AFC North ties and scheduling constraints

A three way tie at the top

The Browns, Steelers, and Ravens all hold 4-2 records, leaving the Bengals at 3-2. Cleveland beat Baltimore 13-10 on a last-second field goal after the Ravens blocked the initial attempt and received an offsides penalty. The Ravens offense stalled during the final nine possessions after Tyler Huntley replaced the injured Lamar Jackson. Jackson missed two consecutive games with an ankle injury. This loss left Baltimore only half a game ahead of the Bengals. The Bengals entered their bye week watching their division rivals pass them in the standings. The Bengals lost to Pittsburgh, so their path to the top of the division relies on other results. The Bengals saw Joe Burrow throw four touchdown passes without an interception during their 31-24 win against the Miami Dolphins. If you are tracking this division, you know how thin the margin remains for Cincinnati to climb.

Questionable quarterbacks and offensive shifts

Russell Wilson threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns against the Bengals to lead the Steelers to a 44-38 victory. The Steelers erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to win the game in overtime after Aaron Rodgers threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to rookie Germie Bernard with 3:15 remaining in the heat of the contest. This performance follows earlier struggles where the offense failed to score more than 17 points in multiple games. The Steelers offense also faces personnel losses because Roman Wilson expects to miss several weeks with a finger injury. The team placed Michael Pittman Jr on injured reserve with a foot injury.

Lamar Jackson remains a major concern for the Ravens. The quarterback missed two games recently, and his absence allowed the Browns to secure a win. Trey Hendrickson requires an X-ray for a finger injury. The division race remains volatile as the Ravens, Steelers, and Browns all possess identical records through seven weeks. The Ravens defense also struggled against the Browns, specifically when linebacker Carson Schwesinger forced a fumble that the Browns recovered. Deshaun Watson completed 16 of 26 passes for 164 yards, including a 33-yard completion to Jerry Jeudy. Audric Estime scored a two-yard touchdown to tie the game. Does the Ravens’ reliance on Jackson’s mobility determine their divisional ceiling?

The scheduling rule prevents a primetime rivalry

The NFL prevents the Steelers and Ravens from moving their Week 11 matchup to Sunday night. League rules dictate that a team cannot play more than two Thursday night games in a single season. Because the Steelers and Ravens play on FOX on December 21, the league cannot move the Week 11 game to a Sunday night slot that requires a CBS game to be played elsewhere. The NFL can flex Thursday night games on Amazon Prime for Weeks 13-17 with 28 days of notice.

The existing scheduling policies create problems for fans wanting to see divisional matchups. In Week 11, the NFL decided to flex the Jets and Colts out of the Sunday night position to include the Bengals and Chargers instead. This leaves the Steelers and Ravens in a standard afternoon window. The league uses its discretion for Monday night and Sunday night games, but the restrictions for Thursday night remain strict. In Week 15, the NFL allows three matchups to play on Saturday and two on Sunday. The NFL decides which games are eligible for the Saturday window based on the original schedule.

The scheduling rules for primetime windows remain complex. The NFL faces criticism when it fails to provide primetime matchups. One example involves the Raiders and Cowboys, who occupy a Monday Night Football spot instead of the Rams and Seahawks. The Seahawks and Rams already have a Thursday night game scheduled, and league rules prevent division rivals from appearing in primetime twice in the same season. This rule ensures the Rams and Seahawks matchup remains on a west coast afternoon game.