Big NFL weekend, specifically in the AFC North.
Let’s get to it.
1
The Bengals go to Pittsburgh, where the obvious concerns are that the Steelers are going be very mean to Andy Dalton and that Ben Roethlisberger is going to go nuts against a banged-up secondary. The way Antonio Brown smoked the Bengals in the first meeting is cause for extra alarm. Pittsburgh is not an easy place to win, the Steelers will be angry after a flat performance last week and know they have no margin for error as they’re tied with the Ravens with five games left but are essentially a game behind because the Ravens own the potential tiebreaker. And the Ravens play in Cleveland, which means Ed Reed is salivating and the Ravens are favored. The Browns offense has played better the last two weeks, has Peyton Hillis back and can take some confidence in the fact that the Ravens, all year, have followed big wins by losing to the likes of Seattle and Jacksonville, teams that are much more in the Browns’ galaxy than that of the Ravens.
2
The AFC North has been one of the league’s best divisions, as usual, and has a strong case that it’s been the best division. Playing the NFC West helps that, sure, but there’s a chance three AFC North teams will make the playoffs and all would have a chance to make some noise should they get there. The Ravens have been maddening but good enough to put themselves in the driver’s seat now that we’ve reached the season’s defining month. The Ravens and Steelers combined to go 8-2 in December last year, with one result being a game against each other, and there’s not a lot of reason to think they won’t replicate that. Colt McCoy has to hope they don’t and has to play the best football he’s played yet for the Browns to have a chance. The Ravens and Steelers in five days is cruel and unusual punishment by almost any standard. McCoy needs a signature win, and getting it this month certainly won’t be easy.
3
Both Dalton and McCoy need to win division games, bottom line. McCoy hasn’t won one yet, and Dalton has won two — one he didn’t finish in the season opener at Cleveland, and another last week over the Browns only after McCoy threw a bad interception and the Browns botched the snap on a go-ahead field goal. If Dalton can beat either Pittsburgh or Baltimore down the stretch this month, the Bengals should make the playoffs. If McCoy can beat one of them — and the good and bad news is that he has four tries — he’ll strengthen his case to remain as the Browns quarterback going forward. I’m not closing the book on anybody or anything, but if anybody currently thinks the Browns could possibly win more than seven games with McCoy as the quarterback next year, we apparently aren’t watching the same games. Being the team with the fewest plays of 20 yards or more at this stage of a season that also includes the likes of Indy, Jacksonville, St. Louis and Tyler Palko does not happen by accident.
4
Browns fans will immediately point to the fact McCoy has Greg Little dropping passes and Dalton has A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham, and there’s no doubt that both have had great years. Both have also missed time — at least one full game apiece — and Dalton still threw for 373 yards in Baltimore two weeks ago with Green sidelined. Stats never tell the whole story, but when you compare that to the 199 McCoy threw for in the Jacksonville game that ended with McCoy sprinting on the field and celebrating like the Browns had just won the Super Bowl, you see the different planes on which the two teams and two quarterbacks are operating. The Bengals are playing for the playoffs, and even if Dalton would have a playoff nightmare the experience would be invaluable. The Browns are playing for pride and evaluation, again. These games vs. the Ravens and Steelers are so valuable for a roster that’s young and full of holes; there are long-term jobs to be won and there’s a path to be paved. Of course, there’s also the chance of losing by multiple touchdowns at home. We’ve seen that movie as well.
5
I’ll dive more into McCoy and Dalton and what they’ve both shown over the next few weeks. We’ll have a better gauge then. Dalton on Sunday is going to face a different environment than anything he’s seen (except in Baltimore), and though he was pretty good in bringing the Bengals back from an early 14-0 hole the last time against the Steelers, the Steelers got the last laugh and a huge win with two fourth-quarter interceptions. The small improvements the Browns have shown over the last few weeks will really only be noticeable when there are wins to back them up. Baltimore probably won’t have Ray Lewis, and the Browns will take every little advantage they can get. Will they put it all together? We’ll see. If they can’t find a way to steal this one, it’s going to be a long December.
Source: Yardbarker: Pittsburgh Steelers
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