Nov 10, 2023 By Dale Lolley for The Observer-Reporter newsroom@observer-Reporter.Com 5 min read

Could the entire AFC North make the playoffs?

Conceivably, yes. In reality, probably not.

Heading into Week 10 of the NFL season, every team in the AFC North was at least two games over .500, with Baltimore sitting at 7-2 and the Steelers, Bengals and Browns all 5-3.

That put all four teams in the top seven of the AFC, which – if the playoffs had started this weekend – would put all four in the postseason.

But, as we know, the playoffs don’t start this weekend.

And it’s awfully difficult for an entire division to get into the playoffs, even with the NFL now taking seven teams from each conference to the postseason.

The main reason for that is the six games each team plays within its own division. Last season, all four teams in the AFC North finished 3-3 within the division. That could happen again this year. It’s at least far more likely than one of the AFC North teams going 6-0 or 5-1 within the division.

At this point in the season in 2022, all four AFC East teams were above .500 and would have been in the playoffs. As it turned out, only two made it, as the New York Jets and New England Patriots stumbled down the stretch to finish below .500.

This season’s AFC North is better than that, but the Buffalo Bills won the AFC East and went 4-2 within the division. The Miami Dolphins and Patriots both went 3-3, while the Jets went 2-4.

Having at least three division losses makes things tough – largely because conference record is one of the first tiebreakers when deciding who goes to the playoffs.

That’s where the Steelers could be in good shape. They’re already 2-0 within the division and 4-2 in the conference.

They’re in better shape in that regard than Cincinnati, which is 0-2 in the division and 1-3 within the conference and Cleveland, which is 1-2 in the division and 3-2 in conference.

But there’s still a lot of season remaining. While it’s fun to talk about what would happen “if the playoffs started today,” the reality is that they don’t.

• All of that being said, the Bills’ loss to the Bengals last week was a damaging one. Buffalo has four conference losses, which is tied with the Titans and Broncos for the most in the AFC. And Buffalo still has games remaining at Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers and Dolphins within the conference and at Philadelphia out of conference. And that doesn’t include a game against the Dallas Cowboys at home, either.

The Bills, considered a lock for the playoffs in September, are in trouble.

• Yes it came against North Carolina A&T, but Bub Carrington’s debut at Pitt might be something for Panthers fans to get excited about.

The freshman guard scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had 10 assists, becoming the first Panthers player since Ricardo Greer to record a triple-double.

And he did it taking only 12 shots in 29 minutes.

This came after Carrington scored 13 points with seven rebounds and six assists in 23 minutes in an exhibition game against Pitt-Johnstown on just eight shots.

Carrington has made 7 of his 11 three-pointers in those two games. And while neither is, say, Duke or North Carolina, at 6-5, he has the height to shoot over just about any guard teams will put on him.

There will be some rough days ahead, but Carrington looks to be just what Pitt needed after losing the nucleus of last year’s NCAA Tournament team.

This week’s games

Packers (plus 3) at Steelers: Yes, the Steelers haven’t blown anyone out. But the Packers are even more offensively inept than the Steelers. And their defense isn’t nearly as good. Green Bay’s only road win came in Week 1 at Chicago. Since then, the Packers have lost at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Denver, none of which would be confused with a good team. Take the Steelers, 24-13.

Texans (plus 6½) at Bengals: This line opened with the Bengals favored by a touchdown and went down. Perhaps that’s because it doesn’t appear Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins will play while JaMarr Chase is extremely banged up. But the Texans are 1-3 on the road, including losses at Carolina and Atlanta. Take the Texans to cover in a 23-20 loss.

Browns (plus 6) at Ravens: The Browns won’t be playing against a team that doesn’t have a quarterback this week as they did against the Cardinals. And Baltimore’s defense is playing better than anyone expected. Take the Ravens, 23-16.

Giants (plus 16) at Cowboys: Let’s see, the Giants will be on their third starting quarterback in Tommy DeVito – they might be better off with Danny DeVito – and have allowed a league-worst 49 sacks. This should turn out well against a Dallas team that should be ticked off after losing to the Eagles. The line can’t be high enough. Take the Cowboys, 34-7.

Colts (minus 2) vs. Patriots: The Patriots are a red-hot mess. And Bill Belichick the coach can look in the mirror at Bill Belichick the GM clearly as the reason. They have no playmakers on offense and no difference-makers on defense. The Colts aren’t great, but Jonathan Taylor can carry them to victory. Take the Colts, 23-13.

Last Week: 4-1 ATS; 5-0 straight up

Overall: 25-18-2 ATS; 29-16 straight up