Breaking even just might be good enough

It’s 1985 and the Browns have won the AFC Central championship for the first time in five seasons.

It would also turn out to be the first of their four straight division titles.

Their record?

It was 8-8.

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They edged out — by just a game — the two teams that tied for second place at 7-9 — in the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Houston Oilers were the only team not packed in there tight with the other three, finishing 5-11.

It’s 2025 and in the successor to the Central Division, the AFC North, there are two teams tied for first place in the Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens.

Their record?

It’s 6-6 with five games left.

The Bengals are in third place at 4-8, and the Browns, though in last place, are just a game behind at 3-9.

Deja vu from 40 years ago?

Yes, certainly, so far.

With that, then, what happens from here?

It’s quite possible that the eventual champion will have just a .500 record again for the first time in four decades.

Want something even crazier?

While the Steelers are dropping like a rock, and the Ravens, after a horrible start, got hot and jumped back into the race, the team that might be the one to watch is the Bengals. They pounded the Ravens in Baltimore on Thanksgiving night as their talented quarterback, Joe Burrow, returned to the lineup after missing almost all of the season. The Bengals think they can keep winning and make a run at the title, as absurd as it might sound. And they just might be right, as long as Burrow stays healthy, that is.

Steve King

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