Steelers Lone AFC North Team to Win in Week 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers are at the top of the standings in the AFC North, as it was a brutal opening week for the rest of the division. The Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns all lost. The Steelers were the lone AFC North team to win, an 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

well…well…well… what do we have here pic.twitter.com/5cDa8Gqr7V

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 8, 2024

The Ravens lost in dramatic fashion to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night, as Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely’s right foot was barely out of bounds on a catch in the back of the end zone on the final play of the game. The Ravens would have tied the game at 27-27, pending an extra point, if Likely was in bounds.

The Cincinnati Bengals got upset by the New England Patriots, 16-10, in Cincinnati. That was a big surprise. I don’t think anyone had New England going into Cincinnati with Jacoby Brissett as their quarterback and winning. The Bengals were minus-3 in the turnover differential department and that really was the difference.

We lost the turnover battle 3-0,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “One on offense, one on special teams and one a turnover on downs. Missed a lot of tackles today. (That) led to 170 yards rushing. No recipe in that style of game to be able to win. It’s very clear. You lose a turnover battle like that in Week 1, it’s going to point you to a loss. We’ve got to be accountable for that.”

In the second half, Cincinnati’s Charlie Jones muffed a punt, which led to a Patriots field goal. The Bengals also came up a yard short on a fourth-down pass and turned the ball over. It was afternoon filled with self-inflicted wounds for Cincinnati.

The Browns got absolutely stomped by the Dallas Cowboys at home, losing 33-17.  The final score wasn’t a true indication of how bad Cleveland played. At one point in the game, 50 percent of the Browns’ plays went for zero or negative yards.

Browns’ quartererback Deshaun Watson had an abysmal performance, completing 24 of 45 passes (53.3%) for 169 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 51.1. He also was sacked six times. Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons had a sack and a whopping five quarterback hits.

The Steelers play the Broncos in Denver next Sunday at 4:25 p.m., while the Ravens host the Las Vegas Raiders at 1 p.m. The Browns play at Jacksonville in Week 2, and the Bengals travel to Arrowhead to play the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.