All four AFC North teams were in action Sunday and three of them lost.
Thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers being the lone AFC North team to win in Week 5, they’ll now enter Week 6 leading the division after they beat the New York Jets 31-13 Sunday at Heinz Field.
The Cleveland Browns remained winless on the season Sunday as they were beaten soundly at home by the New England Patriots 33-13. The game marked the debut of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who had to sit out the first four games of the regular season due a suspension.
Brady completed 28 of his 40 pass attempts against the Browns for 406 yards and 3 touchdowns. Three of his scoring throws went to tight end Martellus Bennett, who ended the game with 6 receptions for 67 yards.
The Browns lost starting quarterback Cody Kessler to an injury during the game and had to turn to backup veteran Charlie Whitehurt as a result. Even wide receiver Terrelle Pryor attempted three passes in the game. Combined, those three Browns passers completed 20 of 35 pass attempts against the Patriots for 240 yards with 1 touchdown.
The Ravens lost their second game of the season on Sunday as they fell to the Washington Redskins 16-10 at home.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was 30 of 46 passing for 210 yards and a touchdown in the loss and Baltimore also wasted a 95-yard rushing performance by running back Terrance West on Sunday.
The Ravens thought they had scored the go-ahead touchdown with 39 seconds left in regulation but the 21-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Breshad Perriman in the end zone was reviewed and overturned when replays clearly showed he touched only got one foot down in bounds. Three plays later and facing a 4th and 8 from the Redskins 21-yard-line, Flacco threw incomplete short over the middle to wide receiver Mike Wallace and that was the game.
The Bengals also lost on Sunday on the road 28-14 to the Dallas Cowboys in a game that wasn’t as close as what the final score may indicate.
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot rushed for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries in the win over the Bengals and rookie quarterback Dak Prescott completed 18 of his 24 pass attempts for Dallas in the game for 227 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Cole Beasley.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton spent most of his Sunday running from the Cowboys pass rush. He still managed to complete 29 of his 41 pass attempts against the Cowboys for 269 yards and 2 touchdowns and both went to wide receiver Brandon LaFell, who finished with 8 catches for 68 yards. Dalton, however, was sacked 4 times during the game and the Bengals failed to score in the first half. The Bengals also trailed the Cowboys 28-0 in the fourth quarter before getting their only two scores.
Next week, the 4-1 Steelers will play on the road against the 1-4 Miami Dolphins, who lost 30-17 Sunday at home to the Tennessee Titans. The second place Ravens will also play on the road next Sunday as they will face the New York Giants. The 2-3 Bengals will have to go on the road in Week 6 as well as they have a meeting scheduled with the 4-1 Patriots. As for the Browns, like the other three AFC North teams, they will also play on the road next Sunday. Their Week 6 opponent will be the Titans.
