NFL Week 6 AFC North Preview: Steelers ‘Get To 3-3 By The Bye,’ Says CBS Pittsburgh’s Bob Pompeani

(CBS Pittsburgh) — The Baltimore Ravens pb the ultra-competitive AFC North, having won 4 straight. Aside from their Week 4 triumph implicit the Denver Broncos, each crippled has been decided successful the last minutes with a borderline of triumph smaller than a touchdown. That includes Monday night’s overtime triumph against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns are some coming disconnected of adjacent losses. The Bengals fto a triumph implicit the Green Bay Packers gaffe done their fingers. The Browns couldn’t flight Los Angeles with a win, contempt dropping 42 points connected the Chargers. And past the Steelers continued to find their way, topping the Denver Broncos for their 2nd win.

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CBS Pittsburgh sports anchor Bob Pompeani looks astatine the 4 AFC North matchups successful Week 6.

All times listed are Eastern.

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Cincinnati Bengals @ Detroit Lions, Sunday, October 17 @ 1:00 p.m.

The Bengals caput to Detroit with a 3-2 record, though they astir apt should beryllium tied with the Ravens atop the AFC North. Kicker Evan McPherson missed game-winning tract extremity attempts precocious successful the 4th fourth and again successful overtime. (Packers kicker Mason Crosby missed aggregate attempts himself.) The agleam broadside is that Joe Burrow erstwhile again enactment Cincinnati successful a presumption to win. He threw for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The defence mostly held up against Aaron Rodgers, sacking him doubly and knocking him down 5 times.

They’ll get an easier matchup successful Week 6 against the winless Lions. Detroit conscionable mislaid different heartbreaker connected a last-second tract goal, erstwhile Greg Joseph deed a 54-yarder with clip expiring. They’re owed for a win. “They’ve travel ohio truthful adjacent to winning, and a mates of games that truly should person won,” said Pompeani. “Tucker’s 66-yard tract goal, and past what happened past week really got to a Dan Campbell, the caput coach. He broke down successful the media property league afterwards. So some of these teams truly request a win.”

The Lions are desperate, which makes them unsafe for the Bengals. Jared Goff is susceptible nether center. And Campbell’s emotion-filled interrogation whitethorn person inspired Detroit to play implicit its head. Their atrocious luck volition yet tally out.

Los Angeles Chargers @ Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, October 17 @ 1:00 p.m.

The Chargers utilized to find ways to suffer games. Now they’re uncovering ways to triumph them. Just witnesser the 47-42 shootout successful Cleveland past week. That came 2 weeks aft a 30-24 triumph implicit the Kansas City Chiefs. Justin Herbert is emerging arsenic 1 of NFL’s champion young quarterbacks. He torched a beardown Browns defence for 398 yards and 4 touchdowns, giving him the astir 300-yard games of immoderate QB successful their archetypal 2 seasons. He has plentifulness of assistance connected offense, of course, with game-changing endowment astatine the receiver and moving backmost spots. Mike Williams unsocial had 8 catches for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Chargers volition look a Ravens teams that’s enjoyed its ain just stock of occurrence successful adjacent games. According to Pompeani, “this is the marquee matchup, particularly aft the Ravens won the mode they did connected Monday night. Just a superb show by Lamar Jackson. Really 1 of the archetypal times I’ve seen a feline astir single-handedly transportation a squad to a triumph successful that 2nd half. But Justin Herbert’s done the same, a shootout with Cleveland past week.”

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Both teams travel successful 4-1, riding the beardown play of their young quarterbacks. Jackson threw for an absurd 442 yards and 4 TDs connected 37-43 passing. “Two of the agleam young stars,” Pompeani noted. “I deliberation this is going to beryllium a triumph for the Chargers. They typically suffer games similar this, going westbound to east. But they’ve been winning a batch of games I didn’t expect them to. And I would expect them to triumph this game, due to the fact that Baltimore has won a batch of games that I, rather frankly, thought they were going to lose.

Arizona Cardinals @ Cleveland Browns, Sunday, October 17 @ 4:05 p.m.

After a nonaccomplishment to the Chargers, the Browns look to bounce backmost against the Cardinals. However, Arizona, to date, is the NFL’s lone undefeated team. They’ve enactment up 30-plus points successful 4 of their archetypal 5 games, and Kyler Murray is playing astatine the apical of his game. So acold helium has 1,512 yards passing, 10 TDs, and a standing of 113. But he’s besides been sacked 10 times and taken a fewer hits on the way.

“Arizona has been walking the line,” Pompeani said. “They’re undefeated. Sooner oregon aboriginal that’s going to end. And I deliberation that Kyler Murray is going to beryllium nether a batch of pressure. This defence successful Cleveland is for real. The crushed crippled of the Browns is besides for real. So I deliberation they’ll power the clip of possession and triumph astatine location against Arizona.

The Browns defence is allowing nether 300 yards per game, 1 of lone 4 NFL teams. They besides person 16 sacks truthful far, tied for 3rd champion successful the NFL. Myles Garrett accounts for 7 of them. The two-headed beast that is the Browns tally crippled includes Nick Chubb, who’s piled up 523 yards, and Kareem Hunt, who has 293 yards. Cleveland leads the NFL successful rushing yards.

The Cardinals don’t lucifer up good with these strengths. Their tally defence is 1 of the worst successful the league, allowing 139 yards per crippled and 5.4 yards per carry.

Seattle Seahawks @ Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, October 17 @ 8:20 p.m.

The Seahawks find themselves successful the antithetic presumption of not having Russell Wilson nether center. He had surgery connected his finger and could miss six to 8 weeks. That leaves Seattle successful the hands of Geno Smith, who volition pb them into Pittsburgh successful Week 6.

Smith went 10-17 for 131 yards and a touchdown aft Wilson’s injury. He besides threw an interception. “Geno Smith, 1 happening I’ll accidental astir him is that helium has the aforesaid benignant of crippled skills, which is to accidental helium tin bash the things connected the run,” according to Pompeani. “He tin interruption tackles. He uses his legs to bargain immoderate time. But this is going to beryllium tough.”

Smith volition person to trust connected an discourtesy that’s been middle-of-the-road each season. The moving crippled is averaging conscionable 104 yards per game, portion the passing crippled is bully for 247 yards per game. The Steelers are facing their ain wounded issues with violative implications. Ben Roethlisberger has been banged up overmuch of the season. And receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster volition miss the remainder of the play with a enarthrosis injury.

This could pb to much reliance connected the crushed game. Najee Harris ran for 122 yards against the Broncos, the archetypal 100-yard crippled of his pro career. “I deliberation the Steelers are going to find this tally crippled to beryllium thing they’re going to thin connected moving forward,” said Pompeani. “Najee Harris is going to get different 100 yards.”

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The Steelers besides travel successful with a spot of other motivation. “The Steelers are playing astatine home,” Pompeani pointed out. “They privation to get to .500. They person a bye week aft this. This is going to beryllium alumni weekend, and each the Hall of Famers are going to get their rings. There’s going to beryllium plentifulness of emotion.”