After their Week 5 break, the Pittsburgh Steelers won a divisional matchup 23-9 over the Cleveland Browns. After their win on Sunday, the Steelers have become the betting favorite for the AFC North.
Aaron Rodgers had a great game against the Browns. He completed 21 of 30 passes, for 235 yard and two touchdowns. Cleveland’s front was able to sack him only once. D.K. was the wide receiver who scored one of Rodgers touchdowns. Metcalf led the team in receiving yards with 95. Rodgers and Metcalf have been a strong connection for the Steelers during their first five games.
Pittsburgh’s defense made it difficult for rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, while also limiting Browns’ rush attack to only 65 yards. The Steelers sacked Gabriel 6 times. Two of those sacks came from Jalen Ramsey and Nate Herbig, both outside linebackers.
This week, the Steelers will be on a short turnaround as they head to Cincinnati to play the Bengals in Thursday Night Football. They have a chance of extending their lead in AFC North.
This week, the Bengals welcomed a new but too familiar face as their quarterback. Joe Flacco, a veteran who was traded by the Browns, made his Cincinnati debut. The Bengals’ 40-year old quarterback tried to lead the team in a late comeback against the Green Bay Packers, but ultimately lost 27-18.
Flacco was sacked only once in the final minutes of the game. He finished 29-45 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and just one interception. He found superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase ten times for 94 yard and a touchdown. Mike Gesicki, the Bengals’ tight end, left the game after suffering a pectoral strain. He has been placed in injured reserve. Trey Hendrickson, the star defensive end of the Bengals, also left with a back problem.
Hendrickson was a trade target around the NFL before the deadline. However, reports indicate that the Bengals do not want to trade him. If Hendrickson cannot play, Cincinnati will have to rely on Shemar Stewart, a rookie first-rounder.
Los Angeles Rams defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17-3 to lose their fourth consecutive game. The Ravens, who are now 1-5, are no longer considered the favorite to win their division.
Baltimore’s mistakes again dominated the conversation, even though they showed more fight against the Rams this week than in their 44-10 loss last week to the Houston Texans. Cooper Rush, the quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, threw his fourth interception in two games since he became the starter. Wide receiver Zay Flower dropped the ball twice. The second time was a fumble that resulted in a charge against Rush. Rush was later replaced by Tyler Huntley, the third-string quarterback.
The Ravens can take some positives from this game, including the improvement of Zach Orr’s defensive performance — even if it was aided by Rams mistakes — and the return of the Ravens’ rushing attack. Derrick Henry rushed for 122 yard on 24 attempts. Baltimore is now entering a bye week, which was much needed, with the hopes of getting back several injured players, including quarterback Lamar Jackson.
After a 23-9 loss against the Steelers, the Browns fell to 1-5 overall and 0-3 within their division.
Gabriel, a rookie from Oregon, did not lose the ball, but he struggled in the passing game all day. He finished 29 of 52 passes for 221 yard and no touchdowns, while also being sacked 6 times. Quinshon Judkins, the second-round running back who was a standout in his rookie year, also struggled on the ground. He ran 12 times for only 36 yards. Harold Fannin Jr., a rookie tight end, led the team in receiving yards with 81 on seven catches. Fannin will be more relied on in the future, since fellow tight end David Njoku was forced to leave the game due to a knee injury.
After Sunday’s game, Pittsburgh head-coach Mike Tomlin expressed his thoughts on Cleveland general manger Andrew Berry trading Flacco for a rival in the division.
Tomlin stated. “But that’s my personal feeling.”