During a week in which all of the AFC North but the Pittsburgh Steelers played NFC East teams, things are really starting to take shape in the division — unless you’re the Cleveland Browns.
The Baltimore Ravens won a thrilling shootout against the Washington Commanders, 30-23, in an all-DMV matchup. The Cincinnati Bengals took down the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, 17-7. But the Cleveland Browns. Oh, the Browns.
They dropped a 20-16 decision to the Philadelphia Eagles and then doubled down on quarterback Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback after the game. Again.Â
Here’s how the AFC North standings look coming out of Week 6.
AFC NORTH STANDINGS, WEEK 6
1. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)
3. Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)
4. Cleveland Browns (1-5)
In a much-anticipated matchup between the two DMV teams in the Washington Commanders and the Baltimore Ravens, featuring two dynamic, MVP-level quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson and rookie Jayden Daniels, the game didn’t exactly live up to expectations.
Things started off very slowly as on the first drive of the game Jackson was picked off after a pass bounced off tight end Mark Andrews’ hands into the arms of rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil for the interception. Daniels then led the Commanders to a field goal drive and a 3-0 lead.
The Ravens answered with a field goal of their own, but the two teams were quiet through the rest of the first quarter as they traded punts.
Then, the Ravens woke up.
Baltimore went on a nine-play, 93-yard drive as Jackson hit wide receiver Rashod Bateman for 23 yards and wide receiver Zay Flowers for 23 yards, and then hooked up with Bateman for a 13-yard gain, setting up Derrick Henry’s 3-yard rushing touchdown and a 10-3 lead.
Credit to the Commanders, though, as Daniels and Washington’s offense answered back. The Commanders went 70 yards in eight plays as Daniels hit running back Austin Ekeler for 25 yards on a great flea-flicker screen pass, and then capped off the drive with an outstanding 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Terry McLaurin in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 10-10.
Things really heated up from there as the Ravens responded with a 10-play, 78-yard drive, leading to a 13-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Andrews and a 17-10 lead. The Commanders wouldn’t go quietly late in the first half though as Daniels led Washington into field goal range.
However, kicker Austin Seibert missed a 52-yard field goal as the Ravens were able to tip the kick to take a 17-10 lead into the half.
Coming out for the second half, the Commanders stayed in rhythm offensively. Daniels led Washington to a field goal to make it a 17-13 game, hitting wide receiver Noah Brown for a 28-yard gain, leading to a 55-yard field goal from Seibert.
But once again, Jackson remained too much.
The two-time NFL MVP ripped off a 33-yard run on the ensuing drive and connected with tight end Isaiah Likely for 18 yards. But the drive stalled leading to a 32-yard field goal from Justin Tucker and a 20-13 Ravens lead.
From there, the Ravens really started to take over. Baltimore’s defense forced a quick punt from Washington and then proceeded to go on an eight-play, 94-yard drive to take a 27-13 lead.
Jackson found Andrews for 15 yards and then later hit his favorite tight end for 38 yards, setting up a 7-yard touchdown from Henry for his second one of the game, making it a two-score game.
But, as has been the case all season, Daniels didn’t blink.
The rookie quarterback proceeded to march the Commanders right back down the field, going 70 yards in 12 plays, connecting with McLaurin for the second touchdown of the game, this time on fourth down, to make it a 27-20 game. Daniels hit tight end Zach Ertz for gains of 11, 24 and 13 yards on the drive. He then hit McLaurin on a 6-yard pass on fourth and goal to make it a 27-20 game, throwing a perfect pass and McLaurin making one heck of a catch through contact.
After the seemingly game-changing drive from the Commanders, Jackson and the Ravens quieted the noise. They chewed up nearly six minutes of action, going on a nine-play, 57-yard drive, leading to a 39-yard field goal from Tucker.
On the fifth straight scoring drive for the Ravens, Jackson hit Bateman for gains of 17 and 18 yards, helping set up the field goal.
The Commanders answered with a field goal drive of their own as Seibert banged home a 49-yarder to make it 30-23.
But as per usual, Henry put the final nail in the coffin for the Ravens. Henry ripped off a 27-yard run before the two-minute warning, allowing the Ravens to run out the clock and capping their 30-23 win.
In the win, Jackson threw for 323 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 20-of-26 passing and added 41 rushing yards on 10 carries. Henry finished with 132 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries while Flowers led the Ravens in receiving with nine receptions for 132 yards.
For Washington, Daniels finished 24-of-35 passing for 269 yards and two touchdowns and added 22 rushing yards on six carries. The Commanders ran for just 52 yards on the day. McLaurin led Washington in receiving with six catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
Baltimore improves to 4-2 on the season and will hit the road for Week 7 and Monday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Washington falls to 4-2 and will host the Carolina Panthers in Week 7.
In Cleveland, in a matchup between two struggling teams in the Browns and Eagles, it went about as expected.
Cleveland could not do much of anything offensively once again as quarterback Deshaun Watson struggled, and the run game was largely non-existent. It didn’t help that running back Jerome Ford got hurt early, leading to Cleveland turning to D’Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong Jr. in the backfield.
