Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
The Ravens fell to the Dolphins 22-10 on Thursday night. A sentence I didn’t expect to start off with heading into this game. Baltimore just couldn’t get anything going in south Florida, finishing with only 94 rushing yards, the team’s only turnovers and just one offensive touchdown. QB Lamar Jackson was the leading rusher again but 39 yards isn’t anything to brag about. He was also sacked four times bringing his total to 28 on the year, good for third in the league. Baltimore’s defense played solid for the most part; the tendency to allow occasional big plays, combined with the offense struggling to get going is what inevitably lead to this loss. The Ravens head to Soldier Field for a chance to get back on track in a game against the Chicago Bears.
Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
Cincinnati had the week off following back to back losses. They’ll look to get back on track Sunday as they take on the Raiders in Las Vegas.
Cleveland Browns (5-5)
In the first official game of the post OBJ era, the Browns were absolutely handled by the Patriots in a 45-7 blowout. Neither Baker Mayfield (73 yards) or Case Keenum (81 yards) could muster up anything to make this game close. The only bright spot for Cleveland in this game was RB D’Ernest Johnson who finished the game with 99 yards on 19 carries while also leading the team with seven catches for 58 yards. Cleveland’s defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed Sunday as New England as they allowed 45 unanswered points, allowing almost 500 yards and only gaining 217 of their own. The Browns will try to put this game behind them as they welcome the winless Detroit Lions to Cleveland on Sunday.
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3-1)
Pittsburgh Steelers fans got a glimpse of what life without QB Ben Roethlisberger could be like and it was not a pretty sight. They were in a dogfight with a team that still has not recorded a single win this season and might as well take this 16-16 tie as a loss. While the numbers may look good on the stat sheet, the Steelers never seemed to be able to finish drives or hold on to the football. I do hope that this is the last time I ever see in the NFL as I detest the rule. The Steelers will head to LA for a matchup with the Chargers in hopes to get the taste of this stinker out of their mouths.
