Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)

Last week, the Steelers won their second game of the season with a 7-point win over the New England Patriots. Pittsburgh’s defensive unit bounced back after two uninspiring games to start the season. The Patriots were forced into several turnovers, including recovering a ball at their goal line in order to prevent a touchdown.

Aaron Rodgers, along with his team, will kick off the game in Dublin, Ireland, on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Although the Steelers technically are the home team, it is difficult to determine if there will be a crowd advantage in a neutral location overseas. The Steelers will be looking to catch the Vikings after they beat the Cincinnati Bengals by 38 points last week.

The Vikings’ defensive scheme will put Pittsburgh’s offensive lines to the test. Brian Flores, who was the Steelers defensive coordinator for a few years in recent memory, could be able to give them an advantage with their gameplan because they are familiar with his tendencies. The Steelers must run the ball effectively, which they have struggled with so far, and also avoid turnovers. Jaylen Warren is still the Steelers’ lead back, but they haven’t been able to move the ball very well.

The Steelers, on the other hand, will face a Carson Wentz led offense. This unit was much more efficient in Week 3 compared to the previous two games. Kevin O’Connell’s offensive line is a formidable one, with playmakers like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Mason and T.J. Hockenson. They will be a tough challenge for the Steelers.

Cleveland Browns (1-2-)

Last week, the Browns did the unthinkable by defeating the Green Bay Packers with a field goal at the last second. The Browns’ current strategy is to win ugly, low-scoring games. The Browns’ offense has not been inspiring through three games, but their defense has performed well.

Cleveland’s defense has been very disruptive. Last week, the defense’s interception of Jordan Love in the fourth quarter helped them gain momentum before blocking the field goal attempt. In Week 4, the Browns must have a similar defensive effort, and possibly heroics, to beat another hot NFC North opponent.

In consecutive weeks, the Detroit Lions scored 52 and then 38 points. Last Monday, they dominated the Baltimore Ravens by rushing for 254 yard and three touchdowns. Jared Goff, the Lions’ passing game and their dynamic running backs are also very good.

This week’s matchup is a tough one for the Browns, who have already had to face three of the best offenses in the NFL at the start of the season. Joe Flacco and his Browns team desperately need more offense juice to relieve the pressure on the opposing side. The Browns are yet to score more than 17 in a single game.

Baltimore Ravens (1-2-)

After a high-scoring loss to the Lions, the Ravens are off to an unexpected 1-2 start. The Ravens were unable to keep up with the Lions in that game as their defense was unable to stop the running and they did not score enough points. Nnamdi madubuike, Kyle Van Noy and other defensive players were absent.

Baltimore’s defense gave up 254 yards of ground, including a run of 72 yards in the second-half. Ravens pass rush struggled to generate pressure, and only recorded zero sacks. In three games, the Ravens only have three sacks. The Ravens scored 30 points in a row, but Lamar Jackson got sacked 7 times, and they didn’t do enough to run the ball themselves.

In Week 4, the Ravens must find a way to win against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have also been a rocky start to the season, and are 1-2 like the Ravens. The Chiefs offense has been inconsistent, but it’s about to get its No. Xavier Worthy, the Chiefs’ No. 1 wide receiver, is set to return from injury for this game.

The Ravens will be focusing on Worthy, Travis Kelce and Marquise “Hollywood Brown” as the Ravens’ key pass catchers. However, containing Patrick Mahomes at the pocket will be the Ravens’ most important task. Chiefs’ rushing offense isn’t as good as Lions’, but they will still test Ravens front-seven despite their undermannedness. In the Jackson-Mahomes era, the Ravens still only beat the Chiefs once.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)

There was a lot of talk leading up to last week about how the Bengals could stay afloat in Burrow’s absence and still be a contender for the playoffs. Although the Bengals did go 4-3 in Burrow’s absence two years ago with Jake Browning at center, their Week 3 performance was a stark reminder how different they are without their starter signal-caller.

The Bengals lost 48-10 to the Vikings on the road. Browning’s fifth interception of the season was two interceptions. The Bengals also fumbled five times, losing three. The Bengals were blitzed by losing the first half of the game by 14 points. This only increased from there. The Bengals didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.

In Week 4, the Denver Broncos will be a much better defensive team in general. Pat Surtain, the reigning defensive player-of-the-year, is probably the best matchup for Ja’Marr chase. This one-on-one fight will be crucial in this game. Chase, Tee Higgins and the Bengals’ entire passing attack failed to make any progress in Minnesota.

Cincinnati’s inability to run the football through three games is even more alarming. Bengals’ efforts to emphasize Chase Brown running the ball have only resulted in 93 yards. The Bengals need to be more productive in the backfield if they want to find more success on offense in this game.