The AFC North was widely considered the toughest division in the NFL heading into the regular season, but there certainly have been some bumps in the road where the division played poorly. Every AFC North team was in action in Week 11, and the AFC North had games at different times. When all was said and done, the Steelers beat the Ravens, giving them a 1.5-game lead in the division, and the Browns and Bengals losses only put more distance between the top and bottom of the division.

Time to take a look at how the AFC North played out in Week 11, the latest standings and the upcoming schedule in Week 12.

New Orleans Saints – 35
Cleveland Browns – 14

The Browns were coming off their bye week, and some thought the team would start to turn things around as they got healthy at key positions. Most were accepting the fact the Browns season was likely over; however, the Browns looked even more demoralized when they left New Orleans with a loss. To add to the loss, the Browns continued to be ravished by the injury bug. What’s next for Cleveland? The Steelers come to town on a short week with a lot of players likely to be ruled out. But it is Thursday Night Football, and anything is possible with these sometimes fluky games.

Pittsburgh Steelers – 18
Baltimore Ravens – 16

What’s that? You were expecting the game to be high scoring? Anyone who thought that, including myself, should have known better. Nonetheless, the Steelers, by way of six Chris Boswell field goals, was able to hold off the Ravens and get a much-needed victory. The win doesn’t just put the Steelers alone atop the AFC North, but puts some space between the two bitter rivals. Week 12 will provide some needed clarity within the division race, but the Steelers are absolutely in the driver seat after Sunday’s win at Acrisure Stadium.

Los Angeles Chargers – 34
Cincinnati Bengals – 27

If you went to bed at halftime of the Chargers vs. Bengals Sunday Night Football game, you likely thought the Chargers were able to coast to a smooth victory. For those like me who did this, you likely woke up and were stunned to see it be a one-score victory which was a tie game in the waning minutes of the game. The Bengals’ loss doesn’t put the final nail in their coffin, but another nail was absolutely delivered. If the Bengals want to make a run to the postseason, they will likely have to get to 10 wins. They are 4-7 heading into their bye week, making that margin of error razor thin. It seems inevitable the Bengals will likely be on the outside looking in barring some crazy stuff happening with other teams on that proverbial bubble.

AFC North Standings

Pittsburgh Steelers – 8-2
Baltimore Ravens – 7-4
Cincinnati Bengals – 4-7
Cleveland Browns – 2-8

AFC North Week 12 Schedule

• Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals — 8:15pm EST (TNF)
• Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers — 8:15pm EST (MNF)
• Cincinnati Bengals — BYE