Baltimore Beatdown
Instead of the division being clinched in Week 16, the AFC North will now come down to a Sunday Night Football showdown in the final week of the season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could have clinched the division with a win against the Browns in Week 17, but their offense collapsed in a 13-6 loss. The Steelers must now face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 with the division and a playoff berth on the line.
Pittsburgh’s offense was unable to get anything going against the Browns’ stingy defense. Aaron Rodgers did not throw a touchdown on the day as he completed 21 of 39 pass attempts for just 168 yards. Jaylen Warren was the team’s leading rusher with 64 yards on 12 carries, while Pat Freiermuth was the leading receiver with D.K. Metcalf suspended. The fifth-year tight end finished with 63 yards on three catches. Not only will the Steelers without Metcalf for Week 18’s showdown with the Ravens, they will also be without without Darnell Washington, as the third-year tight end suffered a broken arm in Cleveland. Washington finishes the year with 31 catches for 364 yards and one touchdown and a solid performance as a blocker.
The Steelers’ defense, still without T.J. Watt, did their part by allowing just a single touchdown while forcing two turnovers. It remains to be seen whether Watt will return in time for the season finale next Sunday.
Even without Lamar Jackson at the helm, the Baltimore Ravens kept their season alive with a 41-24 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Tyler Huntley filled in for the injured Jackson, completing 16 of 20 pass attempts for 107 yards and one touchdown while avoiding turnovers. The Ravens have now won both games in which Huntley started this season. While Huntley certainly played his part in the offense’s success, the real story of the game was Derrick Henry, who racked up 216 rushing yards and four touchdowns on a career-high 36 carries. The soon-to-be 32-year-old running back now has the 10th-most rushing yards in NFL history and the fourth-most touchdowns. Zay Flowers led the team with just 30 receiving yards while also scoring the lone touchdown through the air. Jackson is trending towards playing in Week 18, but Baltimore will likely continue to rely on Henry to drive the offense even if he plays.
The Ravens’ defense had a tough time slowing down the Packers and backup quarterback Malik Willis, allowing him to complete 18 of 21 pass attempts for 288 yards and a touchdown to go with another 60 yards and two scores on nine rushing attempts. A pair of unlucky turnovers by Green Bay and a late injury to Willis kept the game from potentially becoming a high-scoring shootout.
The Cincinnati Bengals were on the winning side of a blowout for the second week in a row with a 37-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
A week after...
