Bengals keep pace with defeat of the Browns
As the Cincinnati Bengals claw and scratch to get back into playoff contention, Baltimore and Pittsburgh continue to look like the teams to beat – not just in the AFC North, but in the NFL as a whole.
Cincinnati’s defense put together a second straight solid effort while its offense continued to struggle in a 21-14 win over the Cleveland Browns. Baltimore, meanwhile, put together its fifth straight victory when it escaped Tampa Bay with a 41-31 win, while Pittsburgh, in Russell Wilson’s 2024 debut, dismantled Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets, 37-15.
Lamar Jackson dominates as Ravens top Bucs
Two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson continued to look like the best quarterback in football, throwing for 281 yards and five touchdowns in helping the Ravens (5-2) overcome an early double-digit deficit.
Tampa Bay, which lost its two best receivers to injuries, jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Jackson went to work. He finished with 17 completions in 22 attempts, including touchdown passes of 9 and 4 yards to tight end Mark Andrews. He also had scoring strikes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill, and 11 yards to Derrick Henry. Henry rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries, while Bateman finished with 121 yards on four receptions.
Jackson got plenty of help from his defense, which contributed a pair of second-quarter interceptions, one of which came in the Baltimore end zone with Tampa Bay on the verge of going up 17-7.
Baker Mayfield finished 31 of 45 passing for 370 yards and three touchdowns, but his two costly interceptions helped turn the tide. Mike Evans caught a 25-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to join Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison, and Terrell Owens as the only players to have at least 100 TD receptions in the first 11 seasons of a career.
Pittsburgh keeps pace by surging past Jets
Russell Wilson slammed the door on any potential quarterback controversy, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another in leading the Steelers to a dominant win over the flailing New York Jets.
Wilson completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards, running back Najee Harris contributed 102 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and Chris Boswell added three field goals to help the Steelers (5-2) score over 30 points in back-to-back weeks for the first time since early in the 2020 season.
It did not look good for Pittsburgh early, however. The Jets jumped out to a 15-6 lead, but the Steelers responded by scoring the game-final 31 points to send New York to its fourth straight loss.
Rodgers passed for 276 yards with a touchdown but threw a pair of interceptions to rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop, which the Steelers promptly turned into game-changing touchdowns.
