The Pittsburgh Steelers won their Week 16 home game against the Las Vegas Raiders 13-10 on Sunday and two other AFC North teams ahead of them in the standings also registered wins during the weekend as well as the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens both notched vistories. The Cleveland Browns, however, were the only AFC North team to lose in Week 16.
The Bengals beat the New England Patriots on the road on Saturday by a score of 22-18. In their win, quarterback Joe Burrow completed 40 of his 52 total pass attempts for 375 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had five yards rushing in the game on four carries and was sacked twice.
Bengal’s wide receiver Tee Higgins caught eight passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in the win and fellow wide receiver Trenton Irwin caught the other two touchdown passes from Burrow. Running back Joe Mixon chipped in 65 yards rushing on 16 carries in the win and also caught seven passes in the game for another 43 yards.
Defensively for the Bengals, linebacker Logan Ryan led the team in total tackles with nine and also had one of the team’s four sacks in the game. The Bengals defense had one takeaway against the Patriots, and it came late in the contest and it essentially sealed the win.
As for the Ravens, they beat the Atlanta Falcons 17-9 at home on Saturday. Quarterback Tyler Huntley completed just 9 of his 17 total pass attempts in the win for 115 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions. He also rushed 26 yards on 11 carries in the game and wasn’t sacked.
Ravens’ tight end Mark Andrew lead the team in receiving on Saturday with three catches for 45 yards and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson caught the lone touchdown pass from Huntley. Running back Gus Edwards led the Ravens on the ground against the Falcons as he registered 99 yards on 11 carries.
Defensively for the Ravens, linebacker Roquan Smith led the team in total tackles with 15. Defensive tackle Justin Madubuike had one of the team’s two sacks in the game and cornerback Marlon Humphrey forced a fumble that linebacker Patrick Queen recovered. Kicker Justin Tucker had three field goals with the longest being 27-yards.
The Browns were officially knocked out of playoff contention on Saturday with their 17-10 loss at home to the New Orleans Saints.
In their loss, quarterback Deshaun Watson completed 15 of his 31 pass attempts for 135 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Watson also rushed three times for 24 yards and a touchdown in the game and he was sacked twice.
Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper led the team in receiving with six catches for 72 yards and running back Nick Chubb did his part on the ground with 92 yards on 24 total carries. Chubb also had one reception for 10 yards in the game.
Defensively for the Browns in their loss to the Saints, linebacker Reggie Ragland led the team in total tackles with 10. Safety Grant Delpit had an interception and that was the team’s lone takeaway in the game. The Browns defense also failed to register a sack against the Saints on Saturday.
In Week 17 AFC North action, the 10-5 Ravens will host the 7-8 Steelers on Sunday night. The 6-9 Browns will play the 7-7-1 Washington Commanders on the road next Sunday afternoon and the division-leading 11-4 Bengals will host the 12-3 Buffalo Bills next Monday night.
Entering Week 17, the Bengals and Ravens have both clinched playoff spots. Those two teams will play each other in Week 18 to close out the 2022 regular season and that game could ultimately decide who wins the AFC North.
