AFC North

The Baltimore Ravens are champions of the AFC North for the second straight season.

Having already secured a playoff berth, John Harbaugh's squad locked up the AFC North title Saturday with a 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns.

With a 12-5 record, the Ravens sit third in the conference. Here's how the standings look in both the AFC and NFC:

---

AFC Playoff Standings

1. Kansas City Chiefs, 15-1 (clinched AFC West, No. 1 seed)

2. Buffalo Bills, 13-3 (clinched AFC East)

3. Baltimore Ravens, 12-5 (clinched AFC North)

4. Houston Texans, 9-7 (clinched AFC South)

5. Pittsburgh Steelers, 10-6 (clinched playoff berth)

6. Los Angeles Chargers, 10-6 (clinched Wild Card spot)

7. Denver Broncos, 9-7

8. Miami Dolphins, 8-8

9. Cincinnati Bengals, 8-8

10. Indianapolis Colts, 7-9 (eliminated)

11. New York Jets, 4-12 (eliminated)

12. Las Vegas Raiders, 4-12 (eliminated)

13. Jacksonville Jaguars, 4-12 (eliminated)

14. Cleveland Browns, 3-13 (eliminated)

15. Tennessee Titans, 3-13 (eliminated)

16. New England Patriots, 3-13 (eliminated)

---

NFC Playoff Standings

1. Detroit Lions, 14-2 (clinched playoff berth)

2. Philadelphia Eagles, 13-3 (clinched NFC East)

3. Los Angeles Rams, 10-6 (clinched NFC West)

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 9-7

5. Minnesota Vikings, 14-2 (clinched playoff berth)

6. Washington Commanders, 11-5 (clinched Wild Card spot)

7. Green Bay Packers, 11-5 (clinched Wild Card spot)

8. Seattle Seahawks, 9-7 (eliminated)

9. Atlanta Falcons, 8-8

10. Dallas Cowboys, 7-9 (eliminated)

11. Arizona Cardinals, 7-9 (eliminated)

12. San Francisco 49ers, 6-10 (eliminated)

13. New Orleans Saints, 5-11 (eliminated)

14. Chicago Bears, 4-12 (eliminated)

15. Carolina Panthers, 4-12 (eliminated)

16. New York Giants, 3-13 (eliminated)

---

At the time of the deal, Baltimore's signing of Derrick Henry raised some questions. The Ravens had the NFL's No. 1 rushing attack in 2023, so it seemed fair to wonder what bringing in a marquee running back, even one as decorated as Henry, would accomplish.

Instead, the four-time Pro Bowler has helped take an already effective offense to another level.

Henry has run for 1,921 yards while taking for the NFL lead with 16 rushing touchdowns. At a time in his career when most running backs have lost a step or two, the 31-year-old is performing at the same level he did when he eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards with the Tennessee Titans in 2020.

KING HENRY WITH HIS 2ND TD ON HIS BIRTHDAY AND THE AFC NORTH CROWN 👑

(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/19UfLVs0yJ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 5, 2025

And Henry isn't even the most valuable member of Baltimore's roster.

Lamar Jackson has set career bests in passing yards (4,172) and touchdown passes (41). He also went into Week 18 pacing the NFL in quarterback rating (121.6) and QBR (78.0). Under offensive coordinator Todd Monken, the two-time MVP has refined his game and thrived out of the pocket.

In general, the Ravens are an example of how re-emerging as a playoff mainstay comes with a downside when you can't make a breakthrough. Since winning Super Bowl XLVII, the franchise has made six postseason trips and advanced to the AFC title game just once.

Nobody has shouldered more scrutiny during that run than Jackson.

In six career playoff starts, the 27-year-old has thrown for 1,324 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions. What he has historically done in the regular season simply hasn't been replicated when it matters the most.

Now that the AFC playoff field is basically set, Ravens-Bills on collision course for divisional round game in Buffalo. Can Lamar Jackson play well if it’s freezing?

— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) December 26, 2024

As with many other decorated signal-callers, including the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen right now, whether Jackson can win the big one will continue to be a narrative until he actually makes it happen.

A more practical concern for Baltimore is its pass defense. The secondary went into Week 18 having allowed 248.5 yards per game through the air, which ranked as the third-most in the league.

