Baltimore Ravens: Week 7 AFC North Implications
By Brandon Suir
The Baltimore Ravens look healthy and confident heading into Week 7, and that’s a great thing. After all, somebody has to put pressure on Cincinnati and breathe down their necks.
A victory this Sunday puts them at 5-2, 2-1 in the division. Baltimore definitely needs to not sleep on Atlanta, play Ravens hard-hitting ball at home and win this game. Baltimore can’t afford a loss here and could sure use a Bengals loss, which I don’t think they’ll get.
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A Ravens win over Atlanta keeps the team on course to meet my prediction of 11-5 for the year, which is crucial, as the Ravens need to stay no more than one game behind the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are down but maybe not completely out. At 3-3, 1-2 in the division, the Steelers are in prime condition to make a comeback. The problem is it will not come easy. Pittsburgh’s suspect offensive line faces a stout Texan defense, and they sorely need this win, as I do not see Baltimore or Cleveland losing this week. Pittsburgh can ill afford a loss, which would likely force them to the bottom tier of this division.
Cleveland can almost count on a win over the lowly Jags. The Cleveland Browns, in spite of many question marks, are actually a promising team. A win over the winless Jaguars is crucial, as it puts the pressure on Baltimore to win as well to stay ahead in the division. In fact, in the next three weeks Cleveland plays the Jags, the Raiders and the Bucs, all teams well under .500, all of which are close to guaranteed victories.
The Cincinnati Bengals are not just leading the AFC North, they are also one of the better teams currently in the NFL. Undefeated in the division, it looks like smooth sailing for Cincy. Or so it seems. Despite a 3-1-1 record against tough opponents, the Bengals schedule isn’t getting easier any time soon. Cincinnati has the toughest game in the division this week as they face the Indianapolis Colts. The Bengals have to win this game as they should expect the Ravens and/or Browns to win their games. A loss will puts their stranglehold on the division in question. The pressure is all on Cincinnati to win if they wanna stay the front-runners.