It was a huge week in the AFC North in Week 11 due to the matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens as the top two teams found themselves in a major battle.
Fortunately for the Steelers, Pittsburgh came out on top in hard-fought game, winning the AFC North showdown, 18-16, to move to 8-2 on the season and grab ahold of the division.
Following action in the AFC North in Week 11 after the conclusion of the Cincinnati Bengals’ battle with the Los Angeles Chargers, the Steelers remain in sole possession of first-place in the division with two games up on the Ravens.
Here’s how the standings in the division look coming out of Week 11 action.
AFC North Standings
1. Pittsburgh Steelers 8-2 (1-0)
2. Baltimore Ravens 7-4 (2-2)
3. Cincinnati Bengals 4-7 (1-2)
4. Cleveland Browns 2-8 (1-1)
While the focus in the division was on the powerhouse battle on the North Shore in Pittsburgh, the rest of the division found itself in some tough matchups elsewhere.
The Cleveland Browns made the trip to New Orleans and Bourbon Street to take on the New Orleans Saints. Though Cleveland got some explosive plays offensively, the defense was gashed as the Saints put a beating on them, rolling to a 35-14 win, dropping the Browns to 2-8 on the year.
It was a tie game entering the fourth quarter, but the Browns seemingly rolled over in the final 15 minutes, allowing three Saints touchdowns, leading to the three-score win for the Saints. In the process, the Browns lost starting offensive tackle Dawand Jones for the season in the matchup, too, due to injury.
Opening things up in New Orleans, the Browns turned the ball over on downs on the first possession of the game, setting up a scoring drive for the Saints. New Orleans marched 49 yards in six plays, which was capped off by a 10-yard touchdown run from tight end Taysom Hill, giving New Orleans a 7-0 lead.
The two teams then traded punts on the next possessions before the Browns struck big. On a first down from their own 11-yard line following a good punt from the Saints, the Browns struck as quarterback Jameis Winston fired a seed to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, who beat two defenders and raced home for an 89-yard touchdown.
The Browns tired to go for two though and failed to convert, keeping the Saints in front, 7-6.
Cleveland then picked off Hill on the very next play, but couldn’t do anything with the turnover, punting the ball four plays later.
That was the break the Saints needed as three plays later, wide receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling took a short pass from Derek Carr and raced 71 yards untouched for a touchdown, stretching the lead to 14-6 New Orleans.
Cleveland tried to answer late in the first half, but ended up missing two field goals sandwiched around a New Orleans fumble, keeping the score at 14-6 at the half.
Coming out of the half, the Browns got a quick stop on defense and then marched 92 yards in eight plays, with Winston finding wide receiver Elijah Moore from 30 yards out to make it a 14-12 game. Then, Winston found tight end David Njoku for the 2-point conversion, tying the game at 14-14, which held until the start of the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter though, the Browns collapsed.
After trading punts again, the Browns then couldn’t stop the Saints as Hill raced home from 33 yards on a direct snap for a score. Then, Carr hit tight end Juwan Johnson for a 1-yard touchdon, and to cap things off, Hill raced 75 yards to close out the game, giving the Saints the 35-14 win.
In the loss, Winston completed 30-of-46 passes for 395 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Nick Chubb had 11 carries for 50 yards. Jeudy led the Browns with six receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown, while Njoku had nine receptions for 81 yards.
Carr finished 21-of-27 for 248 yards and two touchdowns, while Hill added seven carries for 138 yards and three touchdowns.
The Browns fall to 2-8 on the season and have a tight turnaround to take on the 8-2 Steelers on Thursday Night Football in Week 12.
While Cleveland was blown out in New Orleans, the Cincinnati Bengals had a tough road trip to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers. With their season seemingly on the line, the Bengals got off to a slow start and had no answers for the Chargers.
But then, in the second half, they made a miraculous comeback, rallying from 24-6 down at the half to make it a 27-27 game late in the fourth quarter, before ultimately falling late, 34-27, to the Chargers.
Though the Bengals took a 3-0 lead to open the game, the Chargers raced out to a 24-6 lead at the half and largely controlled the game.
Cincinnati’s Evan McPherson connected on a 26-yard field goal to open the game and then connected on a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter, but the Bengals couldn’t slow down the Chargers’ offense. Los Angeles QB Justin Herbert connected on a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Will Dissly on the first drive, and then hit wide Receiver Quentin Johnston for a 26-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Later, Chargers’ RB J.K. Dobbins scored on a 1-yard leap over the goal line to make it 21-6 before kicker Cameron Dicker drilled a 19yard field goal to head to the half.
Coming out of the half, the Chargers added another field goal as Dicker connected from 53 yards to make it 27-6, but the Bengals didn’t go away.
Cincinnati marched 70 yards in 11 plays on the next drive as running back Chase Brown ripped off a 27-yard run, quarterback Joe Burrow connected with wide receiver Tee Higgins for a gain of 23, and then on a 4th and Goal from the 4-yard line, Burrow hit wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for a 4-yard touchdown, making it a 27-13 game.
The Bengals refused to go away though.
After getting a quick stop on the Chargers thanks to a huge third-down sack from Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai, the Bengals offense got the ball back and struck again on 4th down.
Facing a 4th and 2 from near midfield, Burrow dialed up a deep shot for Tee Higgins, resulting in a 42-yard touchdown, making it a 27-20 game.
Then, on the next Chargers’ offensive drive, just when it looked like they were going to drive for points, Justin Herbert coughed up the football on a run, attempting to run over cornerback Mike Hilton but fumbling the ball away, leading to a Geno Stone recovery.
And of course, with the Chargers, well, Charger-ing, the Bengals tied the game. Burrow made some absurd throws to running back Chase Brown when the play broke down, and then connected with Ja’Marr Chase again, this time for a 17-yard touchdown, tying the game at 27-27.
After that, things got a bit wild.
The Chargers couldn’t do anything offensively and couldn’t avoid penalties, the Bengals missed a field goal and a full-on choke-off appeared to be ongoing on Sunday Night Football.
Just when it looked like the Bengals would win the game with a late Evan McPherson field goal, the kicker missed his second straight kick, giving the Chargers life once again.
But the Bengals’ defense stood tall. Hilton nearly had an interception, and rookie Josh Newton forced a huge incompletion on third down from Herbert, giving the Bengals the football once again. Cincinnati couldn’t do anything with it though, giving the Chargers one last shot.
They didn’t waste the opportunity. Herbert hit rookie receiver Ladd McConkey for a big 28-yard gain to near midfield. Then, Herbert hit McConkey for 27 yards, which set up a 29-yard touchdown run from J.K. Dobbins, giving the Chargers a 34-27 lead that would hold up late for the win.
The Bengals fall to 4-7 on the season and likely have the final nail in the coffin on their season, which came in a crushing loss after a near-miraculous comeback.
In the loss, Burrow completed 28-of-50 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns, while Higgins led the Bengals with nine receptions for 148 yards and a score. Chase added seven receptions for 75 yards and two scores.
The Bengals will have a bye week in Week 12 before taking on the Steelers in Week 13 at home on December 1 at 1 p.m.
