Week 11 of the NFL season saw two separate AFC North showdowns with the Browns hosting the Ravens and the Bengals visiting the Steelers. Here’s how the two games shook out:
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)
The Pittsburgh Steelers got their revenge on the Cincinnati Bengals in a 34-12 beatdown in Week 11 to maintain a one-game lead in the division. The story after the game was the altercation between Jalen Ramsey and Ja’Marr Chase, which led to Ramsey being ejected after throwing a punch. Ramsey later accused Chase of spitting on him, and video evidence supported his claim. Chase was hit with a one-game suspension and will miss Week 12 before returning for a Thanksgiving trip to Baltimore.
Even with Ramsey leaving the game early, the Steelers’ defense stood tall with two defensive touchdowns, first on a pick-six by Kyle Dugger and then later on a fumble recovery by James Pierre. It was a far cry from the first meeting between the two teams when Chase caught 16 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. He was held to just three catches for 30 yards this time around.
Pittsburgh’s offense was without Aaron Rodgers in the second half after the veteran quarterback suffered a wrist injury. Rodgers finished the first half with 9 completions on 15 attempts for 116 yards and a touchdown, while Mason Rudolph went 12 for 16 for 127 yards and a touchdown over the rest of the game. Both touchdowns were thrown to running back Kenneth Gainwell, who stepped up after an injury to Jaylen Warren. Gainwell finished with 24 rushing yards on 9 carries and 81 receiving yards to go with his two scores on seven receptions. Darnell Washington had the best game of his career, as the massive tight end caught four passes for 67 yards while leaving multiple Bengals’ defenders in his wake on a devastating 31-yard catch-and-run.
It was later revealed that Rodgers will not need surgery on his fractured wrist. His status for Week 12 is currently up in the air.
Baltimore Ravens (5-5)
The Baltimore Ravens won their fourth-straight game in Week 11 to get back to .500 on the season with a 23-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns, sweeping the Browns for the first time since 2020 in the process.
It was a sloppy day for the Ravens as they turned the ball over three times, twice on offense and once on a muffed punt by rookie LaJohntay Wester. Lamar Jackson had his worst game of the season, completing 14 of 25 pass attempts for 193 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. Baltimore’s offense seemed to have no answer for Myles Garrett, as the Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner sacked Jackson four times. A 59-yard run by Derrick Henry made his day look better than it perhaps was as he finished with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Short-yardage situations have been an issue for the Ravens’ offense seemingly every week, and for the second week in a row, Todd Monken got creative to convert in a big moment by rolling Mark Andrews out for a run that turned into a 35-yard touchdown on what initially looked like a standard tush push play with the tight end under center.
Baltimore’s defense deserves the bulk of the credit in this matchup as the unit made life miserable for both rookie quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel and later Shedeur Sanders. Sanders made his NFL regular-season debut to start the second half after Gabriel left the game with a concussion. The Ravens quickly ruined the much-anticipated moment, however, as Zach Orr sent blitz after blitz at the fifth-round rookie to much success. Baltimore’s defensive turnaround has been a major component of the team’s winning streak. The Ravens remain just one game behind the Steelers in the AFC North.
Cincinnati Bengals (3-7)
Cincinnati fell to 3-7 with their 34-12 loss to Pittsburgh in Week 11.
Despite losing on Sunday, things are looking up for the Bengals as Joe Burrow returned to practice last week. The team has been without their star quarterback since Week 2 when Burrow suffered a toe injury. Zac Taylor was noncommittal when asked if Burrow could start this Sunday against the New England Patriots. Whoever starts at quarterback would be without Chase against the Patriots following the wide receiver’s one-game suspension for spitting on Ramsey. Chase finished the contest with just 30 receiving yards after torching the Steelers in the first matchup between the divisional rivals. It was Tee Higgins who led the team with 63 yards and a touchdown on three catches. Chase Brown’s resurgence continued against Pittsburgh as he racked up 99 rushing yards on 18 carries to go with 28 receiving yards on six catches.
Even with Burrow’s return right around the corner, Cincinnati will have a hard time keeping up in the AFC North race with one of the worst defenses in the league. Through 11 weeks, the Bengals’ defense ranks dead-last in both yards and points per game. Getting Trey Hendrickson back in the lineup should help the flailing unit after the star defensive end missed his second game on Sunday with a hip injury.
Cleveland Browns (2-8)
Cleveland dropped to 2-8 with their 23-16 loss to Baltimore in Week 11.
A herculean four-sack effort from Garrett kept the game close, but it was not enough to overcome the Browns’ offensive ineptitude. Seven of Cleveland’s 16 points came on a pick-six by Devin Bush, while another three points came on the back of a muffed punt by Baltimore. Quinshon Judkins started the game with several strong runs but was largely held in check after the first quarter, finishing the game with 59 yards on 17 carries. Things only got worse for the Browns when Sanders stepped in for Gabriel in the second half as the rookie was woefully unprepared for the blitz-heavy attack thrown his way, completing just four of 16 passes for 47 yards and an interception while also fumbling on a sack. Sanders is expected to make his official first start this Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Cleveland has to hope that things will look a little better with a week of practice as the starter under Sanders’ belt.
With 15 sacks through 11 weeks, Garrett is currently on pace to break the NFL single-season sack record of 22.5 set by Michael Strahan and later tied by T.J. Watt. 10 of Garrett’s sacks on the season have come in the last three games. Garrett was not the only standout defender for the Browns against the Ravens, as Carson Schwesinger added another excellent outing to his rookie campaign with a team-high 11 total tackles and an interception. The linebacker out of UCLA is currently the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.