AFC-North.com

For the third time in franchise history, the Baltimore Ravens stand at the doorstep of the Super Bowl. Can the Ravens get past New England in the hostile atmosphere of Gillette Stadium? The Ravens have only defeated QB Tom Brady's Patriots once in team history-- but that one win was a playoff game in Foxborough.

There was a lot of talk this week about whether Baltimore QB Joe Flacco was rattled by the defense of the Houston Texans in last week's divisional playoff win. The Ravens will need a strong performance on both sides of the ball to advance to Super Bowl XVI against the Giants or 49ers.

Continue reading "AFC Championship Game: Ravens at Patriots"

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The only AFC North team left standing after Wild Card weekend are the division champion Baltimore Ravens. After seven consecutive road playoff games, the Ravens get to play a postseason game at M&T Bank Stadium for the first time since 2003.

Two of the league's top three defenses will clash in this rematch of a Week 6 game that Baltimore won 29-14. The Ravens pulled away in the fourth quarter after a back-and-forth battle for most of the game.

This time, the Texans' starting QB is T.J. Yates, who became the fifth rookie QB in NFL history to win a playoff game when the Texans defeated the Cincinnati Bengals. (The others were the Buccaneers' Shaun King, the Jets' Mark Sanchez, the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, and Yates' opponent in this game, Ravens QB Joe Flacco).

"I think we stack up with anybody... We have a complete balance, offensively, defensively and special teams... It’s exciting to be at that place where we are."

Continue reading "AFC Divisional Playoff: Texans at Ravens"

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This is Pittsburgh's seventh postseason meeting with Denver, making the Broncos the most familiar playoff opponent for the Steelers. But there's little familiar about this version of the Broncos, winners of the AFC West division.

Denver was not expected to compete in the AFC West after starting QB Kyle Orton was benched. But the Broncos defense has kept them in games down to the end, and Heisman winning QB Tim Tebow, despite putting up absymal passing numbers, has rallied the team for game-winning drives time after time.

The paradox of facing the Broncos is that the offense seems harmless (Denver could manage only 3 points against Kansas City last week). But their stingy defense keeps them in the game (At 7-3, the Broncos were just one touchdown away from a win all day long). Any mistake may cost you the game. Throw in the hostile atmosphere at Mile High, and they are not an opponent to be taken lightly.

The Steelers are trying to recreate their 2005 run to Super Bowl XL by winning on the road as a Wild Card. But this time, they enter the playoffs with some serious injuries. QB Ben Roethlisberger will play with an ankle sprain he re-aggravated against Cleveland. Center Maurkice Pouncey, also with an ankle injury, is not expected to play.

Safety Ryan Clark will not play due to health concerns-- at a game in Denver in 2007, a blood disorder caused Clark to react negatively to the stress of playing at high altitude, costing him the rest of the season and ultimately his gall bladder and spleen. Clark was told by doctors that he could play in Denver now that the organs that caused the problems had been removed, but coach Mike Tomlin benched Clark as a precaution.

"It was an easy decision for us. When looking at all of our data we came to the determination he is at more risk so we are not going to play him. It's that simple."
-- Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin

Still, the Steelers are favored to win this matchup. Can they advance to meet Baltimore or New England in the playoffs' second round?

Continue reading "AFC Wild Card Game: Steelers at Broncos"

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Thanks to the heroics of rookie QB Andy Dalton, rookie WR A.J. Green, and a defense ranked 7th in the league, the Cincinnati Bengals have exceeded all expectations and returned to the playoffs as a Wild Card. This will be their third trip to the playoffs under head coach Marvin Lewis, but Cincinnati fans are longing for something they haven't seen since Andy Dalton was a three-year-old-- a playoff win!

On January 6, 1990, the Bengals won at Riverfront Stadium against the hated Houston Oilers thanks to a flurry of scoring that began with a rushing TD by Ickey Woods and finished with QB Boomer Esiason scrambling for 10 yards to put the Bengals up 34-0.

Esiason, Woods, and even the Oilers are no longer in the NFL, but the Bengals have another playoff game against Houston on Saturday afternoon.

The Houston Texans have made the playoffs for the first time in their 10-season history of the franchise thanks to the NFL's #2 defense and a lot of depth at the quarterback position. After QBs Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart suffered season-ending injuries, rookie T.J. Yates led the Texans to the AFC South title.

The Bengals know what Yates is capable of after he led the Texans on two long 4th-quarter scoring drives to win at Paul Brown Stadium on December 11. Yates was knocked out of the Texans' Week 17 game against Tennessee.

The Texans hope that both Yates and WR Andre Johnson (recovering from injuries to both hamstrings) will be able to return for the first NFL playoff game at Reliant Stadium.

"We were very, very lucky [to defeat the Bengals]. We know we won't get away with that type of effort this weekend."
-- Texans head coach Gary Kubiak

Which scrappy young contender will advance? Will the Bengals rise to the challenge on the road?

Note: If the Bengals win this game, they will play at #1 New England on Saturday at 8:00 PM, while the winner of the Steelers-Broncos game will play at #2 Baltimore on Sunday at 1:00 PM.

If the Texans win, the winner of the Steelers-Broncos game will play at #1 New England on Saturday, while the Texans will play at #2 Baltimore on Sunday.

Continue reading "AFC Wild Card Game: Bengals at Texans"

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It's Manning vs. Ryan in the first postseason game at MetLife Stadium. The Giants are looking to repeat their Super Bowl run from three years ago, while the Falcons hope to avoid another first-round letdown after a strong season.

Continue reading "NFC Wild Card Game: Falcons at Giants"

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Detroit fans have been waiting almost as long as Cincinnati fans-- the Lions' last playoff win was in 1991. QB Matthew Stafford and the Lions defense have a formidable task against single-season passing king Drew Brees and the Saints offense, who are just two years removed from their victory in Super Bowl XLIV.

