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 17, but the AFC North had games at different times. When all was said and done, the Steelers lost to the Chiefs with the Ravens beating the Texans on Christmas day. The Bengals beat the Broncos in OT, and the Browns were losers, again, to Miami.

Time to take a look at how the AFC North played out in Week 17, the latest standings and the upcoming schedule in Week 18.

Kansas City Chiefs – 29
Pittsburgh Steelers – 10

Christmas day came, and it brought all Steelers fans around the globe a giant lump of coal. The Steelers, who had lost two games in a row prior to their matchup with the reigning Super Bowl champions, were outclassed in every possible way in front of a national audience. Well, the game was streamed on Netflix which maybe kept some eyeballs off the horrendous performance. However, 24 million people tuned in at some point, and I feel as if I should apologize for people having to watch such a crappy performance.

Baltimore Ravens – 31
Houston Texans – 2

The night cap to the Christmas day games was salt in the wound for Steelers fans. Some, likely not many, wondered if the Texans could find a way to upset the Ravens and keep the Steelers hopes for the division title in tact for another week. This game got out of control in a hurry. The Ravens were clearly the better team in this game, and it showed in every phase, including the final score. The Ravens now have a stranglehold on the division, needing just a win over the lowly Browns at home in Week 18 to claim yet another AFC North division title.

Cincinnati Bengals – 30 (OT)
Denver Broncos – 24

Despite being left for dead at one point, the Bengals have fought and clawed their way to being back in the playoff picture. They needed a win over the Broncos to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they got just that in a very entertaining back-and-forth outing on Saturday evening. It took them an extra frame, overtime, to finally get the job done, but they got the win and kept their playoff hopes alive for another week. The Broncos can still get the final playoff seed with a win in Week 18, but the Bengals aren’t dead yet. The Steelers could put them out of their misery in Week 18.

Miami Dolphins – 20
Cleveland Browns – 3

Just like the Bengals, the Dolphins needed a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Luckily for them they played the Browns who have all but mailed it in for the season. Dorian Thompson-Robinson got the start yet again, but failed to do anything with the football as the Tua-less Dolphins went into Cleveland and got the job done. The Dolphins need a Broncos loss in Week 18 combined with a win over the Jets to make the playoffs, so their season isn’t dead yet. However, the Browns look more interested in their vacation plays after next week than they do playing football in 2024.

AFC North Standings

Baltimore Ravens – 11-5
Pittsburgh Steelers – 10-6
Cincinnati Bengals – 8-8
Cleveland Browns – 3-13

AFC North Week 18 Schedule

• Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens, 4:30pm EST, Saturday
• Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:00pm EST, Saturday