Cleveland Browns (3-3)

Last Sunday, the Browns were brought back down to earth after a stunning win over the Green Bay Packers. The Browns’ offense was unable to support their defense as they fell by 24 points against the Detroit Lions. The Browns were able to hold on to the game for a while thanks to a solid defensive performance, but they started to fall apart in the second-half.

The Browns are now heading overseas to face the Minnesota Vikings, ending their three-game series against NFC North opponents. This is Cleveland’s home game, but due to the neutral location they will not have the usual advantage of playing in Ohio. The Pittsburgh Steelers had a loud crowd to their advantage last week when they played the Vikings in Ireland.

While the Vikings are coming off of a less than stellar performance against the Steelers they do not make a good matchup for Browns. The Vikings’ pass rush and ability to cause turnovers will be a problem for Dillon Gabriel who will make his first start in the NFL. Gabriel was announced as the new quarterback by the Browns earlier this week. Quinshon JUDKINS, a fellow rookie who has 237 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the last three games, has been the only bright spot for the Browns offensively. He has seen his workload increase with each game, and saw 21 carries against Lions.

The Browns’ offensive struggles will make it necessary for them to force several turnovers to win. Myles Garrett’s team could force a turnover by the Vikings starter Carson Wentz.

Baltimore Ravens (3-3)

Last week, the Ravens’ struggles in their early season got worse as they lost 37-20 to the Chiefs. Early on, the game seemed to be slipping away before several key starters were forced out of the game due to injuries. These included QB Lamar Jackson (OT Ronnie Stanley), LB Roquan, Smith, Marlon, Humphrey and Wiggins.

The Ravens’ defense already lacked their top three defensive linesmen, but now more injuries are piling up. Recently, the Ravens looked lost both on and off the field. But they were especially bad on defense where they ranked as the worst team in many categories. They’ll now have to try and salvage their season in Week 5 without their starting quarterback, as well as several other starters.

The Ravens, with Cooper Rush at the helm, will be facing a Houston Texans defense that is ranked number one in the league. They have a pass rush and a stingy defensive secondary. It will be difficult to replicate the offensive success that the Ravens enjoyed in Weeks 1 – 3. Derrick Henry will be needed to deliver a strong performance on the ground.

Despite their solid defense, the Texans themselves are only 1-3. After a three-game slump to begin the season, it wasn’t until the Tennessee Titans last week that the Texans found their offensive mojo. The Texans offense will be a challenge for the Ravens defense, which is undermanned. They will have better success if they are able to apply more pressure on a shaky defensive line.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)

Bengals may be in worse shape than the Browns and Ravens at this moment. The Bengals, who had just suffered a 38 point loss to the Denver Broncos two weeks prior, were again beaten 28-3 by the Broncos on Monday night. The Bengals have scored just 13 points in the last two games with Jake Browning at the center, while their defense continues to struggle.

Cincinnati is still having trouble rushing the football effectively, and are not able to make any explosive passes either. Last week, they racked up 125 yards in the air and 53 yards on 15 carries. These two poor performances were against stingy Vikings and Broncos defenses. However, the Bengals were significantly outplayed on both sides.

They’ll now have to face a Lions team in high gear, which has won three games in a row and is on fire offensively. After allowing Detroit to rush for 100+ yards in consecutive weeks, the Bengals have a tough task ahead of them. The Bengals will need to win the turnover war and put pressure on Jared Goff to keep the Lions at bay for a competitive match.

It’s not surprising that the Bengals’ Ja’Marr chase and Tee Higgins, two of their elite wide receivers, have been the victims of offensive ineptitude since Joe Burrow left to become quarterback. It would be great if either of them could make a play and gain yards after the catch, especially Chase, to help the Bengals stay on pace with the Lions.

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1-1)

After winning their third straight game and improving to 3-1, the Steelers will be off in Week 5.