The Pittsburgh Steelers still lead the AFC North after Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season, but only due to certain tiebreakers. After losing on Sunday at home to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Steelers are 1-1 and so are the other three teams in the AFC North.
The Cincinnati Bengals dropped to 1-1 on Sunday thanks to their 20-17 road loss to the Chicago Bears. In their loss, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow competed 19 of his 30 total pass attempts for 207 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Burrow’s two touchdown passes in the game went to wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. Fellow Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd led the team in receiving in the loss with seven catches for 73 yards. Running back Joe Mixon finished the game with 69 yards on 20 total carries. Mixon also had one catch for two yards on Sunday against the Bears.
Defensively for the Bengals on Sunday, linebacker Logan Wilson led the team in total tackles with nine and he also registered the team’s only interception of the game. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson and defensive tackle D.J. Reader each had sacks on Sunday for the Bengals in their loss. Hendrickson also forced a fumble that the Bears managed to recover.
The Cleveland Browns are also now 1-1 after Week 2 as they beat the Houston Texans 31-21 at home on Sunday. In their win against the Texans, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 19 of his 21 total pass attempts for 213 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Mayfield also rushed for 10 yards and a touchdown in the win.
Mayfield’s lone touchdown pass of the game went to running back Demetric Felton, who led the team in receiving yardage with 51 yards on just two catches. Tight end Austin Hooper led the Browns in total catches with five. Running back Nick Chubb led the Browns on the ground with 95 yards on 11 carries. He also rushed for one touchdown and caught one pass for another 3 yards. Fullback Andy Janovich also had a rushing touchdown in the win.
Defensively for the Browns in Week 2, linebacker Malcolm Xavier Smith led the team in total tackles with eight and he also registered the team’s lone interception. Safety Grant Delpit had the Browns only sack in the game on Sunday and he also forced a fumble that linebacker Sione Takitaki recovered.
The Baltimore Ravens will also enter Week 3 of the regular season with a 1-1 record thanks to their 36-35 Sunday night home win against the Kansas City Chiefs. In that win, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson completed 18 of his 26 total pass attempts for 239 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Jackson also rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns in the game on 16 total carries.
Jacksons lone touchdown pass of the game went to wide receiver Marquise Brown in the third quarter. Brown led the Ravens in receiving Sunday night with six catches for 113 yards and the score. Ravens running back Ty’Son Williams chipped in 77 rushing yards on his 13 carries and running back Latavius Murray also had a rushing touchdown in the game. The Ravens offense totaled 251 rushing yards Sunday night.
Defensively for the Ravens in their win against the Chiefs, linebacker Patrick Queen led the team in total tackles with eight. Baltimore cornerback Tavon Young registered the team’s lone interception of the game while linebacker Odafe Oweh forced and recovered a fumble late in the contest.
Week 3 of the 2021 season has the Steelers hosting the Bengals on Sunday at Heinz Field and it’s the first divisional game for the two teams. The Browns will host the 1-1 Bears next Sunday in other AFC North action while the Ravens will play the Detroit Lions on the road next Sunday.
