Entering Week 6, the AFC North is in chaos.
The Baltimore Ravens, who were expected to be one of the best teams in the NFL this year, have lost four of their first five games and are tied for last place with the Cleveland Browns after getting decimated by injuries. They’ve lost three straight games and may lose again this weekend if Lamar Jackson remains sidelined with a hamstring injury against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Browns have already changed quarterbacks, replacing Joe Flacco with rookie Dillon Gabriel and trading Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, who have lost three straight without Joe Burrow. The Bengals are hoping the aging Flacco can spark their offense, which has been dismal in Burrow’s absence.
With their three division rivals collapsing, the Pittsburgh Steelers have surged to the top of the standings. After winning three of their first four games before their Week 5 bye, they’re the only team in the division with a winning record.
The Steelers padded their division lead last week despite being off, as all three of their rivals lost. However, Mike Tomlin made it clear that he’s not worried about what other teams are doing.
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“I don’t care what happened with other people, particularly last weekend. It’s about us coming off a bye and getting ready for our game this week. I’m not a big picture guy,” Tomlin said during Tuesday’s press conference.
Tomlin is more focused on beating Cleveland this week in Pittsburgh’s first divisional game of the year. His defense needs to prepare for the Browns’ new-look offense with Gabriel, who threw for nearly 200 yards and two touchdown passes in his first NFL start last week against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Steelers are looking to pick up where they left off before their bye. They’re coming off back-to-back wins over the Vikings and New England Patriots, so they’ll try to keep their momentum going and keep adding to their division lead this week, as there’s a good chance that the other three AFC North teams all lose again.
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Featured image via Philip G. Pavely/Imagn Images