Updated Standings:
- Cleveland Browns 5-2
- Pittsburgh Steelers 5-2
- Cincinnati Bengals 4-2
- Baltimore Ravens 4-3
Baltimore Ravens
Matchup:
@ Buffalo Bills, 1:00pm ESTThe Ravens are reeling a bit after two straight losses to divisional opponents. Last week, they suffered a 22-point defeat at home against the Bengals, where they were outscored 35-0 in the second half. The Ravens have failed to score a second-half point in each of their last two games. Fortunately, they received some positive news this week with Lamar Jackson returning to full participant status in practice and he will start in this matchup.
Baltimore’s offense badly needs a breakthrough performance against a high-powered Buffalo Bills team. The Bills have one of the league’s top scoring offenses led by star quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook alongside him. Jesse Minter’s defense has yet to demonstrate the consistency to slow down opposing units. The Ravens will need to find a way to clean up some their repeated defensive mistakes in this game, namely missing open field tackles and suffering coverage breakdowns.
Jackson coming back gives the Ravens a real chance to score enough points to win on the road here. This is, of course, assuming he won’t have any rust and can perform at the level he was four weeks ago. The Bills’ defense is allowing the second-most yards and third-most points per game this season. They’ve been better against the run than the pass. The Ravens need to reignite their rushing attack as well, which has struggled to generate explosive runs and convert short yardage third downs in recent weeks.
Cincinnati Bengals
Matchup: vs. Tennessee Titans, 1:00pm EST
The Bengals took care of business off a bye week last Sunday, emerging victorious in Baltimore to improve to 4-2. After struggling in the first half, the Bengals exploded on offense over the final two quarters, scoring five consecutive touchdowns. They’ll look to carry this momentum over in Week 8, with a favorable matchup against the Tennessee Titans at home on deck.
Tennessee’s defense took a big hit prior to this game, as they traded away All-Pro defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons — their best player on either side of the ball. Simmons was the Titans’ leading pass-rusher and premier run defender up front. The Bengals should be able to keep Joe burrow upright and have an opportunity to get their run game going a bit. At just 81.2 rushing yards per game as a team, the Bengals are the third-least productive rushing attack in the league.
Cincinnati’s defense similarly projects well in this matchup, although the Titans are coming off their best two scoring performances of the year in back-to-back weeks — totaling 50 combined points. Tony Pollard has been the Titans’ driving offense force, and keying in on the run game will be key for the Bengals. Pollard had 129 rushing yards with three touchdowns in Week 7. The Bengals should be able to survive in man coverage against the Titans’ pass-catchers if they crowd the box to stop the run.
Cleveland Browns
Matchup: @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:00pm EST
The Browns were on the winning end of their matchup with the aforementioned Titans last week, where they narrowly won 27-24. It was yet another down-to-the-wire victory by four points or less, which has been the script in all five of Cleveland’s wins this season. One of those came against the Steelers in Week 4, and now the two divisional foes will be rematching this Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Last week, the Browns tied their highest scoring output on the year (27) and totaled a season-high 491 yards on offense. Running back Quinshon Judkins returned from injury and had a 96-yard, two-touchdown performance on the ground. The Steelers’ defense has been stingy, ranking No. 7 in lowest rushing yards allowed and No. 5 in points allowed per game. If the Browns cannot find similar success in the run game again, they will likely need to create a turnover on defense and maximize their possessions late.
On defense, the Browns will need to key in on the Steelers’ backfield. Jaylen Warren has three 100+ yard rushing games and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, and Rico Dowdle has 135 scrimmage yards since returning from injury two weeks ago. In Week 4, the Browns gave up 93 yards to Warren but picked off Aaron Rodgers twice and got five sacks as well. Causing havoc like that will be important for them to get another win against the Steelers, especially in a tough road environment.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Matchup: vs. Cleveland Browns, 1:00pm EST
The Steelers won their third consecutive game last week with a 16-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Paris. It was the type of gritty, low-scoring contest that Pittsburgh has a knack for emerging victorious out of, and their fourth win this season by seven points or fewer. The Browns have similarly had success winning close games this year, so something will have to give this Sunday. The Steelers are seeking to avenge their three-point loss in Cleveland a few weeks ago.
Pittsburgh’s offense has been middle-of-the-pack for most of this season, and last week they averaged only 5.9 yards per pass through the air. The Steelers are still struggling with wide receiver depth without Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson, but their running backs are each involved in the passing game and can do damage as receivers out of the backfield. Expect Rodgers to target Warren and Dowdle both as quick outlets when the Browns bring pressure.
Defensively, the Steelers have improved to Top 10 in rushing yards allowed, points allowed and sacks per game. If the Steelers can get consistent pressure on Deshaun Watson, they should have a good chance of creating a turnover. In what is projected to be a low-scoring battle, flipping a possession or two and giving their offense better field position may be a deciding factor.
