Entering week 11 of the NFL regular season, the AFC North is once again showing us why it is the best division in professional sports. Despite three of four teams losing this past weekend, week 11 next Sunday can prove to be an integral point in the sports betting season. With Pittsburgh defeating Cincinnati and Baltimore dropping the ball against the lackluster Seattle Seahawks, week 11 showdown featuring the Bengals and Ravens will be the biggest game of the weekend. Here is a preview of week 11’s AFC North action.
After hanging on to end the Cincinnati Bengals five game win streak, the Pittsburgh Steelers head into week 11, the team’s bye week at an inconvenient time. The last thing the Steelers wanted right now is a bye, as their small lead on the AFC North division can vanquish regardless of who wins the aforementioned Bengals and Ravens game, and the Steelers can’t do anything about it.
Entering the price per head 2011 NFL season, nobody and we mean nobody could have anticipated, that the AFC North, would be a three headed race to the final game of the season. In fact, most bookies had Pittsburgh regressing, Baltimore finally showing up, and Cincinnati and Cleveland dueling it out for the worst record in the league. Instead, only the Browns have done their part for bookie software predictions, as Cincinnati, Baltimore and Pittsburgh are entrenched in a heated battle for the divisional crown. What’s more, the way these three teams have played, all three have the possibility of getting into the playoffs at the end of the season.
Looking ahead to next weekend’s game featuring the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Baltimore Ravens, fans and experts alike will be curious to see which Baltimore team shows up. The Ravens have had a Jekyll and Hyde mentality this season, as they play outstanding football against contenders, but then forget how to play when they face pretenders and bottom feeders. Since Cincinnati has overachieved by all accounts this year, it is unclear if they are a contender or a pretender. This in turn, has us and many colleagues wondering, which Ravens team will show up next Sunday.
Furthermore, Cincinnati and Baltimore are each a half game behind the Steelers for the divisional lead. Meaning to say, with the Steelers off next weekend, the winner of Baltimore and Cincinnati, will be tied atop the division with Pittsburgh. If Baltimore wins, it is believed that fans and media alike will take a step back from rooting for their demise. Conversely, if Cincinnati can beat the Ravens, they will add more members to the “Who Dey?” bandwagon.
For Cincinnati to win they need two things to happen, firstly, they need the defense to play an entire 60 minutes, instead of settle into the game by the second quarter. Secondly, they will need AJ Green back, as the game changing rookie wide receiver left this weekend’s game with an apparent knee injury. If Green comes back, the Bengals should be in good shape for the game.
