In the AFC North opener for the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, the Black and Gold handled the Cleveland Browns in a 23-9 win, moving to 4-1 on the season. Most importantly, they’re now 1-0 within the division, too.
In the process of the Steelers rolling to the win over the Browns, the Baltimore Ravens were once again going through another ugly performance at home at M&T Bank Stadium, dropping a tough 17-3 decision to the visiting Los Angeles Rams, sending them to one of the worst starts in franchise history.
A few hours later in the first start of the Joe Flacco era for the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bengals suffered a key injury defensively ahead of a short week, and really had no answers for the Green Bay Packers in a 27-18 loss that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
With Week 6 wrapped up in the AFC North, here’s how things stand in the division entering Week 7.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1)
2. Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)
3. Baltimore Ravens (1-5)
4. Cleveland Browns (1-5)
The Steelers continue to extend their lead in the division. It’s still very early in the season and there are still five games left in division play for the Steelers, but the size of the lead they have right now is encouraging. They’re handling injuries and adversity much better than the other three teams in the division.
Baltimore is really falling apart. Without Lamar Jackson, they look like one of the worst teams in the NFL.
Hosting the Rams Sunday, Baltimore dominated time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 38 minutes. And yet, despite running 75 plays, the Ravens generated just 296 yards of total offense, averaging just 3.9 yards per play.
Penalties were an issue, too, as the Ravens were called for seven penalties in the loss, and turned the football over three times.
Baltimore opened the game with a field goal from rookie Tyler Loop to take a 3-0 lead, but that would be it for scoring for Baltimore. They had a shot at punching one into the end zone later in the game, but the Rams stood tall with a goal line stand from the 1-yard line, stuffing Derrick Henry on two runs and tight end Mark Andrews on two sneak attempts.
While the Ravens struggled on offense, the Rams tied the game at 3-3 before the half on a 36-yard field goal from Joshua Karty. Then, it was all Rams in the second half as running back Kyren Williams scored on a 3-yard touchdown run, capping off a great drive for Los Angeles in which Williams made a remarkable catch along the boundary.
Later on, Matthew Stafford found tight end Tyler Higbee wide open for an 8-yard touchdown, making it 17-3, which ultimately held up as the final score.
Down 17-3, the Ravens ultimately benched quarterback Cooper Rush, turning to former Pro Bowl quarterback Tyler Huntley. Rush was just 11-of-19 for 72 yards and an interception before being benched. Huntley was just 10-of-15 for 68 yards and was sacked four times after replacing Rush.
Rush also lost a fumble before being benched.
Henry seemed to get back on track in the loss, rushing for 122 yards on 24 carries, but the goal line stand by the Rams was what ultimately changed the game, and Henry was stopped in his tracks twice.
Say Flowers led the Ravens in receiving with six receptions for 46 yards, but he lost a fumble in the game, too, leading to a Rams score.
With the loss, the Ravens fall to 1-5 on the season. They now enter their bye week and have a chance to get Jackson back in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears in a 1 p.m. kickoff at home.
In a 4:25 p.m. EST kickoff between the Packers and Bengals, there was a lot of hype for the Bengals in the Flacco debut. After trading for him earlier in the week, the Bengals inserted the 40-year-old into the starting lineup. He offered some promise, but once again the Bengals couldn’t stop anyone on defense.
The Packers rolled up 409 yards of total offense and largely did whatever they wanted on the day. The Packers rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon, while Jordan Love threw 259 yards and a touchdown in the win.
The story was Flacco though. After coming over midway through the week, Flacco showed some life for the Bengals offensively in the passing game, throwing for 219 yards and two touchdowns, hooking up with Ja’Marr Chase for a 19-yard score and finding tight end Tanner Hudson for a score as well.
Chase and Tee Higgins combined for 15 receptions for 156 yards, showing that they can still be a formidable pairing with a serviceable quarterback under center, something they didn’t have in recent weeks with Jake Browning.
Just when it looked like the Bengals were going to make it a one-score game late, kicker Evan McPherson missed a 56-yard field goal,
Defense will be the real issue though, especially with star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson suffering a back injury and exiting the game, which could put his availability in question for Thursday night against the Steelers.
The Bengals will host the Steelers on Thursday Night Football in Week 7, while the Browns will host the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m.
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