Category: AFC Playoff Picture

Steelers not among AFC teams who can secure playoff spots in Week 13

The Chiefs and Bills can both clinch playoff spots this week.

Week 13 of the NFL season already has playoff implications in the AFC. Despite six more weeks left in the 2024 season, two teams in the AFC can clinch playoff spots this weekend. Neither of those two teams is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Kansas City Chiefs can clinch a spot in the playoffs with a win vs the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday and a loss by the Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs can also clinch if they win versus the Raiders and the Denver Broncos lose on Monday Night Football.

The Buffalo Bills can also clinch a playoff spot this weekend. They have to beat the San Francisco 49ers and the Dolphins need to lose to the Packers on Christmas.

The Steelers had their destiny in their own hands until they fell flat against the Cleveland Browns. This combined with a win by the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night and the fight for the top spot in the AFC North has heated up. This week the Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals in their third-straight AFC North matchup.

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Week 12 Rooting Guide: Best outcomes for Ravens with AFC playoff picture developing

We’re looking at the Week 12 rooting guide and Baltimore Ravens fans should be rooting for the Carolina Panthers

Baltimore is 7-4, second in the AFC North, and just two more intense, physical games from a much-needed Week 14 bye. The Ravens are currently the sixth seed in the AFC and still have to face the Chargers on Sunday and the explosive Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 13 before a week of rest.

A team that started the season with Super Bowl aspirations is set to play a road postseason game and could, depending on how things finish, be forced to travel to Buffalo (2nd seed) or Kansas City (top seed) in a potential AFC Wild Card contest. Baltimore is almost four games back of Kansas City for the No. 1 overall seed.

It would need to win out and get help down the stretch. The Ravens received some help with the Cleveland Browns 24-19 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.

With kickoff to the Sunday games fast approaching, here’s your Week 12 rooting guide for Baltimore.

FINAL 19 Steelers (8-3) 24 Browns (3-8)

Cleveland did Baltimore a favor with the home upset over Pittsburgh on Thursday night. That win kept the Ravens within a game in the AFC North.

CBS Chiefs (9-1) vs. Panthers (3-7)

Earning the No. 1 seed is a daunting task, and it starts with Kansas City and Buffalo suffering losses down the stretch. Root for a Carolina victory

CBS Titans (2-8) vs. Texans (7-4)

Baltimore and Houston have the same record, but the Texans have a higher seed thanks to being the first-place team in the AFC South. The two teams will meet on Christmas Day, and Ravens fans should root for the Titans. Root for a Tennessee victory

WATCH: First look at HBO’s Hard Knocks In-Season with the AFC North

HBO released the initial trailer for Hard Knocks In-Season with the AFC North featuring the Ravens, Bengals, Browns and Steelers

The AFC North is the most challenging division in the NFL. The season started with four potential 2024 playoff teams and tons of storylines. As HBO’s Hard Knocks takes an inside, in-season look at this historical division, fans will now have an up-close look.

For the first time since its debut, the award-winning docuseries goes behind the scenes of an entire NFL division for the first time. Warner Brothers Discovery made the announcement back in June.

HARD KNOCKS: IN SEASON WITH THE AFC NORTH will document the battle for the AFC North crown during the final six weeks of the NFL season, as well as a playoff run for the division-winner and any AFC North Wild Card teams. The 18-time Emmy®-winning series will deliver its signature all-access coverage as it follows the Mike Tomlin-coached Pittsburgh Steelers, who have never been featured on “Hard Knocks” in the history of the series, as well as coach John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens, coach Zac Taylor’s Cincinnati Bengals, and coach Kevin Stefanski’s Cleveland Browns. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields will share the “Hard Knocks” spotlight with Derrick Henry, Ja’Marr Chase, Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, and an array of other AFC North star players.

It will debut Tuesday, December 3, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and stream on Max. Subsequent Tuesdays will air through the end of the NFL regular season and continue into the NFL playoffs in January 2025. HBO released the first trailer on Tuesday, and it looks as intense as the action presents.

