Baltimore Beatdown
Week 11 of the NFL season saw two separate AFC North showdowns with the Browns hosting the Ravens and the Bengals visiting the Steelers. Here’s how the two games shook out:
The Pittsburgh Steelers got their revenge on the Cincinnati Bengals in a 34-12 beatdown in Week 11 to maintain a one-game lead in the division. The story after the game was the altercation between Jalen Ramsey and Ja’Marr Chase, which led to Ramsey being ejected after throwing a punch. Ramsey later accused Chase of spitting on him, and video evidence supported his claim. Chase was hit with a one-game suspension and will miss Week 12 before returning for a Thanksgiving trip to Baltimore.
Even with Ramsey leaving the game early, the Steelers’ defense stood tall with two defensive touchdowns, first on a pick-six by Kyle Dugger and then later on a fumble recovery by James Pierre. It was a far cry from the first meeting between the two teams when Chase caught 16 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. He was held to just three catches for 30 yards this time around.
Pittsburgh’s offense was without Aaron Rodgers in the second half after the veteran quarterback suffered a wrist injury. Rodgers finished the first half with 9 completions on 15 attempts for 116 yards and a touchdown, while Mason Rudolph went 12 for 16 for 127 yards and a touchdown over the rest of the game. Both touchdowns were thrown to running back Kenneth Gainwell, who stepped up after an injury to Jaylen Warren. Gainwell finished with 24 rushing yards on 9 carries and 81 receiving yards to go with his two scores on seven receptions. Darnell Washington had the best game of his career, as the massive tight end caught four passes for 67 yards while leaving multiple Bengals’ defenders in his wake on a devastating 31-yard catch-and-run.
It was later revealed that Rodgers will not need surgery on his fractured wrist. His status for Week 12 is currently up in the air.
The Baltimore Ravens won their fourth-straight game in Week 11 to get back to .500 on the season with a 23-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns, sweeping the Browns for the first time since 2020 in the process.
It was a sloppy day for the Ravens as they turned the ball over three times, twice on offense and once on a muffed punt by rookie LaJohntay Wester. Lamar Jackson had his worst game of the season, completing 14 of 25 pass attempts for 193 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. Baltimore’s offense seemed to have no answer for Myles Garrett, as the Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner sacked Jackson four times. A 59-yard run by Derrick Henry made his day look better than it perhaps was as he finished with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Short-yardage situations have been an issue for the Ravens’ offense seemingly every week, and...
