Week 9 was a statement week for the AFC North, which is funny considering only two teams played. Although, life without the Browns and Steelers was fairly enjoyable, which begs the question, should the NFL downsize rather than expand? Kidding, of course. Maybe. You be the judge.
Bengals get better than average Joe
Alright fine. We aren’t downsizing obviously, especially after you consider how much content we’d lose from the Browns ceasing to exist. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s focus on that other Ohio team, the Cincinnati Bengals. After losing Ja’Marr Chase, it was unclear how the team would adjust to being without such a major part of the offense. However, whether you look at Joe Burrow or Joe Mixon, one thing is clear. The Bengals don’t have average Joe’s. Burrow carried the team for most of the season, but Mixon’s big five touchdown day delivered a huge victory, embarrassing the Carolina Panthers in a laugher. It was always going to take time for Zac Taylor to figure out how to adjust and expecting him to have all the answers against the Browns on Halloween was unrealistic, looking back on that now. Regardless, watch out for Cincinnati going forward now because if Mixon can be this effective, they just a lot scarier.
The Ravens are about to go on a run
All the talk leading up to Monday Night Football was about how the Ravens would adjust without Mark Andrews, among all the other injuries. Well, guess what? It didn’t matter. Baltimore’s schedule gets much easier, on paper, too. They will only play one team currently with a winning record in the final eight games, a Week 18 matchup with the Bengals. They should be able to cruise to the finish and as long as they keep their health, it should be a smooth ride to a division crown. At 6-3 heading into the bye, is it even out of the question to go 7-1 or 8-0 down the stretch? Probably not. If you’re a believer, there is probably no better time to buy the Ravens stock than right now.