AFC North Roundup: Browns Falter, Ravens Survive

Ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals at 4:25 p.m. Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, the AFC North-rival Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens took the field in a pair of 1 p.m. contests.

Going into Week 11, the Ravens paced the AFC North at 6-3, with the Bengals one game back at 5-4. The Browns and Steelers held down third and fourth place, respectively, at 3-6.

Early Sunday, the Browns faced a daunting task against the 6-3 AFC-favorite Bills, while the Ravens took on the 3-7 Carolina Panthers.

Here’s what went down in those.

Week 11 AFC North Recap

Ravens vs. Panthers

Surprisingly, the Ravens struggled against the Panthers, getting blanked in the first quarter and scoring just three points in the second. Still, they enjoyed a 3-0 halftime lead, as their defense had no problem shutting down Baker Mayfield and company.

After the half, the problems for the AFC North leaders continued. The Panthers tied the game at 3 midway through the third quarter, and the Ravens couldn’t quite kick it into gear to pull away.

Lamar Jackson and Mayfield both struggled mightily throughout this one.

Jackson finished 24/33 for 209 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception.

He did, however, punch in a fourth-quarter touchdown on the ground, boosting his Ravens to an eventual 13-3 victory.

Mayfield, on the other hand, looked tragic. He completed 21 of 33 passes for 196 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions, both of which were costly picks late in the fourth quarter with a chance to make a move.

In the NFL, a win is a win, and at 7-3 the Ravens will maintain a comfortable lead in the AFC North regardless of the outcome of this 4:25 p.m. Steelers vs. Bengals showdown.

Browns vs. Bills

The Browns, meanwhile, hung around with the Bills for a bit, keeping the game close early.

Jacoby Brisset commanded the Browns’ offense in the first half, going 13/18 for 156 yards and a touchdown with no picks. That said, the Browns scored just 10 points and trailed the Bills, 13-10, at the midway point.

Things didn’t get better for them from there.

The Bills settled in and poured on the pain, pulling away in the second half before a too-late push from the Browns made things a bit interesting.

At one point, it looked like this:

#Bills drives today vs. #Browns:

Punt
FG
Punt
FG
TD
FG
TD
FG
FG

— Matt Parrino (@MattParrino) November 20, 2022

Yeah, the Bills are good.

They eventually won this one, 31-23.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen finished with just 197 yards and a touchdown, while Brissett continued to play well, posting 324 yards on 28/41 passing with three touchdowns and no picks.

It was actually Nick Chubb and the Browns’ usually lethal rushing attack that faltered in this one.

Chubb recorded 19 yards on 14 carries, while Kareem Hunt chipped in 32 yards on five carries.

The Browns fall to 3-7 with the loss.