The Cincinnati Bengals gave their in-state rivals an early Christmas gift on Monday night. The Bengals beat the suddenly reeling Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-21, on Monday Night Football.
Pittsburgh’s loss opens the door for the Browns to capture the AFC North title, or at least play for the opportunity to seize it from the Steelers in Week 17 when the two teams clash at FirstEnergy Stadium.
If the Steelers lose to the 10-4 Colts on Sunday and the Browns defeat the 1-13 Jets, the two teams will meet in Cleveland in Week 17 with matching records (11-4) and the division title on the line. The Steelers destroyed the Browns, 38-7, in Week 6, but Mike Tomlin’s team has lost three in a row and looked nothing like the team that opened 11-0 in the process.
Let’s play it out for fun’s sake…
If the Browns win out and the Steelers lose to the Colts, the Browns will be the No. 3 seed in the AFC and host a playoff game. That game could very well be a rematch with Pittsburgh one week later, too.
It’s possible. Cleveland fans know not to count their chickens before the eggs have hatched, but it sure is awesome to have playoff eggs to count in December instead of worrying about top-10 draft positioning.
