Baltimore Beatdown
Only one AFC North team won in Week 10, while the Cincinnati Bengals enjoyed a bye week.
The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped to 5-4 with a 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football.
Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense faltered throughout the night, converting just four of their 11 third down attempts. The veteran quarterback completed only 16 of his 31 pass attempts for 161 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, and D.K. Metcalf was limited to three catches for 35 yards after catching just two passes for six yards a week ago. Roman Wilson scored the lone touchdown of the night to go with 35 yards on two catches. Chris Boswell provided the remaining three points on a 59-yard field goal. The usually reliable kicker had his consecutive field goal streak of 16 snapped earlier in the game when he missed from 45 yards out. Jaylen Warren was the team’s leading rusher with 70 yards on 14 carries.
Despite sacking Justin Herbert five times, Pittsburgh’s defense was unable to carry the team to a victory. Patrick Queen led the team with 12 total tackles, while Alex Highsmith led the pass rush with two sacks. Former superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey continues to be deployed at safety alongside Kyle Dugger, whom the Steelers acquired via trade with the New England Patriots.
Pittsburgh now has just a one-game lead in the division after dropping three of their last four games.
The Baltimore Ravens won their third consecutive game with a 27-19 victory on the road against the Minnesota Vikings, putting them just one game behind .500 and the division lead.
It took some time for the Ravens offense to get going on Sunday against a stingy Brian Flores defense, but Lamar Jackson eventually settled in, managing the passing game efficiently in the face of pressure. He finished with 17 completions on 29 attempts for 176 yards, one touchdown, and no turnovers. Converting short-yardage situations on the ground continues to be an issue for Baltimore’s offense, which caused Todd Monken to get creative this week to convert on multiple third downs, including a pitch from Mark Andrews to Jackson on a fake rush push. Zay Flowers was again the team’s leading receiver with 75 yards on four receptions, while Derrick Henry led the way on the ground with 75 yards on 20 carries.
The story of the game – and of the past three weeks for the Ravens – has been the improved play of the defense. The unit has not given up more than 20 points in a game since their Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans. Dre’Mont Jones had an impressive debut after joining the team via trade a week ago, and while Travis Jones recorded the only sack for Baltimore, the pass rush overall was productive with plenty of pressure on J.J. McCarthy throughout the game. It is often said that turnovers come in bunches, and...
