The AFC North division title is still up for grabs, with the Steelers and Ravens battling it out to finish the 2025 season.
Pittsburgh currently leads the division and holds the No. 4 playoff spot in the AFC with a 7–6 record heading into a Week 15 Monday Night Football showdown against the Dolphins. Baltimore is coming off a 24–0 shutout win over the Bengals (which eliminated Cincinnati from the playoffs) to put them at 7–7, just outside of the playoff picture.
The Steelers and Ravens also will battle to close out the regular season—a contest that could hold a lot of playoff implications depending how the next few weeks go.
So, what will it take for the Steelers or the Ravens to make the playoffs? At this point, only one of the two teams will make the postseason as the AFC wild-card spots are held by teams with better overall records (the Texans are the No. 7 seed at 9–5). Here’s what you need to know about Pittsburgh’s and Baltimore’s paths to making the postseason:
AFC North standings (before Monday Night Football)
| TEAM | RECORD | PCT |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7–6 | .538 |
| Ravens | 7–7 | .500 |
| Bengals | 4–10 | .286 |
| Browns | 3–11 | .214 |
How Steelers can win AFC North and clinch playoff spot
The two AFC North teams have similar paths they need to take in order to clinch the playoff spot. Let’s start with the Steelers.
Beating the Dolphins on Monday night will allow the Steelers to hold onto a one-game lead in the AFC North and No. 4 playoff spot. If they lose, both Pittsburgh and the Ravens would be 7–7, but the Steelers would retain first place due to their 27–22 win over Baltimore on Dec. 7.
After Monday Night Football, the Steelers take on the Lions in Week 16, the Browns in Week 17 and then the Ravens in Week 18. If Pittsburgh wins the remaining four games on its schedule, they’ll end the year 11–6 and be crowned AFC North champs.
If the Steelers and Ravens end the year with the same record and Pittsburgh wins Week 18, the Steelers would win the AFC North title due to the head-to-head tiebreaker. If they end the season with the same record and Baltimore wins Week 18, the tiebreaker would go to best winning percentage within the AFC North. Heading into Week 16, the Steelers are 3–1 in the AFC North and the Ravens are 3–2.
How Ravens can win AFC North and clinch playoff spot
The Ravens need to continue winning in order to catch the Steelers down the stretch since Baltimore currently is behind in the playoff race.
Baltimore will play the Patriots in Week 16 and the Packers in Week 17 before the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh. If they win their final three games of the season to go 10–7, Baltimore needs Pittsburgh to lose at least one additional game or the Ravens need to finish the 2025 season with a better record in the AFC North.
If the race between the Steelers and Ravens is still tied after record, head-to-head record and divisional record tiebreakers, the procedures goes to the third tiebreaker: “Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.”
Grab your popcorn. It really might come down to the wire in the AFC North.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Steelers, Ravens Can Capture the AFC North Title to Make the Playoffs.