There are two NFL games scheduled to be played tomorrow. Both games will feature exclusively teams in the AFC North division. So the AFC North will be determined before play begins on Sunday with the slate of games set to be played for the weekend of the regular season finale.
Let's take a look at the games set for tomorrow:
Cleveland at Baltimore - The Browns have been playing like one of the worst teams in the league for the last month or so. The Ravens, by contrast, have been playing like one of the best and more dangerous teams in the entire league. Plus, this game will be played in Baltimore. Plus, since the Steelers game is later in the same day, the Ravens need to win this one to make sure that they finally clinch the division title and, along with that, the third overall seed in the AFC. Sorry, I know that those few sentences hardly qualify as any kind of pregame analysis. Yet to me, there really feels like little more that needs to be said about how this game is likely to go down.
My pick: Baltimore
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh - Unlike that other Ohio team, the Bengals have been playing extremely well in the latter part of the season. Their playoff hopes are flickering, at best. But entering the final weekend of play, they at least still have hopes for reaching the postseason, however slim they may be. It feels like they are on the upsurge. Meanwhile, the Steelers have dropped three straight games. In the process, they lost control of their own destiny. Still, they qualified for the postseason officially some time ago. By the time this game is set to kick off, Pittsburgh will know whether they have a chance at the AFC North title or not. But making the playoffs feels more important and urgent on the part of the Bengals than unlikely hopes of the division title likely seem for the Steelers, who very likely will head out on the road, probably to take on the Texans in Houston, which is a winnable game for them. All of that adds up to a feeling that the Bengals should win this one.
My pick: Cincinnati
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