 when they host the Chiefs. One week at a time, though. They have to take care of business against Baltimore first. But it still has to feel good that the Bengals will have the division lead on Christmas Day.

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