Turns out, the team in the AFC North that had the most questions about it entering Week 1 of the 2024 season, at least from the national media perspective, is the only team that won in the AFC North this week.
That would be the Pittsburgh Steelers, who sit atop the AFC North after one week following losses by the Baltimore Ravens (27-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs), a 16-10 loss by the Cincinnati Bengals to the New England Patriots, and a 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys by the Cleveland Browns.
In Cincinnati against the lowly Patriots, who were expected to be in the running for the worst team in the NFL, the Bengals came out flat in the return of quarterback Joe Burrow.
The Bengals mustered only 224 yards of total offense in Burrow’s return from last season’s season-ending wrist injury. Wide receiver Tee Higgins was out and star receiver Ja’Marr Chase was largely limited after missing quite a bit of time in a hold-in during training camp and the week of practice leading up to the game.
Cincinnati found itself trailing at the half, 10-0, after New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson scored on a 3-yard run and kicker Joey Slye added a 32-yard field goal. The Bengals went three-and-out on their first three drives before putting together a lengthy drive that ended in a Tanner Hudson lost fumble.
Things went wrong early in the second half, too. Cincinnati punt returner Charlie Jones muffed a punt after a New England three-and-out, setting up a 35-yard field goal by Slye that made it 13-0 New England.
The Bengals then turned it over on downs, but then quickly forced a three-and-out on the Patriots, leading to a Cincinnati touchdown. Cincinnati went 90 yards in nine plays before new running back Zack Moss punched one in from 5 yards out with 1:10 left in the third quarter.
It proved to be too little, too late though.
The Patriots responded with a 12-play, 52-yard drive that ate up 7:24 of game clock, leading to a 37-yard field goal from Slye and a 16-7 lead. Cincinnati responded with a 51-yard field goal from Evan McPherson with 6:14 left in the game, but that was all she wrote for the Bengals.
Burrow threw for just 164 yards and was sacked three times in the loss, while Chase hauled in six passes for 62 yards. Moss ran for 44 yards and a touchdown on the day. For New England, Jacoby Brissett threw for just 121 yards while Stevenson rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Tight end Austin Hooper was the Patriots’ leading receiver with two receptions for 21 yards.
The Bengals will take on the Kansas City Chiefs next week in Arrowhead Stadium.
In Cleveland, with quarterback Deshaun Watson making his return from a season-ending shoulder injury, the Browns came out flat and looked rough overall, falling in ugly fashion to the Dallas Cowboys, who signed star quarterback Dak Prescott to a huge deal just hours before kickoff.
This was talked up as the coming-out party for the Browns with Watson back healthy. It was a coming-out party, for sure, one that showed the Browns have a long way to go to be considered a legitimate contender in the AFC and the NFL overall.
Cleveland started strong with a field goal to take a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, but after that it was all Cowboys.
Dallas rolled to a 20-3 lead at the half thanks to a 6-yard Prescott touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks, a 3-yard touchdown run by Ezekiel Elliott, and two field goals by Brandon Aubrey.
It was more of the same in the second half as Watson and the Browns’ offense struggled. Dallas’ Kavontae Turpin returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown to make it 27-3 before Watson and the Browns’ offense responded with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a Watson 6-yard pass to new receiver Jerry Jeudy to make it 27-10.
But Dallas added two more field goals to make it 33-10 and ran away with the game.
Cleveland added a late touchdown thanks to running back Jerome Ford finding pay dirt from 2 yards out, but at that point the game was all but over.
In the loss, the Browns generated just 230 yards of total offense. Watson threw for 169 yards and a touchdown on 24-of-45 passing, throwing two interceptions in the game. Watson also had one fumble in the game though the Browns recovered.
Ford carried the ball 12 times for 44 yards and a score, while tight end David Njoku led the Browns with four receptions for 44 yards. Defensively, Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith and Dalvin Tomlinson recorded one sack each.
For Dallas, Prescott threw for 179 yards and a touchdown while Elliott rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. CeeDee Lamb led the Cowboys with five receptions for 61 yard while the Cowboys recorded six sacks on the afternoon.
DeMarcus Lawrence and Eric Kendricks had two each. Micah Parsons and DeMarvion Overshown had one sack apiece.
