The AFC North has a new front-runner after four weeks, and the Browns are the team wearing the crown for now.
Cleveland’s 27-24 win over Pittsburgh pushed the Browns to 3-1 and gave them the division lead on tiebreakers, but it took a late burst to get there. Deshaun Watson helped set up Andre Szmyt’s career-long 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, then watched the Browns close out their third straight victory. Watson went 24 of 33 for 268 yards, threw a touchdown and an interception, and also lost a fumble.
What really stood out for Cleveland was the rookie receiving duo. Second-round pick Denzel Boston led the Browns with 89 yards on four catches, while first-rounder KC Concepcion added 64 yards on five receptions.
Harold Fannin Jr. hauled in Watson’s lone touchdown pass. Quinshon Judkins handled the bulk of the work on the ground, finishing with 53 yards on 17 carries, though he did score once.
Cleveland’s defense made Aaron Rodgers work all afternoon. The Browns sacked him five times and picked him off twice, with Denzel Ward coming down with one interception in the second quarter and Grant Delpit sealing it with the final play of the game. The win came with a loss, too: Mason Graham exited early with what was later revealed to be a sprained MCL and ankle, and the timeline for the 2025 fifth-overall pick remains unknown.
Baltimore also moved to 3-1, beating Tennessee 24-18 at home, but Lamar Jackson’s ankle injury cast a heavy shadow over the result. Jackson was excellent before leaving, going 15 of 20 for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the first half before a sack injury knocked him out for the rest of the game. Tyler Huntley took over after halftime, and Baltimore’s offense stalled.
Before Jackson departed, Zay Flowers was piling up numbers again, finishing with a team-high 118 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight catches. Mark Andrews caught Jackson’s other touchdown and scored for the first time this season. Derrick Henry had to grind for his yards against his former team, putting up 73 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
The Ravens also came away with more injury concerns. Durham Smythe suffered a torn Achilles, Andrew Vorhees hurt his foot, and Marlon Humphrey left with a calf injury.
Defensively, Baltimore had an uneven day against a Titans offense that didn’t exactly light it up. Trenton Simpson grabbed an interception on the opening drive, but the same issues kept showing up, including missed tackles and trouble finishing sacks.
Undrafted rookie Ethan Burke had the team’s only sack on Cam Ward, while Kyle Hamilton forced a fumble on Carnell Tate that Malaki Starks recovered. Starks later added an onside kick recovery to help ice it.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, fell to 2-2 after letting a 21-10 halftime deficit slip away in the 27-24 loss. Rodgers finished 22 of 40 for 299 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, with the second pick coming with just 10 seconds left.
DK Metcalf turned in his best game of the year, catching five passes for 115 yards. Roman Wilson, Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth all caught Rodgers touchdown passes.
Jaylen Warren also kept the offense moving with 93 rushing yards on 17 carries and three catches for 33 yards.
The Steelers’ defense forced two turnovers of its own. T.J.
Watt forced and recovered a fumble, Robert Spears-Jennings added an interception, and Watt plus Payton Wilson recorded the team’s two sacks on Watson. Pittsburgh also lost Derrick Harmon to a foot injury and Jamel Dean to an ankle injury.
Harmon has since been placed on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least four games, while Dean is not expected to join him there.
Cincinnati sits at 2-2 after back-to-back losses, this time a 22-17 home defeat to Jacksonville. Joe Burrow put up big passing numbers but took a beating in the process, going 39 of 54 for 428 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
The Bengals also lost their top two wideouts during the game. Tee Higgins finished with a team-high 157 receiving yards on 11 catches before leaving in the fourth quarter with a groin injury, and Ja’Marr Chase exited earlier with a concussion.
That leaves Burrow’s receiving group in question for next week’s matchup with the Miami Dolphins.
The Bengals got almost nothing going on the ground. Chase Brown led the team with just 10 yards on nine carries, and Cincinnati finished with 23 total rushing yards. On defense, the Bengals brought down Trevor Lawrence four times, with Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy and Kris Jenkins Jr. each getting a sack.
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Jesse Minter has already acknowledged how hard it is to consistently shadow London because of the way Atlanta structures its offense, which is part of what makes this such an awkward assignment for the Ravens. If Baltimore cannot sort out the coverage issues that have popped up against premier receivers, London could turn a weakness into a defining storyline for the afternoon. The challenge is clear, even if the solution is not. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Suddenly Have A Zay Flowers Concern They Can't Ignore
Zay Flowers has been one of the Ravens most important pieces on offense, so any setback around him immediately changes the feel of Baltimores week. The second-year wideout was limited in practice ahead of the matchup with the Falcons because of a foot injury, and that comes on top of the hamstring issue he has been carrying through recent games.
Lamar Jackson is also unlikely to play because of an ankle sprain, which puts Tyler Huntley in line to start and makes Flowers availability even more important. Baltimore is still sorting out how much the injury will affect him, but with the offense already facing a quarterback change, the Ravens cannot afford another complication at receiver. [Read more 🡒]