3 Bold Predictions Around the AFC North on the Browns Week 5 Bye
By Tyler Maher
The Browns are off this week, but there are still plenty of reasons for Cleveland fans to watch some football this weekend. All three of our division rivals will be in action, including two who are facing each other. That means at least one of them has to lose! (Unless there's a tie.)
We're currently tied with the Steelers for second in the AFC North at 2-2, one game behind the Ravens and one game ahead of the Bengals. Depending on how this weekend shakes out, the standings could look fairly different by the time we take the field next week.
With that in mind, here are three bold predictions for the rest of the AFC North in Week 5.
3 Bold AFC North Predictions Week 5
1. Baltimore Finally Loses a Divisional Game
A big reason why the Ravens are at the top of the standings is because they've managed to win both of their divisional games so far. They edged the Bengals, 27-24, on the road in Week 2, then blew us to smithereens in Week 4 when Deshaun Watson decided he didn't want to play.
Baltimore has another road divisional game this weekend against the Steelers, but we think Pittsburgh takes this one despite having a worse record and a generally inferior roster.
The main reason is that the Steelers' defense has been an absolute nightmare for Lamar Jackson lately. He's just 1-2 in his last three starts against them with a whopping 6 interceptions, so their defense clearly has him figured out.
The Ravens also aren't infallible. They lost an easily winnable home game in overtime to the Colts in Week 3 and are already dealing with a number of injuries. Pittsburgh will also be looking to bounce back from an embarrassing 30-6 loss to the Texans last week.
Beating Mike Tomlin's crew on the road is never easy, and I think Baltimore comes up short this week despite being favored.