AFC NORTH ROUNDUP: Ravens lose 3 games in 3 weeks to fall behind Bengals, Steelers

Quotes of Note:

"Big plays is what it boils down to," said Ravens defensive back Domonique Foxworth, who was the only Ravens defender to record a pass – defensed. "We’ll have all the parts playing solid, and then we’ll suffer from a breakdown. And it’s a different person every time. You can see how it just paralyzes our defense when that happens."

“It just seemed like we didn’t have the fire that we’ve had for the first five,” said Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth. “It’s Week 6. We’ve played some tough games. You’ve got to say going down to the wire, playing in overtime and on the road, stuff like that has to take a toll on you eventually. But we still have to execute and win a game like this.”

"He’s in total command of the offense," Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin said of Ben Roethlisberger, who has thrown for 1,887 yards and 10 touchdowns in six games. "It’s fun to watch."

"We’re not trying to lose every time we go out here," Browns Quarterback Derek Anderson said, referring to Cleveland’s 1-9 record in Heinz Field. "We put tons of hours in and … it’s frustrating. Every single week, it’s frustrating."

Week #6 Scores

Minnesota   33            Baltimore     31    

Houston       28           Cincinnati     17

Pittsburgh    27           Cleveland     14    

Baltimore Ravens

The game turned from blowout to nail-biter in a sensational final period, with the Ravens erasing a 17-point deficit with 10 minutes to play.

Joe Flacco threw for 385 yards and two touchdowns for the Ravens, who scored twice on drives that totaled just 56 seconds to take a 31-30 lead with 3:37 to play. But Steve Hauschka pushed his field goal try, and the Ravens’ once-impenetrable defense has shown plenty of cracks in their three-game losing streak.
 

The Vikings took a 14-0 lead in the first 9 minutes and led 27-10 when Visanthe Shiancoe caught his second TD of the game with 10:08 to play. But Flacco was just getting started. He threw a 32-yard TD to Mark Clayton. After a field goal by Ryan Longwell, Flacco capped a 49-second drive with a 12-yard TD to Derrick Mason, and it was 30-24. Ray Lewis and the Ravens’ proud defense came up with their first big stop all day, and Ray Rice’s 33-yard run gave Baltimore its first lead 7 seconds after it got the ball back.
 

Adrian Peterson became the second running back in a row to top 100 yards against the Ravens’ defense after Baltimore had gone 39 games not allowing one. He finished with 148 yards on 22 carries. The Ravens have lost three in a row by a combined 11 points. "Every game has been a game of inches," Ray Lewis said. "But for me, being in this business for so long, it just speaks volumes for our team in the way we fight, regardless of the circumstance we’ve been put in."
 

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals didn’t get a chance for more last-minute magic. Cincinnati had won three straight games in the last 22 seconds, pulling off improbable finishes after opponents failed to finish them off. They had one late escape on Sunday — Steve Slaton fumbled with the Texans in field-goal range with 6:12 left. Another late comeback for the cardiac Cats appeared possible. Not this time. The Bengals fumbled the ball back two plays later, a sign the odds have caught up with them.
 

Carson Palmer ran a Bengals offense that stayed in character — not much got done outside the last two minutes. The Bengals scored 10 points in the final 48 seconds of the first half, putting Cincinnati up 17-14. This time, the offense went nowhere in the second half.

Houston’s defense has shut out the last three opponents in the second half, and clinched this one when Brian Cushing intercepted Palmer’s pass with 1:49 left. Palmer, playing with a glove on his left (non-passing) hand to support a sprained thumb, was 23 of 35 for 259 yards. Texans defensive coordinator Frank Bush challenged his young unit to stop Cedric Benson, who was the NFL’s leading rusher. Benson managed only 44 yards on 16 carries, by far his worst showing of the season.
 

The Bengals suffered a significant loss when defensive end Antwan Odom — tied for the NFL lead in sacks — suffered an Achilles’ tendon injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. They also lost starting defensive tackle Domata Peko to a knee injury in the first quarter.
 