Patrick Mahomes went for 291 yards, one touchdown and an interception in Week 1 for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Ravens. Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott shredded them for 379 yards and two scores. The Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow had 820 yards and nine touchdowns in their two head-to-head meetings.

Top-shelf QBs have had success against Baltimore and that's a worrying sign when the AFC is likely to run through Mahomes or Josh Allen.

The Ravens clearly have the weapons to claim a conference crown. The playoffs are also where Henry's presence might be felt the most since the offense hasn't had a running back like this who can ease the burden on Jackson.

But the fanbase is likely to remain cautiously optimistic after watching the team fall disappointingly short before.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers suffered a knee injury during Saturday's game against the Cleveland Browns and will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the damage, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters after a 35-10 win.

"It's something that he has a chance to be OK with," Harbaugh said in his press conference. "But we'll probably have more details after an MRI tomorrow morning."

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Flowers is believed to have suffered a knee sprain. While the injury isn't considered major, there's a "real chance" he misses the team's first playoff game next weekend, per Rapoport.

#Ravens Pro Bowl WR Zay Flowers, ruled out with a knee injury, is believed to have suffered a sprain, sources say, pending the MRI.

It’s not considered a major injury, though there is a real chance he misses next week. If Baltimore takes care of business, he could be back. pic.twitter.com/nRmcETx0IB

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 5, 2025

Flowers exited the game in the second quarter after recording 12 yards on one reception in the Week 18 matchup.

The former 22nd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has recorded 1,047 yards on 73 receptions and four touchdowns this season.

The second-year player caught a short pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson, taking it to the Cleveland 12-yard line. A Browns defender fell on top of Flowers, who was already on the ground, seemingly making contact with the inside of his knee.

Flowers was attended to by Ravens medical staff and was able to walk off the field under his own power before heading to the blue medical tent.

Fans held their breath as they watched Flowers limp off the field, with playoff hopes hanging in the balance for the first-place team in the AFC North and concerns over the possibility of Flowers being sidelined.

The 11-5 Ravens had already clinched a playoff spot ahead of their game against the Browns on Saturday.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has accepted that, despite having a career year, he probably won't be taking home MVP honors.

"I'm proud of the season that I have had," Burrow told former MVP Cam Newton in an interview for ESPN. "You know, I would love to win an MVP at some point in my career. This year is probably not that year just because of how the season has gone for us. I think I'm deserving of it, but the MVP usually goes to the quarterback of the best team and that's not us this year."

"We have so many things in common." 😅

Joe Burrow with Cam Newton on his MVP-caliber play, the Bengals' season and facing the Steelers in Week 18 👀 pic.twitter.com/xqyFQiV810

— ESPN (@espn) January 4, 2025

The Bengals are currently 8-8 and sitting third in the AFC North, with several things needing to fall into place for them to make the playoffs:

• The Bengals must beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday
• The Kansas City Chiefs must beat the Denver Broncos on Sunday
• The Dolphins must lose or tie against the New York Jets on Sunday

Despite the Bengals' limited playoff hopes, Burrow has undoubtedly had an MVP-caliber season, according to past winners.

"Burrow is one of three players all time to throw for 4,500 yards, 40 passing touchdowns (and) fewer than 10 interceptions in a single season," Newton said. "Who else did that? Tom Brady in 2007 (and) Aaron Rodgers in 2011. You know the thing that they had? They both won an MVP."

The top two MVP favorites are Josh Allen at -260 and Lamar Jackson at +200, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Burrow is a considerable distance behind in third, at +1600.

Burrow, in his fifth season with Cincinnati, has moved past the MVP conversation and is now focused on the Bengals securing a win in their final regular-season game and potentially grabbing a spot in the postseason.

"I'm just excited for the opportunity," Burrow said. "We got a chance to go and make a statement. We obviously need help on Sunday but we can control what we can control and finish our season the right way. Guys are excited about that opportunity, myself included."

Kyle Van Noy had some money to secure in Week 18.

The Baltimore Ravens veteran linebacker achieved a contract milestone with a sack in the regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns. The sack brought his 2024 season total to 12.5, which triggered a $250,000 contract bonus.

SACK @KVN_03 ❗❗

Tune in on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/jpcn8LmYbK

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 4, 2025

💰With that sack, Ravens OLB Kyle Van Noy now has 12.5 sacks this season, which triggered a $250,000 incentive.

