The battle for the AFC North came down to a missed field goal in the end. Massive changes have since hit the division as two head coaches were relieved of their duties following the end of the regular season.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
The Steelers became AFC North champions for the first time since 2020 with a 26-24 win over the Ravens on Sunday Night Football.
A missed kick by Baltimore’s rookie kicker, Tyler Loop, saved Pittsburgh’s season after Chris Boswell had an extra point blocked on the prior drive. What started as somewhat
of a slog of a game ended in fireworks in the fourth quarter as each team traded touchdowns back and forth. Aaron Rodgers was efficient through the air, completing 31 of 47 pass attempts for 294 yards, one touchdown, and zero turnovers. Rodgers finishes his first season in the black and yellow with 3,322 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Jaylen Warren finished the game with a team-high 66 rushing yards on 14 attempts, while fellow running back Kenneth Gainwell led the team in receiving yards with 64 on eight catches, with wide receiver DK Metcalf still suspended. Metcalf is set to return now in a matchup with the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
After allowing the Ravens to march down the field on the opening drive of the game, the Steelers’ defense tightened up, effectively shutting down Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry until allowing multiple big-play touchdowns through the air in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh finished with three sacks on Jackson while T.J. Watt came down with an interception on a batted pass in his first game back from a collapsed lung. With the interception, Watt became the third player with over 100 sacks and nine interceptions in NFL history, joining the Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Julius Peppers.
Baltimore Ravens (8-9)
A disappointing season that began with Super Bowl aspirations for Baltimore came to an end with a missed kick in a 26-24 loss to the Steelers.
Lamar Jackson returned to action after missing the previous game with a back injury. After hitting Devontez Walker for a wide-open touchdown on the opening drive, Jackson struggled to do anything against Pittsburgh’s defense for much of the game. That was until the fourth quarter, when Jackson came to life, connecting on two deep touchdowns to Zay Flowers. Jackson finished the game with 11 completions on 18 attempts for 238 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. The two-time MVP finishes a rocky, injury-riddled season with 2,549 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions while adding a career-low 349 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Derrick Henry led the ground attack with 20 carries for 126 yards, finishing just 26 yards behind Buffalo Bills running back James Cook for the rushing title. Flowers led all receivers with 138 yards and two touchdowns on four catches.
An injury to Kyle Hamilton at the start of the second half completely derailed the Ravens’ defense as they allowed 23 points after the star safety’s departure with a concussion. Baltimore finished with two sacks, but as they have for much of the season, the unit struggled to generate effective pressure on Rodgers.
The Ravens shocked the NFL landscape just a few days after the game, as it was announced that long-time head coach John Harbaugh was being fired after 18 seasons with the team. Baltimore now begins the search for just their fourth head coach in franchise history.
Cincinnati Bengals (6-11)
The Bengals capped off their third-straight season without a playoff appearance with a 20-18 loss to the Browns.
A last-second field goal vaulted Cleveland to victory over Cincinnati, finally putting an end to a frustrating season for the Bengals. Joe Burrow finished the game with 29 completions on 39 attempts for 236 yards and three touchdowns, but a 97-yard pick-six marred his otherwise solid day. Ja’Marr Chase, per usual, was Burrow’s top target, catching eight passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Chase Brown led the way on the ground with 72 rushing yards on 13 carries. Despite head coach Zac Taylor entering the season with a presumably hot seat, he is currently set to return to coach another season with Cincinnati. Much speculation will surely be made about the availability of Burrow, however, as the superstar quarterback has been vocal about his frustration surrounding the team’s lack of success at times this season. After missing nine games with a toe injury, Burrow finishes the season with 1,809 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, and five interceptions.
The Bengals’ defense did their part as 14 of Cleveland’s 20 points came from defensive touchdowns. Cincinnati’s defense can hang their hat on a strong finish to the season after a historically bad start to the year. The main question regarding the unit this offseason will be whether or not star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson will return to the team after missing much of the season due to injury. The 32-year-old free agent requested a trade last offseason before the two sides ultimately reached a conclusion to raise his salary for the 2025 season.
Cleveland Browns (5-12)
The Browns may have ended their season on a two-game winning streak, but that did not save head coach Kevin Stefanksi from being fired after the fourth losing season in his six-year tenure in Cleveland.
The Browns will likely be in the quarterback market once again this offseason after neither of the two rookies they drafted showed much promise. Shedeur Sanders had another uneventful performance in his season finale, completing 11 of 22 passing attempts for 111 yards and zero touchdowns. The fifth-round rookie finishes his debut season with 1,400 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. While the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders has a staunch group of fans, a new coaching staff will likely want to hand-pick their guy at the position.
It took until the final week of the season, but Myles Garrett officially set the new single-season sack record with his 23rd of the year coming against Burrow. The defense as a whole finishes the year as one of the league’s best units, and they proved that on Sunday with a 97-yard pick-six and a fumble recovery for a touchdown against the Bengals.
