The Pittsburgh Steelers won their second game of the 2017 season on Sunday at Heinz Field as they beat the Minnesota Vikings 26-9. While the Steelers offense has still yet to look sharp in their first two games, their defense was able to hold the Vikings offense to just 237 total net yards of offense on Sunday of which 146 net came via the pass.
The Steelers win now has them 2-0 entering the third week of the 2017 regular season and they’ll now start preparing to play the 0-2 Chicago Bears next Sunday at Soldier Field. The Steelers aren’t the only 2-0 team in the AFC North, however, as the Baltimore Ravens also have that same record thanks to their 24-10 Sunday afternoon home win over the Cleveland Browns, who lost to the Steelers in Week 1.
In the Ravens win, quarterback Joe Flacco completed 25 of 34 pass attempts in the game for 217 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. His two scoring throws came in the first half and went to running back Javorius Allen and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin from 9 and 2-yards out, respectively.
Ravens running back Terrance West opened the scoring for Baltimore in the first quarter with a 4-yard touchdown run and kicker Justin Tucker rounded things out with a 28-yard field goal with 14:56 left in the fourth quarter. The Ravens had 136 net yards rushing in their win over the Browns and Allen was responsible for 66 of them on 14 carries. Veteran Ravens tight end Ben Watson caught 8 passes for 91 yards in the win.
The Ravens defense once again played well a week after shutting out the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. That unit registered four total sacks on Sunday and forced five turnovers in total. Browns rookie quarterback Deshone Kizer threw three interceptions on Sunday on his way to completing just 15 of his 31 pass attempts for 182 yards.
Kizer left the game in the first half due to migraine, but returned later. Kevin Hogan replaced Kizer at quarterback while he was out and completed 5 of his 11 pass attempts for 118 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His lone scoring toss went to Browns rookie tight end David Njoku from 23-yards out with 4:56 left in the first half.
While the Ravens did notch their second win on Sunday, it came with a hefty price as starting Marshal Yanda suffered a broken ankle during the game and will now be lost for the remainder of the 2017 season.
Next Sunday, the Ravens will play the 1-1 Jacksonville Jaguars on the road. The Jaguars lost 37-16 to the Tennessee Titans Sunday at home. As for the 0-2 Browns, they will play the 0-2 Indianapolis Colts next Sunday on the road. The other team in the AFC North, the Bengals, are now preparing to play the Green Bay Packers next Sunday on the road. The Bengals, like the Browns, enter Week 3 of the 2017 regular season winless after losing at home Thursday night to the Houston Texans. The Bengals have yet to score a touchdown in their first two games.
