The Cleveland Browns find themselves in unfamiliar territory, sitting in the thick of AFC North contention ahead of a prime-time matchups against the division-leading Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football.
Cleveland and Cincinnati lock horns in one of the most eagerly-anticipated battles for Ohio with both teams unusually still in the playoff hunt – the last time they were both over .500 in the AFC North at this stage of a season was back in 1986.
Anything is possible in such a competitive division this season, which the Bengals top courtesy of a tied game with the Panthers putting them on 5-3-1 after nine games.
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For starters, first place in AFC North is at stake. If the 5-3 Browns win, they'll be tied for first with the resurgent Steelers, who visit the 1-8 Jets on Sunday.
If they lose, the 5-2-1 Bengals will remain alone in first.
The Browns can also even their division record at 2-2 with a victory, and hand the Bengals (2-0 in the AFC North) their first division loss. Of course, it will be a huge challenge to win in Cincinnati, where the Bengals haven't lost since the end of 2012. And the Browns would have to snap their 17-game road skid in the division, longest in the NFL since the 1970 merger.
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The flying Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-3 but that mark can be matched by the surprising Browns if they can beat their neighbours on their trip to Paul Brown Stadium.
Cleveland have been surprising and confusing in equal measure this season; they’ve beaten New Orleans, and more recently Pittsburgh when winning four of the last five – although that one loss was an embarrassing one to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cincy started strong at 3-0 before being demolished in New England, held to a tie with Carolina and being shutout 27-0 by the Colts. However, two wins since then have got them back on track to try and defend their divisional title.
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