Entering Week 11 in the AFC North, there was a lot on the line with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals playing each other early and the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns battling in the 4:25 PM/ET window.
While the Steelers took care of business in dominant fashion against the Bengals, all but ending their season, the Ravens struggled on the road against the Browns but completed a major second-half comeback to get to .500 on the season and maintain pace in the division with the Steelers.
Here’s the updated AFC North standings post-Week 11.
AFC NORTH STANDINGS THROUGH WEEK 11
1. Pittsburgh Steelers: 6-4
2. Baltimore Ravens: 5-5
3. Cincinnati Bengals: 3-7
4. Cleveland Browns: 2-8
As the Steelers bounced back from embarrassing Week 10 performance in primetime against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Ravens looked to try and maintain pace with Pittsburgh in the AFC North standings.
With quarterback Lamar Jackson back from injury and the Ravens red-hot, having won three straight, a matchup with the basement-dwelling Browns seemed like a prime opportunity for Baltimore to keep pace.
And then the game started and Baltimore found itself in, well, a dogfight with the Browns.
The Ravens took an early 3-0 lead after a 15-play, 72-yard drive that saw star tight end Mark Andrews become the franchise’s all-time receiving yards leader. Things were looking good. But the Browns tied the game 3-3, and then disaster struck for Baltimore.
The two teams traded punts back and forth, but on another Cleveland punt Baltimore’s LaJohntay Wester muffed the punt, giving the Browns great field position, which led to another field goal and a 6-3 lead. A few plays later a short pass from Lamar Jackson bounced off the hands of a Baltimore receiver and into the air, leading to a Devin Bush pick-six, giving Cleveland a 13-3 lead in the second quarter.
Baltimore bounced back quickly though as Jackson hit Zay Flowers for a 45-yard gain, eventually setting up a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Derrick Henry.
The Browns later added a field goal to take a 16-10 lead into the half, but in the second half Cleveland lost rookie QB Dillon Gabriel to a concussion. That led to the start of the Shedeur Sanders Experience, and the Ravens rallied to come all the way back, leaning on their defense and rookie kicker Tyler Loop.
Loop drilled field goals of 24 and 44 yards to tie the game and then facing a 4th and 1 late in the fourth quarter, the Ravens made a great call, getting Mark Andrews under center for a potential QB sneak. Instead, he faked a handoff and rolled out right, racing home for a 35-yard touchdown run to give Baltimore a late lead.
Baltimore then held off a late rally from the Sanders-led Browns. Linebacker Roquan Smith broke up a 4th-and-5 pass to seal the win the Ravens’ road win.
The Steelers will travel to Chicago in Week 12 to take on the Bears, while the Ravens will host the New York Jets. Cleveland travels to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders, while the Bengals host the Patriots.