An unfamiliar face sits atop the competitive AFC North after four weeks of the season. Here are the latest updates from around the division:
Cleveland Browns (3-1)
The Cleveland Browns won their third consecutive game with a 27-24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, taking the lead in the division in the process due to tiebreakers.
Deshaun Watson’s resurgence on the field continued into Week 4 as he led the Browns’ offense to set up a career-long 56-yard field goal from Andre Szmyt to take the lead with 10 seconds remaining
in regulation. Watson finished the game 24 of 33 for 268 yards, a touchdown, and an interception while also losing a fumble. The story of the game for Cleveland’s offense, however, was the play of their two rookie wide receivers. Second-rounder Denzel Boston led the team with 89 yards on four catches while first-rounder KC Concepcion was second with 64 yards on five catches. Harold Fannin Jr. caught Watson’s lone touchdown. Quinshon Judkins led the team in rushing, but found little success with just 53 yards on 17 carries. The second-year back did find his way into the end zone once, though.
The Browns’ defense made life difficult for Aaron Rodgers, sacking him five times while coming down with two interceptions against the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback. Denzel Ward snagged the first interception in the second quarter, while the second came from Grant Delpit on the final play of the game. Cleveland lost Mason Graham early in the game with what was later revealed to be a sprained MCL and ankle. The timeline for the 2025 fifth-overall pick is currently unknown.
Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
The Ravens improved to 3-1 with a 24-18 home win over the Tennessee Titans, but an ankle injury to Lamar Jackson overshadowed the victory.
Jackson was stellar in the first half, completing 15 of 20 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns before an ankle injury on a sack sidelined him for the remainder of the game. The NFL world now awaits clarity on the status of Jackson’s injury and how much time, if any, he may miss. Tyler Huntley replaced Jackson for the second half as the offense came to a screeching halt. Zay Flowers was on his way to another dominant outing before Jackson exited the game, finishing the day with a team-high 118 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight catches. Mark Andrews caught Jackson’s other touchdown as he found the end zone for the first time this season. Derrick Henry struggled to find running room against his old team, racking up 73 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries for just 3.2 yards per carry. Alongside Jackson, Baltimore also lost Durham Smythe to a torn Achilles, Andrew Vorhees to a foot injury, and Marlon Humphrey to a calf injury during the game.
The Ravens’ defense has been under heavy scrutiny to start the season, and that was not helped by an up-and-down performance against a weak Titans’ offense. The game started strong with a Trenton Simpson interception on the first drive, but many of the same issues popped up throughout the game, including an inability to finish sacks and missed tackles. Undrafted rookie Ethan Burke recorded the team’s lone sack on Cam Ward. Kyle Hamilton forced a fumble on rookie first-rounder Carnell Tate, which was recovered by Malaki Starks. Starks also recovered an onside kick to ice the game.
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
The Steelers dropped to 2-2 with a 27-24 loss on the road to the Browns.
Pittsburgh rallied from a 21-10 hole at halftime, falling three points short in the end. Rodgers completed 22 of 40 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions, although the second came with just 10 seconds remaining in the game. DK Metcalf had by far his best game of the season with five catches for 115 yards. Roman Wilson, Darnell Washington, and Pat Freiermuth were the recipients of Rodgers’ three touchdowns. Jaylen Warren had another strong performance with 93 rushing yards on 17 carries to go with three catches for 33 yards.
The Steelers’ defense forced two turnovers on the night, a fumble forced and recovered by T.J. Watt, and an interception by Robert Spears-Jennings. Watt and Payton Wilson had the team’s two sacks on Watson. Pittsburgh lost Derrick Harmon during the game to a foot injury and Jamel Dean to an ankle injury. Harmon has since been placed on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least four games. Dean is not expected to join Harmon on injured reserve.
Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)
After starting the season 2-0, the Bengals have now dropped back-to-back games following a 22-17 home loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Joe Burrow had a tough outing while losing his top two wide receivers during the game. Burrow finished 39 of 54 for 428 yards, a touchdown, and two picks. Tee Higgins had a team-high 157 receiving yards on 11 catches before a groin injury knocked him out of the game in the fourth quarter. Ja’Marr Chase left the game much earlier with a concussion, leaving Burrow possibly without his top two weapons next week against the Miami Dolphins. Cincinnati had next to nothing in the run game, with Chase Brown leading the team with just 10 yards on nine carries. The Bengals finished the game with only 23 total rushing yards.
Cincinnati’s defense sacked Trevor Lawrence four times, with Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, and Kris Jenkins Jr. all getting a sack.