If Van Noy gets 1.5 more sacks today, he would earn another $250,000💰

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 4, 2025

Van Noy can earn an additional $250,000 if he records 1.5 more sacks against the Browns, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.

Van Noy has registered 39 tackles and 21 quarterback hits to go along with his 12.5 sacks. He has a cap hit of $3.6 million and a base salary of $2 million.

His play alongside other defensive stars like Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith have helped the Ravens go 11-5 through 17 Weeks. A victory over the Browns would secure an AFC North crown for the franchise.

The Cleveland Browns will extend their NFL record for quarterback turnover heading into Week 18.

Bailey Zappe will become the Browns' NFL-leading 40th starting quarterback since 1999 when he starts on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Bears rank second over that span with 30 different quarterbacks, per Evan Kaplan and Schefter.

The list ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/YEijZKhva2

— Pikkit (@pikkitsports) January 4, 2025

The Browns lost Deshaun Watson to a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 7. Since then the franchise has turned to Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson before handing the ball to Zappe for the season finale.

This marks the third time the Browns have turned to other quarterbacks for the majority of a season since guaranteeing Watson $230 million on a five-year deal.

Thanks to a suspension and two season-ending injuries, the Browns have turned to eight starting quarterbacks other than Watson since that contract kicked in ahead of the 2022 season.

That includes four signal callers during the 2023 season alone. Joe Flacco, P.J. Walker, Thompson-Robinson and Jeff Driskel all got starts last winter as the Browns became the first team in NFL history to back the playoffs behind at least four different starters.

The Browns re-joined the NFL in 1999 with Tim Couch under center. Since Couch, only three quarterbacks (Derek Anderson, Colt McCoy and Baker Mayfield) have served as the team's top passer in consecutive seasons.

Only Mayfield led the Browns' passing game for at least three campaigns. He held the honor for four seasons prior to his 2022 trade to the Carolina Panthers.

Zappe, who was signed from the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad earlier this season, will become the eighth quarterback to make just one start for the Browns over this 25-year stretch.

That list includes Spergon Wynn, Bruce Gradkowski, Thad Lewis, Connor Shaw, Kevin Hogan and Nick Mullens. Jeff Driskel, who played the 2023 regular-season finale to rest Joe Flacco, was the most recent single-game starter prior to Zappe.

The Baltimore Ravens could clinch the AFC North title with a win in Week 18. The Browns are meanwhile in the running with other three-win teams including the New England Patriots, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans for the first pick of the upcoming draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals trio of Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins is eyeing a future together beyond Week 18.

Ian Rappoport of NFL Network reported that the quarterback and his top wide receivers have "discussed" playing alongside each other with the Bengals going forward and that it is their "goal."

"Sources say the three have discussed playing together again for years to come. It's their goal, and privately they have made no secret about it," Rapoport wrote.

Burrow is currently under contract through 2029 while Chase could be a free agent after 2025 and Higgins can hit free agency this spring.

The trio has been together since the 2021 season, which was Chase's rookie year. The Bengals have gone 37-27 since then, reaching two AFC title games and one Super Bowl.

Chase has 5,329 receiving yards and 45 touchdowns in his career and has 1,612 yards and 16 touchdowns thus far in 2024. Higgins has 4,542 yards and 34 touchdowns in his career, with 858 yards and 10 touchdowns coming in 2024.

Burrow has 4,641 yards with 42 touchdowns and just eight interceptions in 2024. Despite the stellar play from that electric trio, the Bengals are just 8-8 this season and need a win in Week 18 as well as some help in order to make the playoffs.

If the Bengals are unable to qualify for the postseason, Higgins' time with the team could come to a close as he figures to have a strong market in free agency.

The Cincinnati Bengals will be down a receiver as they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in a must-win contest on Saturday.

Per ESPN's Ben Baby, rookie receiver Jermaine Burton won't travel with the team to Pittsburgh because of a coach's decision.

This will be the second time this season Burton is inactive because of a coach's decision. The third-round pick out of Alabama missed the Bengals' Nov. 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders after missing a walkthrough the Saturday before the game.

Head coach Zac Taylor said the decision to bench Burton in November was a "necessary step."