Continue reading "NFC Wild Card Game: Lions at Saints"

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Happy New Year! It's taken until the first day of 2012 to determine the winner of the 2011 AFC North division race.

The Baltimore Ravens are holding on to the division lead thanks to their sweep of rival Pittsburgh, and they can wrap it up with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals or a Steelers loss to Cleveland.

Winning the division makes a huge difference-- it will give Baltimore the #2 seed (possibly even #1 if the Patriots lose as well) and the right to begin the playoffs at home. If the Steelers overtake them, the Ravens will be bumped down to #5 as a Wild Card team.

This will be the Ravens' fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs, but in all that time, they have not played a single postseason game at home because either the Steelers or Bengals have taken the division. Will the path to the Super Bowl come through Baltimore?

At the same time, this is a huge game for the Cincinnati Bengals, who would be thrilled with a Wild Card berth, since for them it's either the #6 seed or no playoffs at all. They have regained control of their own playoff destiny-- all they need is a win to make the playoffs.

The Bengals will also reach the playoffs with losses by the Jets and either the Broncos or the Raiders, but with the Titans, Jets, and Raiders all hoping the Bengals will stumble, the only way to ensure their season will continue is to defeat the Ravens.

Thanks to pleas from the players and coaches, and two-for-one ticket deals, Paul Brown Stadium has sold out for just the second time this year. Will the home crowd cause problems for the Ravens? Baltimore is 8-0 at home this season but only 3-4 on the road.

Continue reading "Week 17: Ravens at Bengals"

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The Steelers are gearing up for another playoff run, but will their path to the Super Bowl begin at Heinz Field after a week's rest, or will it take them on the road?

That's only partly within Pittsburgh's control. They need to take care of the rival Browns in Cleveland and get some help from across the state in Cincinnati.

If the Steelers win and the Bengals defeat the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers will jump from the #5 position to #2 as the AFC North champion. If the Patriots are upset by the Bills as well, the Steelers can even grab the AFC's #1 overall seed.

QB Seneca Wallace will get the start once again for the Browns as they try to play spoiler, with Colt McCoy still sidelined by a concussion he received from Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is still recovering from spraining his ankle in the same game, so it's not known how much playing time he will have. With a playoff berth secured, is a chance at winning the division worth the risk of further injury?

Continue reading "Week 17: Steelers at Browns"

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For 24 nerve-wracking hours, the Ravens were knocked from their perch atop the AFC North division after falling to the San Diego Chargers. But on Monday night, the rival Steelers lost to coach Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco 49ers, putting John Harbaugh's Ravens back in the lead with just two games remaining in the season.

The Ravens have won 7 consecutive games against the Cleveland Browns, and they don't want that streak to end now. The winner of the AFC North will be able to claim the AFC's #2 seed, giving them a week off followed by a playoff game at home, while the runner-up will receive a #5 seed and have to navigate the playoffs on the road.

The season has taken its toll on both teams. Ravens WR Anquan Boldin will miss the last two weeks of the regular season but is expected to return for the playoffs. And Browns QB Colt McCoy is still sidelined by a concussion, so Seneca Wallace will get the start in Baltimore.

Continue reading "Week 16: Browns at Ravens"

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The Steelers missed an opportunity to take the lead in the AFC North when they lost to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday and now must hope that the Ravens stumble against either the Browns or the Bengals. In the meantime, QB Ben Roethlisberger needs to get healthy after playing six quarters with a high ankle sprain. Veteran backup Charlie Batch is expected to start against the struggling St. Louis Rams (who are also without their starting QB), with Dennis Dixon available if Batch struggles.

Continue reading "Week 16: Rams at Steelers"

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Today's meeting between the Cardinals and Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium is essentially a playoff game. Both teams still have a shot at a Wild Card berth, but only if they keep winning. The Bengals need a win and a loss by the New York Jets (playing the crosstown Giants) to regain control of the AFC's sixth seed.

But the Cardinals have shown a feisty ability to win with their backs against the wall. The Bengals hope that WR A.J. Green will remain healthy enough to get them into the postseason.

Continue reading "Week 16: Cardinals at Bengals"

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The Steelers face one of their toughest challenges of the season as they travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers in a matchup of 10-3 teams on Monday Night Football. Almost a quarter of the Lombardi trophies awarded in the history of the Super Bowl belong to one of these two teams, and they'd both like to add to the collection.

Pittsburgh will have to deal with the absence of LB James Harrison, who was suspended for his tackle of Browns QB Colt McCoy last Thursday. Center Maurkice Pouncey will miss the game due to injury. QB Ben Roethlisberger is expected to start, but it's not known how much he will be affected by the ankle sprain he suffered last week against Cleveland.

Because of the Ravens' loss in San Diego last night, this game has major playoff implications. A Steelers win will put Pittsburgh back in control of the division title race and give them a chance to claim the #1 seed in the AFC if they keep winning.

Continue reading "Week 15: Steelers at 49ers"

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The Baltimore Ravens are in a four-way tie for the best record in the conference, but as long as they keep winning, they will keep control of the AFC's #1 seed and the home-field advantage that comes with it.

On Sunday night, the Ravens take their defense, #3 overall in yards allowed, to the national stage once again. Their opponent is a San Diego Chargers team trying to make another late-season climb back into the playoff picture.

Patriots, Texans, and Steelers fans will be cheering for the Chargers tonight.

Continue reading "Week 15: Ravens at Chargers"

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Continue reading "Week 15: Bengals at Rams"

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Continue reading "Week 15: Browns at Cardinals"

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