It’s Week 13 in the NFL and the season is coming down to the wire. Though players might be tired and beat up, this is where the league’s best teams really start to pull away. And with the playoffs looming on the horizon, it’s when those teams on the fence start scrambling to get into the postseason.
That’s the case with most of the AFC North in Week 13. The Ravens are aiming to continue their dominant winning streak over another tough opponent while the Steelers and Browns fight it out (hopefully not literally this time) for likely the final wild-card spot.
It’s a pivotal week in the AFC North, so let’s take a closer look at each game in Week 13 to see what we’ll be getting.
San Francisco 49ers (10-1) at Baltimore Ravens (9-2)
Another week and another instance I can write, “this is the Ravens’ toughest test of the season.” Going up against the 49ers this week, this is actually Baltimore’s biggest test and likely the only opponent left on the schedule that poses much threat to stop their run.
For San Francisco, it’s easily their toughest game of the season and arguably their first real test. The 49ers have had a fairly easy schedule thus far and come into this week with the confidence that brings them. But they’ve yet to see an offense as capable or defense as aggressive as what the Ravens bring to the table.
If San Francisco can play tough football and either keep it close or win outright, we could be looking at an early preview of Super Bowl LIV.
Click on the next pages for the rest of the AFC North’s games.
Ravens / Bengals / Steelers-Browns
New York Jets (4-7) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-11)
The Jets are trying to prove they’re moving forward and save jobs this season. The Bengals are simply trying to win just one game at this point to keep from reaching rarified, 0-16 air.
New York has been rolling over the last few weeks, holding a three-game win streak entering this one. However, they haven’t exactly had the toughest competition. But with an offense that seems destined to put up 34 points every week now and the league’s top run defense, they’re a formidable opponent.
On the flip side, Cincinnati enters this game with yet another change at quarterback. After unceremoniously benching Andy Dalton for Ryan Finley, coach Zac Taylor apparently learned what everyone else knew already: Dalton wasn’t anywhere close to their biggest problems.
Ravens / Bengals / Steelers-Browns
Cleveland Browns (5-6) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)
It’s a shame this game is on at the same time the Ravens are playing because this might be the most interesting matchup of the week. We’re just two weeks removed from a near all-out brawl between these teams and if you think things have settled down, you’re a fool.
Both the Browns and Steelers are fighting for their playoff hopes here. A loss for either team would be devastating. There’s practically no hope of either team dethroning Baltimore for the AFC North crown at this point but a wild card berth is still very much up in the air. But in order to get there, a 9-7 finish is as low as I’d expect could sneak in. Whoever wins will put themselves into second place within the AFC North.
Cleveland has been heating up over their three-game winning streak and blew out Pittsburgh two weeks ago. However, the Steelers’ defense is playing at a high level and they’ll have a new quarterback under center in Devlin Hodges as they hope to turn things around.
