AFC North standings How Steelers win over Bengals impacts AFC playoff picture wi

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How many people had the AFC North has the deepest division in football this year? Come on now, be honest and put your hand down.There is a chance that by the end of the season, there will be more than the one required participant from the division participating in the playoffs. Three of the teams are well over .500, as the AFC North makes up nearly half of the postseason spots entering the Week 12 slate.There was a big divisional matchup on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati, as the Bengals hosted the Steelers. It was Pittsburgh's first game without former offensive coordinator Matt Canada, and Jake Browning's first NFL start for the Bengals with Joe Burrow out the rest of the year.The result was a 16-10 win for the Steelers, as Mike Tomlin Detroit Tigers Jersey 's crew continues to defy the eye test and find ways to win. The lo s pushed the Bengals under .500, decreasing the likelihood of a playoff berth for Zac Taylor's crew.MORE:While the Pittsburgh win did not change anything in the standings, there could be a new leader atop the division at the end of Week 12. The Browns travel to Denver to take on the Broncos at Mile High, while the Ravens are out on the west coast for a "Sunday Night Football" matchup against the Chargers. Only a half game Josh Harrison Jersey  separates the two, and depending on the results of both contests, there could be some shake-up in the AFC North.Prior to the Browns' and Ravens' games, here's a look at how Sporting News' projection model views the division.TeamxW-LDiv%WC%Playoff%No. 1 seed%AFC%SB%Ravens12-563.6%33.0%96.6%11.9%20.8%10.2%Browns11-622.2%61.3%83.5%3.3%2.9%1.2%Steelers10-714.1%61.8%75.9%1.0%1.7%0.7%Bengals7-100.0%2.0%2.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%Here's how the standings are looking after the Steelers-Bengals game.1. Baltimore Ravens (8-3)The Ravens enter their Week 12 matchup against the Chargers sitting atop the AFC North with a record of 8-3. Baltimore is 3-2 this year against AFC North opponents, holding two wins over the Bengals, a win and a lo s to the Browns and a lo s to the Steelers.Baltimore was the No. 1 seed in the AFC before Jacksonville and Miami each improved to 8-3 with Week 12 wins  two teams on the Ravens' schedule in the coming weeks. The Ravens have a chance to retake the top spot in the conference with a "Sunday Night Football" win over the Chargers, and with the Steelers and Browns hot on their tail, Jim Harbaugh's team cannot afford a slip-up.Following the Ravens' win against the Bengals in primetime, Baltimore is far and away the leader to win the division, with the model giving it a 63.6 percent chance of winning the AFC North and a 96.6 percent chance of reaching the playoffs overall. It also trails only the Chiefs among AFC teams in both conference champion odds (20.8 percent) and Super Nick Castellanos Jersey  Bowl victory odds (10.2 percent).2. Cleveland Browns (7-3)The Browns are navigating the rest of the 2023 season without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 10. However, Cleveland is in a wild card spot with a 7-3 record this year, thanks to the efforts of Dorian Thompson-Robinson and P.J. Walker in Watson's absence.Cleveland has split the season series with Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and also has a victory over Cincinnati, giving Kevin Stefanski's crew a divisional record of 3-2. The Browns are a half game behind the Ravens for first place, and a win over a red-hot Denver Alan Trammell Jersey  team could put Cleveland ahead of Baltimore, depending on the "SNF" result.The Browns lead all current non-division leaders in playoff odds, with an 83.5 percent chance of reaching the postseason, including a 22.2 percent chance of winning the division.3.Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4)The Steelers' defense has carried the team the entire season. Pittsburgh finally moved on from offensive coordinator Matt Canada, and it resulted in the offense's first game with over 400 yards in 58 games during the win over the Bengals. The victory improved Mike Tomlin's contingent to 7-4, remaining in a playoff spot in a hotly contested AFC wild card race.MORE: Pittsburgh has the best record out of all four AFC North participants when it comes  Brandon Dixon Jersey to divisional games, improving to 3-1 with the win over Cincinnati. The Steelers have defeated the Ravens once, the Bengals once and split their pair of games against the Browns.The Steelers are getting more likely to be a wild-card team, with the model giving Pittsburgh a 75.9 percent chance of reaching the playoffs, including a 14.1 percent chance of winning the division.4. Cincinnati Bengals (5-6)The Bengals were already facing an uphill battle for the rest of 2023 with star quarterback Joe Burrow sidelined for the remainder of the season. With their Week 12 lo s to the Steelers, it does not look good for Cincinnati's chances at making the playoffs. Without Burrow, the model gives the Bengals just a 2 percent chance of reaching the postseason in 2023.You may have noticed that all three of the other AFC North teams have a winning record against divisional opponents. Well, that's because Cincinnati hasn't defeated anyone in the AFC North. The Bengals are 0-4 this year against their division, with a lo s each to the Steelers and Browns and two to the Ravens.