Week 2 has come and gone in the AFC North. The Baltimore Ravens were able to enter the win column in a divisional clash against the Cleveland Browns, the Pittsburgh Steelers received their first loss of the season, while the Cincinnati Bengals stayed undefeated but lost their franchise quarterback (for a while).
A lot to discuss, a lot to talk about.
Losers: The QB-Unction in Cleveland and Pittsburgh
Last week, I highlighted how Browns QB Joe Flacco and Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers were able to turn back the clock and put together solid performances.
This week? Not so much.
Eventually, they would come back down to earth and turn into liabilities (in some way). Let’s start with Flacco. Browns fans believed that Flacco coming back would be a jolt for the offense, but there is a reason why Cleveland chose not to re-sign Flacco after 2023 and why the Indianapolis Colts went back to quarterback Anthony Richardson after being benched last season. Poor decision-making and a lack of mobility were eventually going to come back to haunt them, and they did.
Flacco played well last week against a porous Bengals defense, but the Ravens defense was going to cause issues.
As far as Rodgers goes, his play wasn’t nearly as bad as Flacco’s, but he didn’t do himself any favors in Week 2. The Unc-Tion was cool, but it was never going to last.
Winners: Browns rookie class
Browns fans are probably going through it, but there are positives to see. What positives you might ask? Their current rookie class.
Rookie defensive tackle Mason Graham has made his impact well known in the first two games, the same can be said for linebacker Carson Schwesinger. Offensively? Rookie tight end Harold Fannin has made an impact and running backs Dylan Sampson and Quinshon Judkins showed some flashes.
I understand some fans don’t want to look for positives, but the rookie class has potential with a few building blocks in place. Can’t always look for negatives.
Losers: Steelers Defense
In back-to-back games, the Pittsburgh Steelers have given up 30+ points against the New York Jets and the Seattle Seahawks. The only difference this time is that the Steelers ended up losing, this time at the hands of the Seahawks.
The Steelers defense looked slow in Week 1 and Week 2 proved that to be true. It seemed as if they were one step slower. Their run defense was abysmal and the Seahawks did whatever they wanted to do in terms of their passing game (mainly when it comes to the middle of the field). Steelers’ defensive woes come down to just coaching and just overall age. It’s just not a great unit and as flawed as the team is, the defense now being bad is now a concern and I don’t expect it to get any better.
Winners: Paying your star players
As we’ve seen, when you pay your star players, it’s usually a good thing. Just ask Cincinnati wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.
Oh and we can’t forget about Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
Moral of the story? Pay your stars.
Losers: Bengals FO
Yes, the Cincinnati Bengals are 2-0, but the biggest story is that quarterback Joe Burrow suffered yet another injury, this time a turf toe that will sideline him for a couple of months.
If you have a franchise quarterback, which the Bengals do it would be wise to protect him to prevent these things from happening. The team is 2-0, but it’s a 2-0 that could be easily 0-2 when you think about it. With Burrow being out for a while, backup quarterback Jake Browning is likely going to be the starter but with a porous defense and an inconsistent offense, it’s hard to imagine this team surviving until Burrow gets back. Yes, the resolve of the team can’t be denied, but this is a flawed team that peaked a while ago.
Not retaining key defensive players, draft classes being underwhelming, and injuries to the quarterback position show how the Bengals front office has failed.
