Nov 16, 2019 6 min read

Maybe it’s time to break up the AFC North.

We see rivalry games in other divisions that don’t devolve into what we saw occur Thursday night in Cleveland, with Myles Garrett trying to bludgeon Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with his own helmet at the end of that game.

We’ve seen other rivalry games in the NFL that didn’t devolve into former Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict taking more cheap shots than an alcoholic at happy hour.

The Browns and the Bengals obviously envy what the Steelers are – a winning organization.

And, OK, the Steelers – and Ravens, for that matter – have treated the Bengals and Browns like their little brother on a very regular basis, winning games against them with relative ease.

That in no way, however, excuses Garrett’s attack, which tried to drive Rudolph into the ground like a tent spike.

Garrett has been suspended indefinitely and probably won’t play another game this season. That’s a fair punishment for an offense that, if it happened to someone walking down the street, would include a lengthy amount of jail time. And yet Browns fans are crying about the results.

They’re trying to blame Rudolph, who had gotten into it with Garrett after the defensive linemen took him to the ground – late – with 8 seconds remaining in a 21-7 Browns victory then attempted to lay on top of him.

Rudolph took offense to that and grabbed Garrett’s facemask. It was a penalty for him to do so. And it’s worth a fine, which Rudolph will receive.

But it does not give Garrett free reign to beat him with his own helmet. Not in a civilized society. Not in a football game. And most certainly not on national television.

It’s nothing more than victim blaming by Browns fans.

• By the same token, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey’s three-game suspension for punching and kicking Garrett after he attempted to bludgeon Rudolph was deserved.

Protecting a teammate is fine. But at that point, Garrett had been subdued.

Pouncey, like Garrett, lost his temper and snapped.

• These kind of things happen all too often in the AFC North. And then they’re brushed off as just being AFC North football.

But they don’t seem to happen in other divisions.

Perhaps it’s time to break those teams up. Put the Steelers and Ravens in a division with the Jets and Patriots. Put the Bengals and Browns in a division with the Colts and Bills. They would make more geographic sense, anyway.

Then, the Dolphins could play in the AFC South, where they belong, instead of having Indianapolis in that division.

• After the Browns knocked JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson out of Thursday night’s game with helmet-to-helmet shots, the Steelers played the final 24 or so minutes of that game with three receivers, one of whom was activated earlier in the day from the practice squad.

And when James Conner left at the end of the first quarter after aggravating his shoulder injury, Rudolph was handing the ball to two practice squad running backs and Jaylen Samuels, who is a good receiver out of the backfield but isn’t a feature runner.

Yet people are shocked Rudolph and the Steelers struggled to move the ball.

Rudolph didn’t play particularly well in that game, but he also had absolutely no help at the skill positions.

• Conner’s issues staying healthy are why the Steelers need to move on from him at the end of his rookie contract. He’s a good, not great, running back.

And one of the most important characteristics a player can have is availability. All too often, Conner is lacking that one.

This week’s picks

Houston (plus 4½) at Baltimore: Deshaun Watson against Lamar Jackson. This is a heck of a matchup. The Texans have done a nice job against the run this season but can be susceptible against the pass. Can the Ravens throw the ball if their run game gets bogged down? They should win the game at home, but the Texans can keep this within the spread, especially having had two weeks to prepare coming off their bye. Take the Texans to cover in a 27-24 loss

Oakland (minus 11½) over Cincinnati: This game could be over in 2½ hours. The Raiders will run the ball with Josh Jacobs. And the Bengals aren’t capable of stopping it. The Bengals did the right thing by turning things over to rookie Ryan Finley, but they’re still going to struggle. The quarterback isn’t the problem. Take the Raiders, 28-10

Philadelphia (plus 4½) against New England: This should be a low scoring game as both defenses will slow things down. The Eagles can be had downfield, but who is that guy now for the Patriots? And you can run on New England, meaning the Eagles could eat a lot of clock with Jordan Howard. The Patriots probably win, but the spread is a big one in a low-scoring game. Take the Eagles to cover in a 20-17 loss

Dallas (minus 7) at Detroit: The Cowboys should have way too much offense and defense for the Lions to handle without Matthew Stafford on the field. Look for Ezekiel Elliott to have a monster day. Take the Cowboys, 27-13

Minnesota (plus 10½) over Denver: The Vikings should run, run and run some more in this game. And their defense should shut down Denver’s offense. This looks like a mismatch. Take the Vikings, 31-14

Last Week: 1-4. Overall: 27-22

Dale Lolley covers the Steelers for DKPittsburghSports.com and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.