Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
The Steelers took control of first place in the division as they advanced to 3-1 with a 24-21 win over the Vikings in Dublin, Ireland.
Pittsburgh entered the contest without their leading rusher, Jaylen Warren, who was sidelined with a knee injury. This opened the door for backup running back Kenneth Gainwell to lead the charge. The former Eagles fifth-round pick did not waste the opportunity as he rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries while also adding another 35 yards through the air
on six catches. D.K. Metcalf also had a big day, as the wide receiver caught five passes for a team-high 126 yards and a touchdown. An 80-yard catch and run score was his biggest highlight of the day. The Aaron Rodgers-to-Metcalf connection has largely been a success through the first four games for the Steelers.
After leading 24-6 at the start of the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh had to hold off a strong rally by the Vikings, ultimately winning by just three points. The Steelers defense got after quarterback Carson Wentz, who is still filling in for an injured J.J. McCarthy, sacking the journeyman signal-caller and former No. 2 overall pick six times while also intercepting him twice.
With every other team in the division currently spiraling downward, Pittsburgh will look to build on their lead once returning from a Week 5 bye.
Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)
Life without Joe Burrow has not been pleasant for the Bengals. A week after getting blown out by the Vikings, Cincinnati was once again dominated in Week 4, this time by a score of 28-3 against the Broncos on Monday Night Football.
A 12-play, 62-yard opening drive produced the only points of the game for the Bengals via a 260-yard Evan McPherson field goal. Other than that, Cincinnati’s offense remained extremely limited with backup quarterback Jake Browning at the helm. Though he stopped throwing interceptions against the Broncos, Browning completed just 14 passes for 125 yards, failing once again to effectively get the ball to his pair of star wide receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The receiver duo combined for just 55 yards on eight catches. The Bengals also continued to struggle on the ground with just 53 rushing yards, with running back Chase Brown leading the team with 40 yards on 10 carries.
Rookie second-round linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. came away with the first interception of his career, picking off quarterback Bo Nix in the red zone. Knight also led the team with 10 tackles and played through a leg injury he picked up early in the game.
Baltimore Ravens (1-3)
Things went from bad to much, much worse for the Ravens this week as they were dismantled by both a rash of injuries and the Chiefs by a score of 37-20, falling to 1-3 on the season.
Baltimore was absolutely decimated by injuries during Sunday’s beatdown, as quarterback Lamar Jackson, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, inside linebacker Roquan Smith, and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins all exited the game at various points. Jackson struggled against the Chiefs defense — throwing an interception and losing a fumble — before suffering a hamstring injury in the third quarter. Cooper Rush took over at quarterback for the Ravens and will be in line to start next Sunday against the Houston Texans if Jackson is unable to go.
Baltimore’s offense, surprisingly, has struggled to run the ball since Week 1 of this season, and outside of a 71-yard touchdown run by Justice Hill late in garbage time, that was no different this past Sunday. Derrick Henry has yet to have more than 50 yards rushing in a game since his 169-yard performance in Week 1, totaling 42 on just eight carries against Kansas City. If Jackson misses extending time, offensive coordinator Todd Monken will need more from his Hall of Fame back and the offensive line blocking for him.
The Ravens entered the game without their entire starting defensive line, as defensive tackle Travis Jones could not suit up due to a knee injury, and Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington were both sent to injured reserve during the week prior, with head coach John Harbaugh confirming that Madubuike’s season was over with a neck injury. Baltimore’s front was again unable to generate effective pressure, sacking quarterback Patrick Mahomes just once — bringing their total of sacks to a measly four now through four weeks of the season.
Cleveland Browns (1-3)
A week after pulling off the upset win over the Green Bay Packers, the Browns were welcomed back to reality with a 34-10 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco had a rough outing, throwing two interceptions and zero touchdowns in what could be his final game as the starter. It was announced on Wednesday that rookie third-rounder Dillon Gabriel will get the start next week against Minnesota. One positive amid a sea of negativity for Cleveland in recent weeks has been the emergence of second-round rookie running back Quinshon Judkins. The Ohio State star had another impressive showing on Sunday, racking up 82 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries. Judkins should continue to be the focal point of the Browns offense, especially with a rookie signal caller taking over.
Cleveland’s defense has been one of the league’s best units in the first month of the season, but the Lions’ offensive attack was too much to hold down. The Browns allowed 91 rushing yards and a touchdown to running back Jahmyr Gibbs on 15 carries while also giving up 70 yards and two scores on seven catches to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. The defense did force one takeaway, as cornerback Denzel Ward intercepted quarterback Jared Goff on a deep pass intended for wide receiver Jamison Williams in the third quarter.