Baltimore was the first team featured on the original “Hard Knocks” training camp series 2001. Since then, the Bengals have appeared twice, in 2009 and 2013, and the Browns in 2018, while the Pittsburgh Steelers will be making their debut appearance. Storylines to watch will include Patrick Queen’s arrival in Pittsburgh and the renewed Steelers-Ravens rivalry.

Contract disputes in Cleveland, Deshaun Watson’s return and subsequent injury, Russell Wilson’s debut, Justin Field’s arrival, and Joe Burrow’s return are just the tip of the iceberg of storylines and interesting subplots.

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Contenders or pretenders: the upcoming Steelers’ two weeks of doom

While the Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-2 on the season, their extremely difficult matchups in both Weeks 10 and 11 are their proving grounds.

While fans of the 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers are understandably on cloud nine after the recent success of the team, they may need to temper their expectations, at least until Week 12.

The Steelers face the 6-2 Washington Commanders on the road in Week 10 and the 5-3 Baltimore Ravens at home in Week 11. These two games, coming off the Week 9 bye, could set the stage for an impressive playoff run or could highlight the Steelers as potential pretenders.

While momentum is leaning toward the Steelers being closer to Super Bowl caliber than most other AFC teams, the lack of competitive teams Pittsburgh has faced through the first eight weeks cannot be ignored. Their opponents thus far have a underwhelming combined record of 27 wins and 35 losses.

If the Steelers can defeat the Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens in Weeks 10 and 11, confidence in their postseason aspirations will be completely justified. Similar to the Ravens, Pittsburgh should attempt to make a strong push for additional talent at the wide receiver position at the trade deadline, especially if the team hopes to stay competitive in the latter half of the season.

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Pittsburgh ranks fourth-best in point differential through 8 weeks

The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers are looking like one of the best teams in the NFL, boasting the fourth-best point differential through 8 weeks.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ red-hot start continues to pick up steam. Not only does the AFC North currently run through the Steel City, but the team is also competing with the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs for the top spot in the AFC conference. 

While the 6-2 Steelers are tied with the 6-2 Bills, and just one and a half games behind Kansas City, Pittsburgh actually holds the second-best point differential in the AFC and the fourth-best among all 32 NFL teams. 

So far in 2024, through eight weeks of football, the Steelers have scored 187 points while allowing only 119 points against them. This point differential of 68 trails only the NFC’s Washington Commanders with 69, the AFC’s Buffalo Bills with 84, and the NFC’s Detroit Lions with a staggering 100-point differential. 

Pittsburgh’s differential shows the NFL world that their balanced strength on both sides of the ball is not to be underestimated. With the trade deadline approaching, the Steelers would be wise to strengthen their roster further and prepare for a potentially deep playoff run. 

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Steelers are now first place in the AFC North following Ravens’ loss

The Browns pulled off an unbelievable win by beating the 5-2 Ravens, 29-24. The Steelers are now 1st in the AFC North following the upset.

Jaws have dropped in Pittsburgh. The Cleveland Browns have done the unthinkable, pulling off an upset victory against the Baltimore Ravens. While Steelers fans wish both rivals could have lost on Sunday, Pittsburgh now holds a half-game lead over the Ravens in the divisional race.

The Cleveland Browns entered the contest with an abysmal 1-6 record and were tasked with the impossible—stopping the 5-2 Ravens and their dynamic offense in Week 8. Browns’ starting QB Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending torn Achilles, leaving backup QB Jameis Winston to take over the signal-calling duties. 

Winston stepped up in a big way for his team, and in some ways for the Black and Gold faithful, as he threw a game-deciding TD pass with 59 seconds remaining to seal the win against the Ravens. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers are poised to improve their record to 6-2 against the New York Giants, furthering their lead in the AFC North divisional race, on Monday Night Football, October 28th at 8:15 PM EST.