Cleveland Browns

Because of a controversial first-down ruling in favor of the Steelers, the Browns trailed 17-14 instead of being tied after driving for only their fourth touchdown on offense in 12 games — they’ve lost 11 — on Derek Anderson’s 1-yard pass to Lawrence Vickers early in the third quarter.  For the second straight week, Anderson didn’t complete his first pass until the second quarter. Anderson was 9 of 24 for 122 yards. The Browns’ other score came on Joshua Cribbs’ 98-yard kickoff return late in the second quarter that followed Ben Roethlisberger’s touchdown passes of 8 yards to Heath Miller and 52 yards to Hines Ward. Cribbs ran untouched along the Steelers’ sideline for his club-record eighth kick return score, six on kickoff returns, and his third against the Steelers. "I heard ‘Return one for me’ from 1,000 fans back home in Cleveland and I got up for this game," Cribbs said. Cribbs also was intercepted, by Troy Polamalu, out of the wildcat formation during the first half.
 

Browns LB Kamerion Wimbley (flu-like symptoms) did not play after having a sack in three consecutive games. LB D’Qwell Jackson left in the second half with an unspecified shoulder injury. The Browns managed just 71 rushing yards on 11 combined runs by Jerome Harrison and Josh Cribbs.
 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes in an increasingly wide-open Pittsburgh offense and the Steelers benefited from a debatable first-down measurement to beat the rival Browns 27-14 on Sunday, their 12th consecutive victory against their oldest rival.

Roethlisberger, second in the league in passing and on pace for what would easily be his best statistical season, was 23 of 35 for 417 yards in his second career 400-yard game. Hines Ward made eight catches for 159 yards and a touchdown, Santonio Holmes had five for 104 and tight end Heath Miller caught his fourth TD pass in three games. Pittsburgh out-gained Cleveland 543-197, yet the Steelers led only 17-14 in the third quarter. And they might not have had that lead if they hadn’t been given a first down after Roethlisberger looked to be stopped inches short on a fourth-down sneak from Cleveland’s 14 late in the second quarter.
 

The Steelers, winning their third in a row, made it 24-14 when Roethlisberger hit Ward for 45 yards and Mike Wallace for 21 ahead of Rashard Mendenhall’s (17 carries, 62 yards) 2-yard touchdown run. Jeff Reed kicked a 39-yard field goal for the final points when Derek Anderson was intercepted by Ryan Clark. The Steelers have won 18 of 19 against the Browns, counting a playoff game. Troy Polamalu, who missed four games with a torn left knee ligament, discarded his protective brace after the pre-game warm-ups.

Week #7 Match-ups and ITH Predictions

The Baltimore Ravens have their bye in week #7. The other 3 AFC North teams square off against NFC North teams.

Cincinnati (4–2) vs. Chicago (3–2)

The Bengals and the Bears will do battle in Cincinnati. The start time of the game was moved to 4:15 this Sunday.  With the addition of Jay Cutler, the Bears finally have the quarterback that was missing for many years. The problem with the Bears offense is that they have not been successful running the ball. They rank 27th in rush offense and their leading rusher, Matt Forte is averaging only 3.4 yards per attempt. That said; Cutler should expose the Bengals 28th ranked pass defense in much the same manner as Matt Schaub did to the tune of 382 yards and 4 TD this past Sunday. The injury to Antwan Odom will hurt the Bengals this week and Cedric Benson will find a tough go of it against his former teammates whose rush defense ranks 6^th in the league.

Chicago   24     Cincinnati   17

Cleveland (1-5) vs. Green Bay (3-2)

While the Browns showed great effort against the Steelers and Bills, the only man seemingly capable of hurting the opponent is Josh Cribbs. Arguably, the best return man in the league, Cribbs lined up in the wildcat versus the Steelers and carried the ball as frequently as Jerome Harrison did in the game. It’s a wrinkle that could work for the Browns if they had other threats on the offense. Defensively, the Browns rank 32^nd and last in the league. The Packers are coming off a home shellacking of the Lions, 26-0 and need the win to keep pace with the Vikings in the NFC North.

Green Bay   28     Cleveland   13
 

Pittsburgh (4-2) vs. Minnesota (6-0)

Roethlisberger versus Favre is a match-up that has fans of both teams amped up for this contest. The Vikings do have an edge in running the ball with Adrian Peterson, but both defenses stop the run extremely well. Ben Roethlisberger is red hot over the last 3 games, all wins and it will come as no surprise if he torches the Vikings secondary this week, but they better protect him against a solid pass rushing group. The Steelers have a major edge with the return of Troy Polamalu, but the Vikings will keep this one close on a big game from Peterson.

Pittsburgh   24     Minnesota   21
 

Record Week #6 and YTD: 2 – 1/11 – 8