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(CBS Pittsburgh) — One triumph separates each 4 teams successful the AFC North. And with the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers truthful evenly matched, the part contention is apt to enactment choky heavy into the season. The Ravens entered their bye week successful 2nd place. But acknowledgment to Cincinnati’s disfigured nonaccomplishment to the New York Jets, Baltimore recovered themselves successful archetypal spot coming retired of it. The Steelers downed the Browns successful a antiaircraft matter to propulsion up of them successful the standings.
Week 9 matchups are improbable to adhd overmuch abstraction among the teams successful the part race. The well-rested Ravens big the Minnesota Vikings. The Browns look to jumpstart their crushed crippled against a Bengals defence which tin beryllium stingy to opposing moving backs. And the offensively challenged Steelers get the offensively challenged Bears successful Pittsburgh.
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SportsLine‘s Larry Hartstein breaks down AFC North matchups successful Week 9.
All times listed are Eastern.
Minnesota Vikings @ Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, November 7, 1:00 p.m.
The Ravens pb the AFC North, but they’re inactive smarting from that blowout nonaccomplishment to the Bengals 2 weeks ago. The bye week whitethorn beryllium conscionable what they needed heading into November and the agelong tally toward the playoffs.
“The Ravens looked similar they ran retired of state against the Bengals,” Hartstein noticed successful Week 8. “The Bengals were fresher. The Ravens had a stretch, if you spell backmost to preseason, wherever they played 5 roadworthy games successful six weeks. They besides played 2 overtime games. And past it each came to a caput against the Bengals. I deliberation it was a cleanable time. And if you look backmost astatine John Harbaugh earlier the bye and aft the bye, earlier the bye, 49-39, aft the bye 80-40. This is simply a manager [who], erstwhile fixed other time, tin marque the adjustments.”
Baltimore volition beryllium well-rested and adequately prepared for the Vikings. The Ravens boast 1 of the NFL’s apical rushing offenses, averaging 149.4 yards down backmost Lamar Jackson, contempt the injuries that decimated their moving backmost country successful the preseason. Their defence has besides tightened up immoderate arsenic the season’s progressed, the Bengals crippled notwithstanding.
The Vikings find themselves sinking, contempt 2 wins successful their past 3 games. They squeezed by the winless Detroit Lions and the fading Carolina Panthers earlier their bye and past mislaid to the Dak Prescott-less Dallas Cowboys past week.
“Minnesota [is] successful disarray aft losing to Cooper Rush astatine home,” Hartstein said. “Mike Zimmer getting truthful blimpish connected offense. And they springiness up 4.6 yards a carry, which is going to spell occupation against the Ravens successful their unreserved defense.”
Kirk Cousins passed for lone 184 yards against a Cowboys walk defence that’s presently giving up 278.1 yards per game, among the worst successful the NFL. Dalvin Cook is mostly productive retired of the backfield, erstwhile he’s available. However, the Ravens are lone allowing 86.1 yards connected the crushed this season.
Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, November 7, 1:00 p.m.
The Browns and Bengals are some coming disconnected games they astir apt should person won. The banged-up Browns were hardly a definite happening heading into Pittsburgh to conscionable the division-rival Steelers. Running backmost Kareem Hunt was out. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, nursing an wounded to his non-throwing shoulder, was iffy. A steadfast Mayfield would person fixed Cleveland a wide advantage. But helium was intelligibly not 100 percent. And the 15-10 nonaccomplishment suggests possibly a steadfast Case Keenum mightiness person been a amended option.
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In immoderate case, thing is intelligibly incorrect with a Browns discourtesy that has seemed stuck successful 2nd cogwheel since their 42-point outpouring against the Los Angeles Chargers successful Week 5. They’ve failed to apical 20 points successful their past 3 outings. Opportunities presented themselves against the Steelers, but they couldn’t look to execute. Wide receiver, Jarvis Landry, who tends to beryllium beauteous sure-handed, fumbled and failed to drawback a mates cardinal passes successful the game’s yet minutes. Mayfield dispersed the shot around, connecting with 9 antithetic receivers. But the moving crippled ne'er seemed to truly get going. Nick Chubb averaged lone 3.8 yards per transportation connected his 16 carries, with astir of the yardage coming connected conscionable 2 of those.
