Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season is officially in the books. Two AFC North teams lost this week, while another pulled off a huge upset on Sunday. The Ravens, of course, were soundly beaten by the Lions on Monday night.
Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)
The first week without quarterback Joe Burrow was predictably painful for the Bengals, as the Minnesota Vikings defense thoroughly dominated backup quarterback Jake Browning on their way to a 48-10 win.
On Sunday, Browning continued where he left off in Week 2 by throwing two more interceptions,
bringing his season total to five on just 40 attempts across two games. Cincinnati also fumbled five times, three of which were recovered by Minnesota.
Burrow underwent successful surgery for the turf toe injury suffered in Week 2, but the Bengals could be without their star quarterback for much of the season. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that “Burrow could potentially return in December if the Bengals’ record warrants it, and if his rehab goes perfectly.”
Keeping their playoff hopes alive in a crowded AFC without Burrow under center will be a daunting task for Cincinnati, especially if Browning continues to turn the ball over at this rate. Brett Rypien is next up behind Browning at quarterback, but the Bengals may need to bring in another answer to the position if Browning’s play does not pick up soon. Browning will specifically need to connect more with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins going forward, as the pair of star wide receivers combined for just 65 yards and zero touchdowns on six targets this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)
The Steelers outlasted the New England Patriots, 21-14, to improve to 2-1 on the season. This was Pittsburgh’s first win in New England since 2008 and the first road win against the Patriots in quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ career.
The story of the day for the Steelers was their defense, which forced five turnovers – one interception and four fumbles. The defense also notched five sacks on the day, with two coming from outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who had did not record a sack through the first two games of the season.
Rodgers threw the 509th touchdown pass of his career on Sunday, passing his former teammate Brett Favre for fourth place in all-time career touchdown passes. He finished the day with 139 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception while completing 16 of 23 pass attempts. Wide receiver Calvin Austin III and running back Jaylen Warren tied for the team receiving lead with 34 yards.
With Burrow out for the foreseeable future and the Ravens reeling from another primetime loss with a game against the defending AFC champs up next, Pittsburgh has a real chance to take sole possession of first place in the division in Week 4.
Cleveland Browns (1-2)
The Browns pulled off the upset of the weekend as they defeated the Green Bay Packers in a 13-10 defensive slugfest for their first win of the season.
Kicker Andre Szmyt made a 55-yard field goal as time ran out following a blocked Packers’ kick by defensive tackle Shelby Harris. Szmyt previously let the team down with a missed extra point and field goal in the team’s one-point loss to Cincinnati in Week 1 and tweaked his calf in practice on Friday. All three of his kicks and all 13 of Cleveland’s points came within the final four minutes of regulation.
The Browns also forced their first turnover of the season, as safety Grant Delpit picked off quarterback Jordan Love. Cleveland’s defense appears to be the real deal after giving the high-powered Baltimore offense fits last week and shutting down Green Bay this week while sacking Love five times.
Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins let the NFL world know that he has officially arrived on Sunday, as the second-round pick out of Ohio State rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in just his second NFL game after missing much of the offseason for the Browns. The unfortunate news for Cleveland coming out of the victory was that starting offensive tackle Dawand Jones suffered a season-ending injury for the third time in as many years.
Baltimore Ravens (1-2)
The Ravens lost their second primetime game of the season on Monday night against the Detroit Lions.
It was much of the same story for Baltimore in their second loss of the season, as their defense was unable to consistently get stops while the offense struggled to sustain drives. Derrick Henry fumbled for a third game in a row, and like Week 1, it was in a crucial moment late in the game. Lamar Jackson was sharp through the air, completing 21 of 27 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns, but his hesitancy in the pocket led to seven sacks and minimal damage on scrambles. As a whole, the Ravens were held to just 85 rushing yards.
Without defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, Baltimore’s defense was overpowered by Detroit’s ground game all night. The Lions finished the game with a whopping 224 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The Ravens were also unable to generate consistent pressure yet again, failing to record a sack against quarterback Jared Goff. Through three games, Baltimore has just three sacks, with two coming from Madubuike.
Sitting at 1-2 now, the Ravens will travel to Arrowhead to face the 1-2 Chiefs in a game both teams will be desperate to win next week.
