It was a rather strange day in the AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers playing in the 1 p.m. window and the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns all finding themselves on the West Coast for 4:05 and 4:25 p.m. matchups against the NFC West.
As the Steelers slogged through a 20-10 loss in Week Eight to the Jaguars, the Bengals and Ravens picked up big-time road wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals, respectively. The Browns joined the Steelers in the loss column in Week Eight, falling to the Seattle Seahawks, 24-20.
Cincinnati Bengals 31, San Francisco 49ers 17
Following a slow start to the season, the Bengals are roaring back into contention. On the road at Levi’s Stadium Sunday, Cincinnati rolled to a 31-17 win over the 49ers to move to 4-3 on the season.
Joe Burrow was firing on all cylinders for the Bengals, hooking up with Tyler Boyd for a 7-yard touchdown to open the game, and then found rookie Andrei Iosivas for a 2-yard touchdown on the final play of the first quarter. Burrow later found Ja’Marr Chase for a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter and running back Joe Mixon put the game away for good with a 5-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring.
On the day, Burrow finished 28-of-32 against San Francisco’s defense for 283 yards and three touchdowns. He outdueled San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, who threw two interceptions though he finished 22-of-31 for 365 yards and a touchdown.
Mixon led the Bengals with 87 rushing yards and the game-clinching score on just 16 carries, while Chase hauled in 10 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Burrow added 43 rushing yards on six carries for the Bengals, showing he’s fully healthy, and Tee Higgins added 69 yards receiving on five catches.
Both George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk went for over 100 yards receiving in the loss for the 49ers with Kittle hauling in nine passes for 149 yards while Aiyuk finished with five receptions for 109 yards. Christian McCaffrey rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and added 64 yards on six catches and a touchdown in the loss.
Linebackers Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt picked off Purdy in the win.
Cincinnati hosts Buffalo on Sunday Night Football in Week Nine.
Baltimore Ravens 31, Arizona Cardinals 24
All the Ravens seemingly do is win. They continued their winning ways Sunday in the desert, jumping out to a 24-7 lead early in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals before holding on late for a 31-24 win.
Running back Gus Edwards scored three times on the ground, finding pay dirt from 1-yard out twice, and 7 yards out. Lamar Jackson found tight end Mark Andrews for a 5-yard touchdown and Justin Tucker added a 48-yard field goal.
The Cardinals took an early 7-0 lead as Joshua Dobbs ran one in from a yard out, but the Cardinals then fell into a 24-7 hole before rallying. Dobbs hit tight end Trey McBride for a 17-yard touchdown and added a 2-point conversion. He then found wide receiver Marquise Brown for a 1-yard touchdown and later Matt Prater kicked a 47-yard field goal, but the Cardinals couldn’t recover the onside kick, giving the Ravens the win.
On the day, Jackson was 18-of-27 passing for 157 yards and a touchdown while Edwards added 80 yards rushing and three scores on 19 carries. Andrews and running back Justice Hill led the Ravens with four receptions for 40 yards each.
For Arizona, Dobbs was 25-of-37 for 208 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. McBride finished with 10 receptions for 75 yards and a score, while Emari Demercado led the Cardinals with 78 yards rushing on 20 carries.
Baltimore improves to 6-2 on the season and remains in first place in the AFC North. The Ravens host the Seattle Seahawks in Week Nine.
Seattle Seahawks 24, Cleveland Browns 20
After climbing out of an early 14-0 hole and taking a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter, the Cleveland Browns couldn’t hold on to a win in the Pacific Northwest, allowing a late touchdown with 38 seconds left to fall to the Seahawks, 24-20.
Cleveland fell behind 14-0 early as Seattle rookie receiver Jake Bobo scored on a 3-yard rushing touchdown and wide receiver Tyler Lockett hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Geno Smith on the first two drives of the game.
Playing without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Browns found some life with backup PJ Walker. Walker hit tight end David Njoku for an 18-yard touchdown to kick-start the Cleveland attack before Seattle tacked on a 32-yard field goal to take a 17-7 halftime lead.
Then it was all Browns until late in the game.
Running back Kareem Hunt scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown and then Dustin Hopkins converted a 25-yard field goal to make it 17-17. Hopkins later added a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter to give the Browns a 20-17 lead, but they couldn’t hold on late as Smith found rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 9-yard touchdown with 38 seconds left, giving Seattle the win.
For Cleveland, Walker finished 15-of-31 for 248 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Hunt rushed for 55 yards and a score on 14 carries while Pierre Strong Jr. added 41 yards on 10 carries. Jerome Ford added another 37 yards on nine carries as the Browns rushed for 155 yards as a team.
Amari Cooper led the Browns in receiving with six receptions for 89 yards, while Strong hauled in a 41-yard catch-and-run in the loss.
Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II and cornerback Martin Emerson recorded interceptions for the Browns, while Myles Garrett had one sack.
For Seattle, Smith finished 23-of-37 for 254 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Running backs Kenneth Walker III and rookie Zach Charbonnet finished with 66 and 53 rushing yards, respectively, on just 13 combined carries. Lockett led the Seahawks with eight receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown.
Cleveland falls to 4-3 on the season and will host Arizona in Week Nine.
AFC North Standings
Following the Week Eight results, the AFC North Standings largely look the same — for now.
The Ravens remain in the top spot at 6-2, while the Steelers, Browns and Bengals are all tied at 4-3. However, the Steelers have a game in hand over the Browns and have yet to play the Bengals on the season. Cincinnati is 0-2 in the division, while Cleveland is 1-2. The Steelers sit at 2-0 in the AFC North, while the Bengals are 2-1 in the division.