"We just got to handle our business the right way, and so I can sit here and say it was a difficult decision to make him inactive, but it was absolutely the right decision with all the information we had," Taylor said, per the Associated Press' Mitch Stacy.

"He's a guy who's going to have, I think, a really good career here, and we're going to support him. And he wants to help us win and do things the right way."

It's unclear why Taylor decided to bench Burton this week, but it could mean his season is over if Cincinnati doesn't reach the postseason.

Burton has had a disappointing start to his career, totaling just four receptions for 107 yards in 14 games. He has not had a ball thrown his way since Nov. 17 when had one reception on four targets against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Bengals, who head into the matchup with the Steelers at 8-8 on the year, need a few things to happen to reach the playoffs. They'll first need to win against Pittsburgh and from there would need the Miami Dolphins to lose to the New York Jets and the Denver Broncos to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Cleveland Browns are entering Week 18 with a 3-13 record after a disastrous 2024 season, but the team reportedly isn't planning to make major changes to the roster this offseason.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Daniel Oyefusi, team sources "insist a tear-down rebuild is not coming."

The sources also noted that Browns general manager Andrew Berry is "a measured yet aggressive general manager, which has historically yielded plenty of offseason activity." He's handed out big-money deals that made multiple players some of the highest-paid free agents at their respective positions. He's also made major moves on the trade market, such as acquiring star receivers Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy and defensive end Za'Darius Smith.

A personnel source told Fowler and Oyefusi that the Browns will be "opportunistic" in improving the roster this offseason as well. It was also noted that the team internally considers this to be "a pivot year," as it will have to make decisions on eight big-money contracts that become non-guaranteed in 2025. Cleveland has 11 picks in the 2025 NFL draft and will be picking in the first round for the first time since 2021.

"We have a lot of flexibility," a front office source said. "We'll be fine from a cap standpoint. That's the last thing I'm worried about."

Of course, a major hurdle for the Browns is quarterback Deshaun Watson's massive contract, which has a $72.9 million cap hit. Fowler and Oyefusi noted that restructuring his deal to convert his $46 million 2025 salary to a bonus and spread over multiple years "could give Cleveland more breathing room."

The Browns will end the 2024 season on Sunday in a road game against the Baltimore Ravens before turning the page to focusing on preparing for the 2025 campaign.

Even though the Cleveland Browns are going to have Deshaun Watson on their roster next season, the organization will be keeping tabs on other quarterbacks who are capable of starting to add during the offseason.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Daniel Oyefusi, Kirk Cousins is one option the Browns are expected to consider if he becomes available. They are also leaving the door open for Jameis Winston to return in 2025.

Cousins doesn't seem like he will be with the Atlanta Falcons much longer after being benched in favor of Michael Penix Jr. prior to Week 16.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the expectation from people across the NFL is that Cousins will be released by the Falcons before his $10 million roster bonus is due on March 17.

There's a chance the Falcons could explore trade opportunities for Cousins, but that would be complicated because of his salary and a full no-trade clause in his contract.

The Athletic's Jeff Howe noted executives and coaches around the league think the Falcons could land a day-three draft pick in a trade if they agreed to pay "a chunk" of Cousins' $27.5 million guaranteed salary for next season.

One reason that Cousins might have more interest than his performance this season suggests he should is the quarterback market looks rather barren. Sam Darnold will be the top free agent, but the group behind him includes Jacoby Brissett, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson and Mac Jones.

There could be some other players added to the list if they get released by their current team. Aaron Rodgers is the biggest name among potential cut candidates, but he's talking about potentially retiring going into the final game of the season for the New York Jets.

Cousins had some good moments this season with the Falcons, but he really struggled down the stretch prior to being benched. He has thrown for 3,508 yards with 18 touchdowns and an NFL-high 16 interceptions in 14 starts.

The Browns recently restructured Watson's contract with the expectation he will be on the roster in 2025, but there has been no assurances from the organization that he's going to enter the season as the starter.

Watson is currently rehabbing from a ruptured Achilles he suffered in Cleveland's Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He was arguably the worst starting quarterback in the NFL this season prior to the injury.

After Watson went down, Winston took over as the starter. He threw for 2,038 yards with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in seven starts before being benched prior to Week 16.

The Browns could also end up taking a quarterback in the draft. They could secure the No. 1 overall pick with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens and wins by the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans in Week 18.