The Baltimore Ravens got back to the top of the AFC North after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5. However, their loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 4 still hangs over their heads and now makes things a tougher fight.
Week 6 could be a huge redemption point for Baltimore, though. They’ll get their third consecutive division game and a chance to further their lead in the AFC North standings. A win over the Cincinnati Bengals and the Browns losing would effectively give the Ravens a two-game lead in the division, one they’ll assuredly need with some tough games coming up on the schedule.
Let’s take a quick preview of every matchup in Week 6 for the AFC North teams.
Cincinnati Bengals (0-5) at Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
New coach, same ol’ Bengals. Cincinnati is trying to figure things out under Zac Taylor, and with injuries to wide receivers John Ross and A.J. Green, the Bengals are even further behind this season.
Though Baltimore has been far from perfect, they have a clear talent advantage in this one.
Seattle Seahawks (4-1) at Cleveland Browns (2-3)
Through all their delusions of grandeur and talk, Cleveland has been disappointing this season. Sure, they beat up the Ravens. But their fan base treated it like it was a Super Bowl win, and it must have gone to the team’s head as well. A week later, they put in a dreadful performance in Week 5 as they lost 31-3 to the San Francisco 49ers.
Much like Baltimore, the Browns have been wildly inconsistent this season. It’s not clear if they can really hang with the top of this league. They’ll get a chance to prove themselves this week with the Seahawks coming to town.
Seattle started off a little slow but has beaten all the teams they’re supposed to beat and edged out the Los Angeles Rams last week to show they’re the real deal. With a superstar quarterback, tough run game and still talented defense, the Browns are going to have their hands full in Week 6.
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-4) at Los Angeles Chargers (2-3)
With question marks surrounding which quarterback will start on Sunday, Pittsburgh isn’t in good shape right now. Backup Mason Rudolph suffered a concussion last week against the Ravens, so Devlin Hodges could make his first career start.
With Antonio Brown gone, Pittsburgh’s offense hasn’t been as explosive as previous years, and that’s putting even more pressure on their defense. Though the Steelers seem to be getting stronger defensively, they haven’t been more than mediocre this season.
The Chargers haven’t exactly been hot either. Los Angeles has been the most injured team this season, and it’s really showing on the field. They’ve stuck around in every game so far this season but are clearly struggling to get over the edge and actually win games.
