AFC North – Week 4 Divisional Recap
Week 4 saw a pair of divisional matchups. The Steelers went into Baltimore in a battle of 1-loss teams and the Bengals went into Cleveland in a battle of winless teams.
Pittsburgh Steelers 3-1
Baltimore Ravens 2-2
Cincinnati Bengals 1-3
Cleveland Browns 0-4
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Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers went on the road to face a division rival in Baltimore.
What they did well
The Steelers took advantage of 3 Baltimore turnovers, turning them into 14 points. Le’Veon Bell finally broke out, rushing for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ryan Shazier and Cameron Heyward led a defense that held the Ravens to just 9 points and only 82 yards on the ground.
Where they needed improvement
The Steeler passing game is not quite clicking. Ben Roethlisberger passed for just 216 yards and threw an interception. Antonio Brown was held to 4 receptions for 34 yards. The Steelers big play offense could not muster a play longer than 24 yards.
What is Next
The Steelers host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens hosted the Steelers in a divisional clash.
What they did well
The Ravens held Ben Roethlisberger to just 18 completions for 216 yards and an interception. C.J. Mosley finished with 10 tackles and a force fumble. Joe Flacco spread the ball around, getting 4 different receivers 5 or more receptions. Mike Wallace caught 6 passes including a 16 yard touchdown.
Where they needed improvement
The offensive line needs to improve. The Ravens gave up 4 sacks and the running game only gained 82 yards. They also need to hold on to the ball better, as their 3 turnovers led to 14 points. All in all, it was a flat performance in a big rivalry game against a team that they have had recent success against at home.
What is Next
The Ravens go on the road to face the Raiders in Week 5.
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Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals went into Cleveland to take on the Browns.
What they did well
Andy Dalton really stepped up this week, completing 25 of 30 for 286 yards and 4 touchdowns. Tyler Kroft led the way with 6 catches for 68 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Bengals offense scored a season high 31 points while their defense allowed a season low 7. They were firing on all cylinders this week.
Where they needed improvement
It is hard to come up with things that went wrong in a 31-7 win. They did fumble the ball 3 times, but only lost one of them. The Bengals were denied a shutout with under two minutes left in the game. A.J. Green only caught 5 passes for 63 yards, very unlike the superstar wide receiver.
What is next
The Bengals host the Bills in Week 5.
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Cleveland Browns
The Browns played host to the Bengals.
What they did well
The Browns sacked Andy Dalton 3 times and held him to under 300 yards passing. The also held A.J. Green to just 5 catches and 1 touchdown. Kevin Hogan took over for DeShone Kizer at quarterback and completed 5 of his 8 passes for 65 yards and led the only touchdown drive of the day for the Browns.
Where they needed improvement
The Browns had only 215 yards of offense, including a paltry 45 on the ground. They gave up the most points on the season as well as scoring the least. That is not good coming from a team that is now 0-4. It would appear that the Kizer era may be over in Cleveland.
What is Next
The Browns host the Jets in Week 5.