As Cleveland Browns fans lament another terrible start to an NFL season, the beat goes on around the AFC North. The Browns are the lone team to lose in Week 1, a drubbing handed to them by the Jacksonville Jaguars, with many turning their attention to the 2027 NFL draft to try to avoid thinking about what former Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield might do in Week 2.
As always, we still want to keep track of what is going on in the AFC North, including two big contract issues that could lead to rumors and
a trade.
Baker hands Bengals the game
It is almost impossible to have an honest, good conversation about Baker Mayfield around Cleveland fans. For a lot of good reasons, as mentioned in The Feed. Those convesations, however, will probably never stop especially with Week 2’s matchup.
In Week 1, the Cincinnati Bengals once again saw the full Baker experience. Mayfield completed 23 of 28 passes for 216 with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. He willed the team back into the game, including five carries for 30 yards and a touchdown, while handing, almost quite literally, the game to the Bengals with three fumbles.
For Cincinnati, the defense was much improved while the offense was good, not great, as they get ramped up. No one had two catches for 12 yards for Ja’Marr Chase also leading to a Bengals victory, but he we are.
Steelers hold off Kevin Stefanski, 3rd-string QB
Not sure what Stefanski did in a past life, but his quarterback options have been limited for quite a few years. On Sunday, that included starting third-stringer Cooper Rush, who completed just 12 of 22 passes for 143 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, including a back-breaking pick-6.
Pittsburgh’s offense did just enough, and the defense was solid. The opponent drops the excitement level for Steelers fans, although a victory is a victory.
Ravens control the game, have injury concerns coming out
With four straight touchdowns between the first and second quarter, the Baltimore Ravens were in control 28-6, then 31-13 heading into halftime. While the Bengals and Steelers didn’t have huge offensive days, the Ravens saw Lamar Jackson throw for 324 yards, Derrick Henry rush for 144 yards, and Zay Flowers have 150 yards receiving.
The bad news for Baltimore is Flowers’ hamstring issue popped up, which isn’t expected to be long-term but is notable for a speedster. On top of that, hotshot rookie Jakobi Lane has a fractured wrist and could miss signficant time.
Overall, the Ravens looked the most dominant of the three winning AFC North teams in Week 1.
How are you feeling about the AFC North as a whole coming out of Week 1?
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