who will win the division?

[Ravens1991]

This is a very tight race going. Here is the schedule for the Ravens and Steelers.

Ravens(7-4)
@CIN
WAS
PIT
@DAL
JAC

Steelers(8-3)
@NEW
DAL
@BAL
@TEN
@CLE


I think the Ravens will be anywhere from 9-7 to 11-5

I also think it is possible for the Steelers to go 9-7 to 11-5.


It is still a very close race, to properly break it down it could take hours. So who do you think will take the division?

[Smooth Criminal]

Very close race. Baltimore is doing alot better than I expected them to. Injuries in the secondary could cost them some games down the stretch.

Alot will come down to what happens week 15. Thats a huge game and the Steelers always lose at Baltimore.

[AkiliSmith]

The Bengals arch rival, the Steelers.......

[j05son]

Originally Posted by AkiliSmith

The Bengals arch rival, the Steelers.......

I think Cleveland's arch rival; Pittsburgh will be the victor.

[BmoreBlackByrdz]

wow its been in my head that the Steelers have already locked up the division but I guess I never realized it was this close. Suddenly the week15 game is HUGE. I think whoever wins that will win the division. Also hope Cleveland beats Pittsburgh in there re-match to give us more of a chance.

[Mr. Stiller]

Per my friend Beantown on scouts Steelers site..

This was a new insight for me, so pardon me if anyone else has pointed it out. I did not realize the path to a first-round bye was so simple.

Claim: If the Steelers win at least 3 out of their remaining 4 games, they will finish at worst with the #2 seed.

Proof: First, if the Steelers win 4 out of 4, given that they are currently the #2 seed, it is trivial to see that they can finish no worse than the #2 seed. Thus, we assume they only win 3 out of 4 and finish 12-4.

Lemma: We first show that this guarantees the Steelers will win the division. If the one loss is against anyone other than Baltimore, Pittsburgh will own the first tiebreaker over the Ravens, as they will finish 12-4 and Baltimore is no better than 11-5.

If the one loss is to Baltimore, the Steelers still finish 12-4, and at best the Ravens are also 12-4, assuming they win out. The first tiebreaker after that is division record, which would also be a tie in this case. The next tiebreaker is common games, which would be a tie as well. The fourth tiebreaker is conference record; the Steelers would finish 10-2 in the AFC and Baltimore would be 9-3, which gives the division to Pittsburgh. This completes the proof of the lemma.

Having shown that the Steelers will definitely win the division by winning 3 out of the last 4, we now show that they must necessarily be at least the #2 seed. The only other potential division winners who could possibly finish 12-4 or better are NYJ, Tennessee, and Indianapolis, and NYJ and Indianapolis can both do no better than this.

The worst-case scenario for the Steelers is a 3-way tie between them, the Jets, and either the Titans or Colts. In this case, 3-way tiebreakers need to be applied. If it is the Jets, Steelers, and Titans, there can be no head-to-head sweep (Jets beat the Titans, Jets and Steelers do not play), so it goes to conference record, which eliminates the Jets for sure, since they will finish at best 8-4 in the AFC. If it is the Jets, Steelers, and Colts, there can also be no head-to-head sweep (Colts beat the Steelers, Colts do not play Jets), so it reverts to conference record, and again the Jets are 8-4 at best, whereas the Steelers are 10-2 if they win at least 3 out of the last 4.

In all other scenarios, there are at least two other division winners with a record no better than 11-5, in which case the Steelers obtain the #2 seed or better.

[jkpigskin]

wooot!
lets go ravens!
im so pumped

i was just roaming the boards, and we need some good ole smack talking between afc north rivals

anybody see any retaliation for mendenhall's shoulder? i finally looked up the hit and it was a great tackle by ray and was surprised that mendenhall got hurt

[Smooth Criminal]

I hope the Steelers don;t go out there head hunting. Theres no room for a 15 yard penalty in this game.

[BigDawg819]

The Steelers, because the Ravens had no heart when it mattered.

[Smooth Criminal]

This is the first back to back division championship in the North right?