Baltimore Ravens-The Ravens faced off against the previously unbeaten Denver Broncos this past weekend and handled them with relative ease. QB Lamar Jackson put on a show through the air, going 22/37 for 316 yards and a touchdown en route to a 23-7 road victory. The Baltimore defense held the Denver offense to 254 total yards, racked up five sacks and knocked starting QB Teddy Bridgewater out of the game early on. The Ravens take on the Indianapolis Colts next week on Monday Night Football.
Current record- 3-1
Cincinnati Bengals– The Bengals are coming off of their only primetime game of the season (barring a flexed game) against this years first overall pick, Trevor Lawrence and the winless Jaguars. Cincinnati was without key players DB Jessie Bates and WR Tee Higgins going into that game and both players’ absence looked noticeable early on. Jacksonville jumped out to an early 14-0 lead going into the half behind a solid rushing attack and a lackluster Cincy offense. Bengals 2nd year, first overall pick, QB Joe Burrow lit up the Jacksonville defense in the second half (17-20, 253 yards and two touchdowns) along with CJ Uzomah who had a monster game pulling in five catches for 95 yards and both of Burrow’s TD’s. On a more somber note, RB Joe Mixon suffered a minor ankle sprain and did not finish the game. Cincinnati snapped a 20 game streak of losing games down double digits at half. The biggest test of the young season is up next for the Bengals as they face off against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Current record- 3-1
Cleveland Browns– The Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings may have played the ugliest game of football ever this past weekend. In WR Odell Beckham Jr’s 2021 debut ended with a whopping two catches for 27 yards and one really funny meltdown when QB Baker Mayfield missed him running wide open down the sideline. The Browns won this low scoring battle 14-7 on the backs of their defense who held Minnesota to 65 rushing yards on the day. The rushing attack for the Browns shouldn’t be overlooked either, piling up 184 yards (Nick Chubb-21 carries for 100 yards, Kareem Hunt-14/69 and one touchdown). Baker Mayfield will look to rebound from his putrid 15/33 155 yard performance as Cleveland travels to LA this coming Sunday for a matchup against the Chargers.
Current record- 3-1
Pittsburgh Steelers– This part of my article has now been deemed “The Official Unofficial Ben Roethlisberger Farewell Tour.” Pittsburgh continued their streak of looking like a bad football this past Sunday as they fell to the Packers 27-17 in Lambeau Field. Big Ben threw the ball 40+ times for the third straight week which, behind this Pittsburgh offensive line, which is a recipe for disaster if you ask me. Gone are the days of number seven shrugging off 300+ lb defensive linemen and connecting with an All-Pro WR for a big play. This current version of the Steelers gave us less than 290 offensive yards and allowed the Packers to control almost every aspect of this game. One bright side for Pittsburgh has been rookie RB Najee Harris, who leads all rookies in yards from scrimmage this season. I don’t see things getting much better for the Steelers moving forward, I also don’t see any major changes for them ahead of their matchup with the Denver Broncos this coming weekend.
Current record- 1-3
