With three weeks remaining in the 2018 regular season the AFC North division is still very much up for grabs.
Not only did the Pittsburgh Steelers lose to the lowly Oakland Raiders 24-21 on the road Sunday afternoon, but the Baltimore Ravens also lost on the road as well to the Kansas City Chiefs earlier in the day. Additionally, the Cleveland Browns gained a game in the division with their Sunday home win over the Carolina Panthers.
In the Ravens 27-24 overtime loss to the Chiefs on Sunday rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson completed 13 of his 24 total pass attempts for 147 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Jackson, however, almost lost the game for his team in regulation when he fumbled with 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter when sacked by Chiefs edge-rusher Justin Houston. The Chiefs, however, couldn’t take advantage of the turnover as their kicker Harrison Butker missed a 43-yard field goal as regulation time expired to send the game into overtime.
During the first possession of overtime the Chiefs offense drove 58 yards in 11 plays and Butker kicked a 35-yard field goal to put his team ahead. The Ravens had an opportunity to answer that score but ultimately failed to do so on their ensuing possession.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 377 yards and two touchdowns in the win, He also completed a fourth and long pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill with 1:29 left in regulation time to keep what would eventually be a game-tying drive alive.
The Ravens dropped to 7-6 with their Sunday loss and they remain a half-game behind the Steelers with three weeks remaining in the regular season. The Ravens will now get ready to host the 5-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday and it’s yet to be known if quarterback Joe Flacco will be healthy enough to start that game.
The Browns took care of the Panthers 26-20 Sunday as rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 18 of his 22 total pass attempts for 238 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Jarvis Landry in the first half. Landry ended the game with just 3 receptions for 57 yards and his touchdown was from 51 yards out. Landry also rushed for another touchdown in the Browns win as did rookie running back Nick Chubb, who ended with 66 rushing yards on 13 total carries.
The Browns defense registered one sack of Panthers quarterback Cam Newton on Sunday and intercepted him once late to secure the win. Newton threw for just 265 yards in a losing effort in addition to rushing for 23 yards.
The Browns improved their regular season record to 5-7-1 with their Sunday win over the Panthers and now they’ll start preparing to play the 6-7 Denver Broncos on the road next Sunday.
Like the Steelers and the Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals also lost on Sunday as they were beaten 26-21 on the road by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Bengals quarterback Jeff Driskel completed 18 of his 27 total pass attempts against the Chargers for 170 yards with one touchdown pass to wide receiver John Ross from 6 yards out late in the first half. Driskel, however, was sacked three times during the game by the Chargers defense and the Bengals offense converted just 5 of their 13 total third down opportunities during the contest.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 220 yards and a touchdown in his team’s win ad Los Angeles kicker Michael Badgley made four field goals on Sunday.
The Bengals dropped to 5-8 on the season with their Sunday loss and they’re now in the AFC North cellar behind the Browns entering Week 15. The Bengals will next host the Raiders next Sunday.
As for the 7-5-1 Steelers, who remain the No. 4 seed in the AFC entering Week 15, they’ll now get ready to host the New England Patriots next Sunday. The Patriots lost on the road Sunday afternoon to the Miami Dolphins 34-33 on the game’s final play that included a lateral that covered 69 yards in total.
