Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates with wide receiver Antonio Brown #84 after a play in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

The AFC North is the NFL’s closest divisional race, but there is one clear favorite with four weeks left in the 2018 season. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the best odds to finish the year in first place.

Heading into Week 14, Pittsburgh has a half-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens atop the division. The Steelers have better than 2/5 odds to get a top-four seed in the playoffs, while the Ravens come in at a little better than 2/1. The Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns are under .500 with virtually no chance to make the postseason.

There’s a good chance Pittsburgh will extend their lead Sunday afternoon. They’ll visit the Oakland Raiders, who are tied for the worst record in football. Baltimore will visit the Kansas City Chiefs, who have the AFC’s best record and are undefeated at home. The Steelers are 10.5-point favorites in Week 14 and the Ravens are 6.5-point underdogs, according to OddsShark.

James Conner will miss at least one game for the Steelers after suffering an ankle injury. Only Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey have more yards from scrimmage this season.

Pittsburgh faces the more difficult schedule over the final three weeks. They’ll host the New England Patriots and visit the New Orleans Saints before playing at home against the Bengals in Week 17. Baltimore ends the season at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on the road against the Chargers and at home against the Browns.

It wasn’t too long ago that it looked like the Steelers would run away with the AFC North. They had a 2.5-game lead before being upset by the Denver Broncos and Chargers in consecutive weeks. The Ravens are on a three-game winning streak since putting Lamar Jackson at quarterback. The rookie has 453 passing yards, 265 rushing yards, three total touchdowns and three interceptions as a starter.

The Steelers have won two straight division titles. The Ravens haven’t won the AFC North since the 2012 season when they went on to win the Super Bowl.

Baltimore has a one-game lead for the second wild-card spot in the AFC.

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