NFL Playoff Picture: Steelers’ AFC North lead grows with win over Bengals in Week 13

Home » Post Shortcodes » NFL Playoff Picture: Steelers’ AFC North lead grows with win over Bengals in Week 13

The Steelers got back in the win column in Week 13, securing a 44-38 win over the rival Cincinnati Bengals to advance to 9-3 on the season.

Pittsburgh’s win meant that it remains in first place in the AFC North, but some even better news came later for the Steelers: The Ravens fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, dropping Baltimore to 8-5 and giving the black and gold a one-and-a-half-game lead in the division.

By defeating Cincinnati, the Steelers also dropped the Bengals to 4-8 — the AFC’s No. 10 seed — and a mere 3% chance of making the postseason per NFL.com

The Steelers are still the AFC’s third seed, but the Chiefs and Bills remain ahead in the race for the conference’s No. 1 seed. The Chiefs’ dominance has begun to falter in recent weeks, but the Bills look stronger than ever following a Sunday Night Football win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Still, there’s plenty of football left in the regular season, including tough games against AFC contenders such as the Ravens and Chiefs remaining on the Steelers’ schedule.

The current AFC standings are listed below. Teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today are marked with an asterisk. Pittsburgh has already recorded wins over the current Nos. 5, 6, and 7 seeds this season.

AFC standings ahead of Week 13 MNF

Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)* — Clinched

Buffalo Bills (10-2)* — Clinched

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)*

Houston Texans (8-5)*

Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)*

Baltimore Ravens (8-5)*

Denver Broncos (7-5)*

Indianapolis Colts (6-7)

Miami Dolphins (5-7)

Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)

Cleveland Browns (3-8)

New York Jets (3-9)

Tennessee Titans (3-9)

New England Patriots (3-10) — Eliminated

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)

Las Vegas Raiders (2-10) — Eliminated

Currently, two teams (Chiefs, Bills) have clinched their spots in the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs. NFL Next Gen Stats gives the Steelers a 99% chance to make the playoffs (improved from 94% coming out of Week 12) and a 4% chance to still walk away with the No. 1 seed.