AFC North – Week 15 Divisional Recap
The Steelers missed a chance to secure home field advantage in the AFC, while the Ravens helped their playoff hopes. The Bengals and the Browns continued to struggle.
Pittsburgh Steelers 11-3
Baltimore Ravens 8-6
Cincinnati Bengals 5-9
Cleveland Browns 0-14
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Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers could not hold on at home against the New England Patriots and lost 27-24.
What they did well
The Steelers were in control of this game. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 281 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Le’Veon Bell ran for 117 yards and a touchdown while adding 48 yards on 5 catches. JuJu Smith-Schuster had 6 catches for 114 yards. The Steelers dominated the time of possession, having the ball for more than 35 minutes. It looked like they were finally going to get the monkey off their back.
Where they needed improvement
The Steelers were not able to hold on to an 8 point fourth quarter lead. The Patriots had a field goal with 4 minutes to go, then forced a three and out. They marched down the field in about a minute to score the go ahead touchdown. Roethlisberger drove the Steelers for an apparent winning touchdown, but the call was overturned and it was an incomplete pass. Roethlisberger’s lone interception came on a pass to the end zone with 9 seconds left to give the Patriots the win.
What is Next
The Steelers travel to Houston to take on the Texans in a Week 16 Christmas day matchup.
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Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens went into Cleveland and took care of the Browns 27-10.
What they did well
The Ravens scored 14 points off of 4 turnovers, including Brandon Williams recovering a fumble for a touchdown. Joe Flacco threw for 288 yards and a touchdown and did not throw an interception. The Raven defense held the Browns to just 136 net yards passing.
Where they needed improvement
The Ravens gave up 130 yards on the ground, including a 59 yard run by Isaiah Crowell. The offense got off to a slow start and the Browns actually had a 7-3 lead with just over 3 minutes to go in the first half. The Ravens were unable to punch it in on 3 tries from the 1 yard line, giving the ball to the Browns to score their only touchdown of the game.
What is Next
The Ravens come home to take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16.
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Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals had another rough week, this time in Minnesota, where they lost 34-7.
What they did well
The Bengals did not do very many things well this week. Geno Atkins had a pair of sacks and Shawn Williams had an interception. Randy Bullock made his only attempt, an extra point in the fourth quarter. The Bengals scored a touchdown every time they got into the red zone. Ok, they only made it there once. In the fourth quarter. When they were already down 34-0.
Where they needed improvement
The Bengals could not get the offense moving. Andy Dalton completed just 50% of his passes for a paltry 113 yards and 2 interceptions, one of which was run back for a touchdown. Giovanni Bernard ran the ball 14 times for only 30 yards. His long run of the day was 4 yards. The Bengals converted just 1 third down on 7 tries and they only managed 8 first downs the entire game.
What is next
The Bengals come home to face the Detroit Lions in Week 16.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns remain winless after falling at home to the Baltimore Ravens 27-10.
What they did well
The Browns did manage to gain a 7-3 lead and held on to it until late in the first half. They did this after they stopped the Ravens after a first and goal from the 4 yard line. Isaiah Crowell broke free for a 59 yard gain on the first play of the drive that followed, and it was capped off by a 12 yard touchdown run by Duke Johnson.
Where they needed improvement
Turnovers killed the Browns this week. DeShone Kizer threw 2 interceptions and was stripped of the ball, which the Ravens recovered for a touchdown. Johnson also lost a fumble and the Browns lost the turnover battle 4-0. The Browns only managed first downs on 2 drives in the second half. They turned the ball over on downs on one of them and Kizer threw an interception in the end zone on the other. The Browns only gained 161 total yards all game. They are running out of time to get a win this year, with just a games in Chicago and Pittsburgh left.
What is Next
The Browns travel to Chicago to face the Bears in Week 16.
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