“The Browns discourtesy is conscionable not producing lately, inactive person a batch of injuries,” according to Hartstein. “And I’m besides disquieted that they had different wounded successful the secondary to John Johnson. If you look astatine the Browns, the defence has played well, but they’ve been susceptible to receiving corps with a ton of speed, similar the Chiefs, similar the Chargers, similar the Cardinals. And present you person Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, a precise explosive passing offense.”
The Bengals are primed for a bounceback crippled aft their Week 8 disaster. They were a wide favourite implicit the New York Jets. With however Cincinnati was playing going into New York, the imaginable was determination for a blowout implicit the Jets, 1 of the NFL’s worst teams. Apparently, the imaginable was besides determination for a letdown game. And that’s what happened, arsenic their defence allowed Jets’ backup QB Mike White to surpass 400 yards successful his archetypal NFL start, and their discourtesy failed to capitalize connected the Jets’ turnovers.
“I’m going to propulsion retired past week, due to the fact that this was a unspeakable spot against the Jets,” Hartstein said. “The Jets didn’t adjacent person their quarterback. They were successful betwixt a ‘Super Bowl win’ implicit the Ravens, which was similar a Super Bowl, and Cleveland connected deck. It was an evident level spot, and they paid for it. But present I deliberation they’ll beryllium focused.”
Chicago Bears @ Pittsburgh Steelers, Monday, November 8, 8:15 p.m.
Neither the Bears nor the Steelers person been lighting up scoreboards and stat sheets arsenic of late. The Bears are 3-5 down rookie backmost Justin Fields and the basal discourtesy they execute. That volition alteration arsenic they let him to bash more, and hopefully spot maturation arsenic a result. For now, though, the losing continues, astir precocious to the San Francisco 49ers.
“Justin Fields, adjacent though they lost, helium ran for 100 yards,” Hartstein pointed out. “They are getting his legs much successful the offense. He’s starting to develop.”
His expanding willingness to tally could make much openings successful the passing game. But truthful acold Fields has topped 200 yards passing successful lone 1 crippled this season. The deficiency of yardage has led to conscionable 15.4 points per game, among the lowest successful the NFL. And the Bears’ defence down Khalil Mack, portion adequate, isn’t beardown capable to triumph games connected its own. Mack missed the Bears’ Week 8 nonaccomplishment to the 49ers with an ongoing ft wounded and could miss this week’s crippled arsenic well, making them adjacent much vulnerable.
The Steelers defense, led by T.J. Watt could make problems for Fields, arsenic they did for Mayfield. Bears quarterbacks person been sacked an NFL-worst 30 times truthful far. Meanwhile, the Steelers person 19 sacks, 8.5 of which beryllium to Watt.
All this seemingly sets up nicely for the Steelers, who person won 3 consecutive to ascent retired of the AFC North cellar. But Roethlisberger has been looking his property successful an discourtesy that seems precise pedestrian. Only rookie moving backmost Najee Harris provides immoderate existent spark.
According to Hartstein, “the Steelers, arsenic favorites, person not covered erstwhile this season, 0-3 against the dispersed and doubly they mislaid outright. Now determination was that crippled astatine Denver wherever they really closed arsenic the underdog, erstwhile Bridgewater was available. So that crippled was astir a pick’em. And they did eke retired that game, but Denver was threatening arsenic it ended. Basically you don’t privation to laic a batch of points with an discourtesy that is truthful limited. And adjacent past week, 15 points. Big Ben did play well, but this discourtesy is very, precise limited.”
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