BYE-maggedon concludes on Monday night time with a sport of nice significance. The Baltimore Ravens want a win to stay one sport forward of the Cincinnati Bengals for first place within the AFC North. A victory for the New Orleans Saints at dwelling would give them the identical document because the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Sunday wins by division foes have made victory on this sport much more paramount for each groups. A loss for both now leaves them weak with lower than half of the season remaining.
The Ravens, and beginning QB Lamar Jackson, have received two consecutive video games and seemed to be properly on their technique to their first division championship since 2019. They have already defeated the second-place Bengals whose finest participant, Ja’Marr Chase, is on injured reserve for at least two extra weeks with a hip harm. Also, the Bengals bought smoked final Monday night time by a division rival, the sub-.500 Cleveland Browns.
Sure the Atlanta Falcons have been a sport forward of the Saints for the NFC South lead, however we’re speaking concerning the Falcons. A franchise with a singular functionality to lose in essentially the most excruciating and ill-timed methods. It occurred once more throughout yesterday’s early slate of video games. Tied 17-all, with 34 seconds remaining in opposition to the Los Angeles Chargers, Austin Ekeler fumbled, and Ta’Quon Graham scooped up solely to drop the ball on the bottom 19 yards later with out being touched. The Chargers recovered and went on to kick the sphere aim.
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That knocked the Falcons out of first place, and the Saints at the moment maintain the tiebreaker in opposition to them. Unfortunately for the Saints, Tom Brady sprinkled what water he hadn’t already guzzled from the Fountain of Youth on that elbow, main the Buccaneers on a game-winning landing drive that staved off a fourth consecutive loss for Tampa and stopped the Saints from reaching first place.
Off of a brief observe week, the Bengals disposed of their Week 9 opponent by doing every part moreover actually inserting them in a dumpster. Following the Christian McCaffrey commerce, the Carolina Panthers appeared rejuvenated after a win in opposition to the Buccaneers and an extra time loss to the Falcons. The Bengals moved as quick as potential on Sunday afternoon to destroy any good emotions within the Panthers group by taking a 35-0 halftime lead. This victory pushed the Bengals document again over .500.
Now as an alternative of this Monday Night Football matchup being for dominant positioning in a division, it has was a win that’s essential to set the desk for the again half of the season. The Saints have a monster schedule remaining with street video games in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. While the Ravens schedule is way much less grueling, they’ve fairly a number of divisional matchups remaining, together with a Week 18 rematch with the Bengals — in Cincinnati.
With each groups coping with accidents to key gamers, that is the kind of win that may purchase them a while whereas they attempt to get again to full power to make that late playoff push.
An intra-conference primetime matchup at a rowdy Superdome in opposition to two groups with professional probabilities at a division. Not a nasty technique to finish every week with six groups on a bye.