The Baltimore Ravens had a bye, but the three other teams in the AFC North were in action in Week 7. The State of Ohio was represented well this week, as the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals got much-needed victories. At the same time, the Pittsburgh Steelers loss opens up the division to potentially being up for grabs.
A lot to talk about around the AFC North this week.
Winners: Browns & Bengals
Both Cleveland and Cincinnati won, Sunday and Thursday, respectively, but the two wins are different in many ways.
Let’s
start with the Bengals. It was a must-win for Cincinnati for many reasons:
- To save whatever playoff hopes they have
- Keep track in the AFC North
- HC Zac Taylor prolonging his job security
Give credit to the Bengals offense. Quarterback Joe Flacco is playing similarly to what he did in 2023 with the Browns. Slinging the ball around, and playing a competent level. The Cincinnati offense was incompetent with quarterback Jake Browning, it has become competent under Flacco.
Flacco has better weapons in wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase & Tee Higgins and a much more stable tackles, something he didn’t have in Cleveland. Could Cincinnati make a playoff run with Flacco? Maybe but wouldn’t count on it. Flacco will come back to earth (probably not now), but the Bengals defense isn’t good enough to overcome the offense if the offense were to stall. However, a win on Thursday Night against a division rival is a step in the right direction.
Let’s talk about the Cleveland Browns. After a rough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, Cleveland media and fans were on edge for the entire week. Regardless, this was a much-needed win this week. Are the Miami Dolphins a bad football team? Yes, but considering how this entire week consisted of assumptions about which way the team was trending, the Cleveland Browns needed this win in order to silence those assumptions for another week.
Loser: Steelers Defense
Considering how much money Pittsburgh spent to invest in its defense, the fact that it has looked bad for most of the season isn’t a good sign. The unit is old in many areas, mainly the cornerback room. However, the defense being predictable in terms of playcalling and scheme is a troubling sign. It falls on coaching. For reasons unknown to me, the Steelers usage of Cover 3 is mind-boggling. The Bengals offense just repeatedly used out-breaking routes and gained easy yardage and Pittsburgh couldn’t stop it. Can the Steelers adapt and change their scheme and put the players in better positions to succeed?
Yes, but I don’t believe that will fix their defensive problems this unit has.
Winner: The Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens didn’t play this week, but they are winners for two reasons:
- They are still alive in the division/playoff race
- QB Lamar Jackson is coming back to the field
At 1-5, the Ravens find themselves in a hole, and it’s up to them to dig themselves out of it. The second half of the schedule lightens up for them and they will be getting reinforcements back on defense. It’s highly unlikely the defense can get back to its second-half form of last season, but if the defense plays around the top 15 or 20 range, it can be enough to kickstart a playoff push.
As far as the offense goes, it has to get back to its identity. Getting Jackson back healthy will help, but the second-half push starts now when the team takes on a suddenly hot Chicago Bears team.
