Baltimore Beatdown
The Steelers took control of first place in the division as they advanced to 3-1 with a 24-21 win over the Vikings in Dublin, Ireland.
Pittsburgh entered the contest without their leading rusher, Jaylen Warren, who was sidelined with a knee injury. This opened the door for backup running back Kenneth Gainwell to lead the charge. The former Eagles fifth-round pick did not waste the opportunity as he rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries while also adding another 35 yards through the air on six catches. D.K. Metcalf also had a big day, as the wide receiver caught five passes for a team-high 126 yards and a touchdown. An 80-yard catch and run score was his biggest highlight of the day. The Aaron Rodgers-to-Metcalf connection has largely been a success through the first four games for the Steelers.
After leading 24-6 at the start of the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh had to hold off a strong rally by the Vikings, ultimately winning by just three points. The Steelers defense got after quarterback Carson Wentz, who is still filling in for an injured J.J. McCarthy, sacking the journeyman signal-caller and former No. 2 overall pick six times while also intercepting him twice.
With every other team in the division currently spiraling downward, Pittsburgh will look to build on their lead once returning from a Week 5 bye.
Life without Joe Burrow has not been pleasant for the Bengals. A week after getting blown out by the Vikings, Cincinnati was once again dominated in Week 4, this time by a score of 28-3 against the Broncos on Monday Night Football.
A 12-play, 62-yard opening drive produced the only points of the game for the Bengals via a 260-yard Evan McPherson field goal. Other than that, Cincinnati’s offense remained extremely limited with backup quarterback Jake Browning at the helm. Though he stopped throwing interceptions against the Broncos, Browning completed just 14 passes for 125 yards, failing once again to effectively get the ball to his pair of star wide receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The receiver duo combined for just 55 yards on eight catches. The Bengals also continued to struggle on the ground with just 53 rushing yards, with running back Chase Brown leading the team with 40 yards on 10 carries.
Rookie second-round linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. came away with the first interception of his career, picking off quarterback Bo Nix in the red zone. Knight also led the team with 10 tackles and played through a leg injury he picked up early in the game.
Things went from bad to much, much worse for the Ravens this week as they were dismantled by both a rash of injuries and the Chiefs by a score of 37-20, falling to 1-3 on the season.
Baltimore was absolutely decimated by injuries during Sunday’s beatdown, as quarterback Lamar Jackson, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, inside linebacker Roquan Smith, and...