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AFC playoff picture: Where does Pittsburgh currently factor in?

A few weeks away from the 2024 season’s halfway mark, here are the AFC’s current standings and playoff picture through seven weeks.

It feels like it was only yesterday when fans were speculating over the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcon’s, but with the trade deadline around the corner, and only a few weeks away from being half-way through the 2024 season, the playoff picture is beginning to take shape.

Currently, the Pittsburgh Steelers are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the top spot in the AFC North.  The Ravens currently hold the tie breaker over the Steelers, due to Baltimore having a better divisional record of 1-0.  With this in mind, Pittsburgh currently holds the top Wild Card playoff spot as the 5th seed in the AFC overall.

There is currently a four-way tie for the second-overall seed in the AFC playoff picture.  Pittsburgh could realistically take the number one seed if the team can defeat the Chiefs on Christmas day and Ravens twice this season.

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Chiefs’ DL Chris Jones is ready for Super Bowl LVIII

On Sep. 24, Kansas City Chiefs DL Chris Jones signed a 1-year deal worth up to $25 million. Could Jones be the x-factor in Super Bowl LVIII?

On Sep. 24, Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones signed a one-year deal worth up to $25 million. Jones could very well be the x-factor on defense in Super Bowl LVIII.

 Jones had zero tackles in the AFC championship but his presence opened lanes for his teammates to rattle Lamar Jackson.  The San Francisco 49ers however are unlikely to abandon the running game the way the Baltimore Ravens did in the Super Bowl so Jones will need to be on his A-game.

Jones did record 10.5 sacks and seven stuffs through 16 games played this season and his leadership has given way for defensive end George Kalaftis to get lose. Identically, Kalaftis also recorded 10.5 sacks this season and was terrific in the AFC Championship.

With all this,  I seriously doubt that Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan will omit running back Christian McCaffrey from the game-plan. The 49ers led the NFL with 4.8 rush yards per carry so Spagnuolo and the Chiefs better have an answer in SBLVIII. Jones needs to be the enforcer on gameday.

Ravens to host Chiefs in AFC Championship game

The Baltimore Ravens will host Kansas City in the AFC Championship game after the Chiefs 27-24 win over the Bills in the divisional round

Baltimore will host the AFC title game for the first time since 1971, and it’ll be a matchup for the ages when Lamar Jackson squares off against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City defeated Buffalo 27-24 in the first road playoff win for Mahomes, and it sets up a matchup of two recent NFL MVPs.

The Chiefs will travel to M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday at 3:00 PM EST in a matchup to see the winner advance to the Super Bowl after Mahomes went 17-23 passing for 215 yards and two touchdowns.

Second-year running back Isaiah Pacheco paced Kansas City with 15 physical carries for 97 yards (6.5) and a critical touchdown. Travis Kelce had five catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns on a night when rumors swirled about his potential retirement.

Kansas City and Baltimore previously met in the postseason following the 2010 season.

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National reaction to Ravens advancing to AFC Championship game with 34-10 win over Texans

We’re looking at the national reaction to the Baltmore Ravens advancing to the AFC Championship game after a 34-10 iwin over the Houston Texans

The Ravens avoided the repeat of 2019, advancing to the AFC title game after a dominant 34-10 win over the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium.

The win gave Baltimore two wins over DeMeco Ryan’s team, and the combined scores of 56-19 provide insight into how far Houston has to climb before they start thinking about championship Sunday.

Lamar Jackson was dominant from start to finish and will likely win his second NFL MVP after accounting for 252 yards, four total touchdowns, and a `121.8 quarterback rating.

Mike Macdonald’s defense held Houston to 213 yards of total offense on 47 offensive plays, limiting C.J. Stroud to 19-33 passing for 175 yards and no touchdowns.

After overcoming past failures, here’s the national reaction to the Ravens’ dominant victory.