The AFC North remains the best division in football, especially after a rather wild day in Week 10. The Cincinnati Bengals lost on a last-second field goal to the upstart Houston Texans while the Baltimore Ravens blew double-digit leads in a loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, the Steelers held on late for a thrilling 23-19 win over the Green Bay Packers to move to 6-3 on the season, putting them firmly in the AFC postseason picture, strengthening their standing in that heated playoff race.
With how good the AFC North is overall, it comes as very little surprise that Sunday’s matchups for the division teams came down to the final play.
Let’s take a look at the Week 10 recap from around the AFC North.
Houston Texans 30, Cincinnati Bengals 27
In a highly anticipated matchup between two young, star quarterbacks (yes, C.J. Stroud is a star already), the Houston Texans came away with a thrilling 30-27 win over Joe Burrow and the Bengals at Paycor Stadium, thanks to a 38-yard field goal from Houston kicker Matt Ammendola as time expired.
Ammendola was the hero for Houston one week after being signed due to the injury to Ka’imi Fairbairn, causing the Texans to rely on running back Dare Ogunbowale last week to kick a go-ahead 33-yard field goal.
Though Ammendola was the hero Sunday, Stroud stole the show for the Texans.
One week after setting an NFL rookie record with 470 passing yards and five touchdowns against Tampa Bay, Stroud completed 23-of-39 passes for 356 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He even added an 8-yard rushing touchdown against the Bengals.
He did much of that work after falling behind early. Burrow got the Bengals on the board first with a 32-yard strike to Trenton Irwin for an opening touchdown, but then Stroud responded with a 6-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Tank Dell, and then Ammendola gave the Texans a 10-7 lead at the half.
It was fireworks after halftime as Houston stretched its lead to 20-7, thanks to a 22-yard field goal from Ammendola, and a 6-yard rushing touchdown from Devin Singletary, who finished with 150 yards and a score on 30 carries.
Cincinnati came roaring back though as Evan McPherson drilled a 50-yard field goal, and then Burrow made an absurd play, scrambling and uncorking a bomb to Ja’Marr Chase for a 64-yard touchdown, making it a 20-17 game.
Stroud was unfazed though, leading the Texans right back down the field and running one in from 8 yards out to make it 27-17.
Joe Mixon brought the Bengals within three points on a 1-yard rushing touchdown to make it 27-24, after Stroud threw an interception, just his second of the season.
Later, McPherson tacked on a 31-yard field goal with 1:33 remaining in the game to tie it a 27-27, but Stroud never blinked. The rookie led the Texans right down the field in the final 1:33, hitting tight end Dalton Schultz for a gain of 25 yards and then Noah Brown for 22 yards, setting up Ammendola’s game winner.
In the win over the Bengals, Brown had a career day, finishing with seven receptions for 172 yards. Burrow threw for 347 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss, connecting with Chase five times for 124 yards and a score and Tyler Boyd eight times for 117 yards, but it wasn’t enough in the end.
The Texans move to 5-4 on the season, while Bengals fall to 5-4.
Houston takes on Arizona in Week 11, while Cincinnati travels to Baltimore for a Thursday Night Football matchup.
Cleveland Browns 33, Baltimore Ravens 31
Early in the first half, it looked like the Baltimore Ravens were going to run away with yet another matchup on the season.
Then, things completely changed.
Baltimore blew a 17-3 first-half lead and a 24-9 second half lead against the Cleveland Browns Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, snapping a four-game winning streak, giving the Browns a game in the division.
Baltimore started fast as safety Kyle Hamilton returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown just 40 seconds into the game. Then, rookie running back Keaton Mitchell ripped off a 39-yard touchdown run, continuing his impressive play from Week Nine against the Seattle Seahawks, staking the Ravens to a 14-0 lead.
Cleveland found some footing offensively, driving down to kick a field goal as Dustin Hopkins was good from 36 yards, but Baltimore wasn’t done making it look easy in the first quarter. Eight plays, 56 yards later, Justin Tucker was true from 37 yards out as the Ravens were all over the Browns.
Cleveland then drove 70 yards in 12 plays but couldn’t finish the strong drive, leading to another Hopkins field goal, this time from 28 yards out. He later tacked on a 23-yard field goal late in the first half, sending the two teams into halftime with Baltimore in front, 17-9, in a game that didn’t feel all that close.
Baltimore started the second half in quick fashion, making that feeling stronger as quarterback Lamar Jackson hit Odell Beckham Jr. on a slant route that ended up as a 40-yard touchdown and a 24-9 lead.
It was all Cleveland after that though.
Browns running back Kareem Hunt scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 24-17. Though Baltimore running back Gus Edwards made it a 31-17 game late in the fourth quarter, the Browns turned it on in the fourth quarter, storming back for the win.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore had a 10-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was banged up after the game, while cornerback Greg Newsome II made a great play for a 34-yard pick-six of Jackson, making it a 31-30 game after the missed extra point from Hopkins.
Despite the missed extra point, the Browns never blinked. Watson led Cleveland down the field late, manufacturing a 12-play, 58-yard drive that led to Hopkins getting some redemption, drilling a 40-yard game-winning field goal to give the Browns an improbable 33-31 win over the Ravens on the road, erasing a near 100%-win probability for the Ravens in the fourth quarter.
In the win, Watson completed 20-of-34 passes for 213 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was seen leaving the locker room with a boot on his foot after the win. Jerome Ford rushed for 107 yards on 17 carries, while Amari Cooper led the Browns with 98 yards receiving on six receptions.
For Baltimore, Jackson threw for 223 yards on 13-of-23 passing with one touchdown and two interceptions. He led the Ravens with 41 yards rushing on eight carries. Rookie receiver Zay Flowers led Baltimore with five receptions for 73 yards.
Baltimore linebacker Roquan Smith had a career game, recording 21 tackles in the loss, 14 of which were solo.
Baltimore falls to 7-3 on the season, while Cleveland improves to 6-3. The Browns will host the Steelers in Week 11, while the Ravens will take on the Bengals on Thursday Night Football.
The Ravens remain on top of the AFC North at 7-3 on the season, though they are 2-2 in the division. Pittsburgh sits second at 6-3 overall, including a 2-0 mark in the division. They now enter a two-week stretch of AFC North play on the road against the Browns and Bengals. Cleveland is third at 6-3, but is 2-2 in the division, while the Bengals sit at 5-4 and 0-2 in the division. Most importantly, the Bengals are 1-4 in the AFC.
Things are starting to heat up big time in the division down the stretch.
