Bengals tie Steelers atop AFC North after Madrid win over Falcons
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The gist
Cincinnati Bengals beat Atlanta Falcons 34-17 in Madrid to tie Pittsburgh Steelers for first in the AFC North.
The two meet in Week 10, with Buffalo still holding the AFC's top seed.
Background
The AFC standings sort 16 teams into four division leaders, then three wild-card spots, using tiebreakers like head-to-head results and conference record. The Bengals' win in Madrid pulled them level with the Steelers at 6-2 in the AFC North, though Pittsburgh holds the tiebreaker from an earlier head-to-head win. Buffalo (6-1) leads the conference, with Denver (7-2) second and Jacksonville (6-2) third.
How it unfolded
- Nov 1, 2026Steelers beat the Browns 27-6 to take sole possession of first place in the AFC North, entering their bye on a four-game winning streak.
- Nov 6, 2026On their bye at 6-2, the Steelers entered Week 9 as the AFC's No. 3 seed but dropped a spot after the Ravens lost to the Jaguars.
- Nov 8, 2026The Bengals beat the Falcons 34-17 in Madrid, moving into a tie with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North.
- Nov 9, 2026After Week 9, the Bills (6-1) lead the AFC, followed by the Broncos (7-2), Jaguars (6-2) and Steelers (6-2), with the Chiefs and Bengals at 6-2 in the wild-card spots.
Key terms
- AFC North
- One of the four divisions of the American Football Conference in the National Football League, grouping the Ravens, Bengals, Browns and Steelers.
- wild-card spots
- An invitation to a tournament given to a player who did not qualify through normal ranking or entry.
- tiebreakers
- Any method used to decide a winner or rank participants when two or more have the same score.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Cincy Jungle notes Pittsburgh wins the AFC North tiebreaker on head-to-head, making Cincinnati the top wild-card team, while Denver's conference record lifts it over Jacksonville and Pittsburgh.
- Analysts
- Pats Pulpit says New England remains in the driver's seat for a playoff spot thanks to its conference record and strength-of-victory and strength-of-schedule tiebreakers over Cleveland.
- Caution
- Pats Pulpit adds that defending the AFC East title will be a challenge even though New England beat Buffalo in Week 4.
Still unverified
The sources describe the standings as provisional through Week 9, with the Bengals' final Week 9 position (5th or 6th) and the AFC's top spot dependent on Monday night results.