AFC North Recap: Ravens Destroy Lions, Browns Squeak By Colts

The Baltimore Ravens remain in first place in the AFC North at 5-2, as they demolished the 5-1 Detroit Lions, 38-6, on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. The Cleveland Browns (4-2) were also victorious with a 39-38 shootout win over the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Browns will remain in second place if the Steelers lose to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon. The Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) had a bye this week.

The Ravens got out of the gates fast with touchdowns on their first four drives of the game. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken put on a clinic. Everything was clicking on both sides of the ball for Baltimore. The Ravens had 322 total yards of offense at the halfway point of the second quarter, while Detroit had 13 total yards and no first downs.

Jackson rushed for a 7-yard touchdown and then followed it up with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor to give Baltimore an early 14-0 lead. On the touchdown pass, Jackson displayed impressive pocket presence by eluding pressure and found Agholor in the back of the end zone.

Jackson then completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews to extend Baltimore’s lead to 21-0. In the first three drives, Jackson was 14 of 17 for 207 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 156.6.

Running back Gus Edwards capped a 6-play, 80-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to give Baltimore a commanding 28-0 lead at halftime. Halfway through the second quarter, the Lions ran just nine plays, while Baltimore had seven plays of 20 yards or longer. It was a complete rout.

Jackson finished completing 21 of 27 passes (77.8%) for 357 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 155.8. He also rushed for 36 yards on nine carries and a touchdown.

Baltimore’s defense made a statement by allowing just six points against Detroit. Coming into Sunday’s game, the Lions had won four straight, all of which were by 14 points or more. They also scored at least 20 points in 15 straight games. The Ravens have allowed a league-low eight touchdowns this year.

Browns running back Jerome Ford got things started for Cleveland with a 69-yard touchdown run on the opening possession. On the ensuing drive, Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew answered with a 59-yard touchdown pass to Josh Downs to tie the game at 7-7.

Things went downhill for Cleveland following the opening drive touchdown, however, as Watson threw an interception and got knocked out of the game after taking a big hit from defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo. The team announced that Watson had cleared concussion protocol but had not assigned an injury as to why he was not playing. Watson was just 1 of 5 for five yards with no touchdowns and an interception before being sidelined.

After trading possessions, Minshew capped a 6-play, 57-yard with a 17-yard touchdown run to give the Colts a 14-7 lead at the 4:28 mark of the first quarter. Following a three-and-out, All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett got the ball back to his offense by recording a strip-sack on Minshew. Five plays later, Kareem Hunt rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14-14.

Garrett recorded another strip-sack on Minshew late in the first half that resulted in a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown by Tony Fields II, giving Cleveland a 24-21 lead. Garrett had 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and an insane a blocked field goal. Garrett is the first player since at least 2000 with multiple sacks, multiple forced fumbles, and a blocked field goal in the same game. 

Dustin Hopkins nailed a 54-yard field goal to increase the Browns lead to 30-21 early in the third quarter. It was Hopkins’ third field goal of the game. The Colts answered with a Jonathan Taylor 5-yard touchdown run and a 27-yard field goal by Matt Gay to take a narrow 31-30 lead.

Hopkins converted a 58-yarder to put the Browns back up top at 33-31. Minshew then responded with a a 75-yard touchdown pass to Michael Pittman Jr. After trading possessions, Walker led the Browns on a 12-play, 80-yard game-winning touchdown drive, as Hunt plunged in for a 1-yard score on fourth-and-goal with 15 seconds remaining.

It’s the second straight week that Walker has led the Browns on a game-winning drive. Cleveland took advantage of debatable back-to-back defensive penalties against the Colts, an illegal contact and a defensive pass interference call on cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. Baker ‘s illegal contact penalty negated a fumble recovery by DeForest Buckner off a strip-sack by E.J. Speed on third-and-4. Baker’s DPI then moved the ball from the 8-yard line to the 1, which set up the game-winning score.

AFC NORTH STANDINGS

UPCOMING AFC NORTH SCHEDULE

Week 8
Sunday, Oct. 30, 1 p.m. Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, Oct. 30, 4 p.m. Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, Oct. 30, 4:25 p.m. Baltimore Ravens at Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, Oct. 30, 4:25 p.m. Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers

Week 9
Thursday, Nov. 2, 8:15 p.m. Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, Nov. 5, 1 p.m. Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, Nov. 5, 8:20 p.m. Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals
BYE: Baltimore Ravens

Week 10
Sunday, Nov. 12, 1 p.m. Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, Nov. 12, 1 p.m. Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, Nov. 12, 1 p.m. Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers