The Ravens took the lead in the AFC North with their win in Week 5, though all four teams in the divisionremain over .500 through five weeks.
Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
Baltimore gutted out a road win without Lamar Jackson, beating the Atlanta Falcons 30-23 in overtime.
Tyler Huntley proved again why the Ravens have full confidence in him at quarterback in place of Jackson with a strong performance against the Falcons. He finished 24 of 32 through the air with 201 yards and two touchdowns, along with a third score on a quarterback sneak
in overtime. Derrick Henry was the other star of the show, rushing 24 times for 102 yards and scoring on an 18-yard screen pass. Baltimore’s offense ran for a total of 208 yards against the top-ranked run defense entering the week. Rashod Bateman led the receivers with 62 yards on five catches, while Devontez Walker scored a touchdown on the final game-tying drive of regulation.
The Ravens defense struggled on third downs, but was otherwise solid against Atlanta’s high-powered offense. Mike Green, Tavius Robinson, and Trenton Simpson all had sacks on Michael Penix, while Malaki Starks led the team with 10 total tackles. Penix was injured on Robinson’s sack on the Falcons’ final drive of regulation, bringing Tua Tagovailoa onto the field. Tagovailoa then went on to throw a game-ending pick to Kyle Hamilton in overtime.
Cleveland Browns (3-2)
The Browns’ three-game win streak ended with a 17-12 loss to the New York Jets on the road.
Deshaun Watson was under constant fire from the Jets, being sacked eight times and losing a fumble. He finished the day 15 of 33 passing for 155 yards and a touchdown. Isaiah Bond was the leading receiver with 74 yards on three catches, while rookie second-rounder Denzel Boston was the recipient of Watson’s lone touchdown to go with 43 yards on three receptions. Fellow rookie receiver KC Concepcion left the game with a concussion. Cleveland’s ground game continues to struggle as Quinshon Judkins finished with just 44 yards on 14 carries.
Carson Schwesinger suffered a Grade 1 ankle sprain against New York, but is considered day-to-day. The reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year had eight total tackles while forcing a fumble on a sack that was recovered by Adin Huntington. Huntington, Maliek Collins, and Sam Kamara combined for the other three sacks on Jets quarterback Geno Smith while Quincy Williams led the defense with 11 total tackles.
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
The Steelers rebounded in Week 5 with a 34-22 home win against the Indianapolis Colts.
It was the Jaylen Warren show for Pittsburgh’s offense on Sunday. Warren accounted for 188 total yards, with 101 coming on the ground and 87 as a receiver. His two biggest plays of the day were both touchdowns, the first on an 80-yard catch-and-run and the second on a 50-yard rush. Pat Freiermuth had two touchdown catches to go with 44 yards on five receptions. Aaron Rodgers was on point in the passing game, completing 22 of 31 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns while only being sacked once. Rodgers lost another of his top receivers during the game, however, as Roman Wilson is expected to miss time with a finger injury. This comes just after wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury prior to Sunday’s game.
Cameron Heyward had the only sack for the Steelers’ defense. Payton Wilson led the team with 10 total tackles. Pittsburgh’s defense consistently held the Colts’ offense to field goals, with 15 of their final 22 points coming from the leg of Spencer Shrader.
Cincinnati Bengals (3-2)
The Bengals got back in the win column before their bye week with a 31-24 road win over the Miami Dolphins.
Joe Burrow was on fire on Sunday, tossing four touchdowns while completing 23 of 32 pass attempts for 190 yards. Ja’Marr Chase had another highlight-reel touchdown catch while racking up 77 yards on six receptions. Tanner Hudson, Samaje Perine, and Mike Gesicki were the targets on Burrow’s other three touchdowns. Perine led the team in rushing with 68 yards on 14 carries, finishing with one more carry than Chase Brown, who rushed for 39 yards and coughed up a fumble.
Cincinnati’s defense allowed 217 total rushing yards on the day. The unit faired better against the pass, as Jordan Battle snagged two interceptions off Malik Willis, who finished with just 137 yards through the air. The defense also sacked Willis three times, with Barrett Carter, Jonathan Allen, and Boye Mafe all getting home. Carter led the team with 11 total tackles.