The Browns had two three-and-outs and a third punt after a nine-play drive on their first three series of the game before they were able to get on the board with a 43-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins. But that made it a 10-3 game as it was all Philadelphia throughout the early portion of the matchup.
Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts hit wide receiver A.J. Brown for a 22-yard touchdown, and kicker Jake Elliott hit a 49-yard field goal.
On the ensuing drive after Cleveland made it 10-3, defensive end Myles Garrett came up large for the Browns. Garrett leaped over the long snapper on a field goal try with just seconds left in the first half, blocking the kick. Safety Rodney McLeod scooped up the loose ball and raced 50 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 10-10 at the half despite the Eagles outgaining the Browns 200-71 in the first half.
In the second half, the Browns came out and found some footing offensively, but Hopkins missed a 52-yard field goal.
A few series later, the Eagles took the lead on a 44-yard field goal from Elliott, capping a seven-play, 27-yard drive, highlighted by a 19-yard run from backup running back Kenneth Gainwell. Elliott’s field goal gave the Eagles a 13-10 lead late in the third quarter.
To the Browns’ credit, they came right back, though it wasn’t pretty. The Browns went on a 12-play, 39-yard drive, getting into field goal range. Hopkins redeemed himself, hitting a 49-yard field goal with 9:49 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 13-13.
The Eagles then hit on a big play on their following series. Hurts found a wide-open DeVonta Smith on a crossing route, leading to a 45-yard touchdown and a 20-13 lead for the Eagles, capping a four-play, 70-yard scoring drive.
Cleveland tried to mount a comeback and started fast as Watson hit wide receiver Jerry Jeudy for 35 yards on the first play of the drive and then hit Strong for 14 yards on the next play. After that, though, the drive stalled, and the Browns turned to Hopkins for a 31-yard field goal to make it a 20-16 game.
But the Eagles salted the game away as Hurts hit Brown for 40 yards, allowing the Eagles to kneel it out for the win.
Cleveland falls to 1-5 on the season. In the loss, Watson completed 16-of-23 passes for 168 yards and was sacked five times. Strong led the Browns with eight carries for 43 yards and added two receptions for 35 yards. Amari Cooper hauled in four passes for 42 yards.
For Philadelphia, Hurts was 16-of-25 passing for 264 yards and two touchdowns and added 14 carries for 33 yards. Saquon Barkley had 18 carries for 47 yards while Brown led the Eagles with six receptions for 116 yards and a score. The Browns will take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7 at 1 PM/EST in an AFC North battle.
Following the Steelers’ 32-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on the road, attention shifted to the Bengals and the Giants on Sunday Night Football in the Meadowlands.
Things started off with a bang for the Bengals. Quarterback Joe Burrow showed off his wheels on the first drive, racing home 47 yards for the game’s opening touchdown.
That would be the only scoring in the first half as the Bengals punted five straight times in the first half while the Giants punted four times and had a killer turnover in the red zone. An ill-advised throw from Daniel Jones, under pressure, resulted in a duck for an interception.
In the second half, things were ugly early on as the Giants turned the ball over on downs and the Bengals then fumbled the football away.
That opened the door for the Giants as New York marched 79 yards in 16 plays, leading to a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Tyrone Tracy Jr. to tie the game.
Cincinnati responded with a field goal drive as Burrow hit wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for a 33-yard completion, which eventually helped set up what looked to be a 1-yard Chase Brown touchdown. A holding penalty wiped out the touchdown, though, and led to a 37-yard field goal from Evan McPherson for a 10-7 lead.
The Giants appeared well on their way to responding, driving 42 yards in 11 plays, but kicker Greg Joseph missed a 47-yard field goal wide left, keeping it a 10-7 game. The Bengals couldn’t do anything after the miss, punting the ball away five plays later, giving the Giants life again.
New York couldn’t take advantage, though, turning the ball over on downs on a failed 4th-and-3 incompletion from Jones.
After the turnover on downs, the Bengals put the game away as Burrow hit Andrei Iosivas for 29 yards on a 3rd and 12, allowing the Bengals to convert. Two plays later, Brown ripped off a 30-yard touchdown, giving the Bengals a 17-7 lead with 1:52 left in the game.
The Giants mounted a drive after Brown’s 30-yard touchdown and reached the Cincinnati 27-yard line. But Joseph missed another field goal, pushing this one wide left as well, giving the Bengals the ball back and allowing them to kneel it out for the win.
In the win, Burrow completed 19-of-28 passes for 208 yards and added 55 yards and a touchdown on four carries. Brown had 53 yards on the ground and a score on 10 carries while Tee Higgins led the Bengals with seven receptions for 77 yards.
For the Giants, Daniel Jones was 22-of-45 for 205 yards and an interception and added 56 yards on 11 carries. Tracy chipped in with 50 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries and added six receptions for 57 yards to tie Darius Slayton as the Giants’ leading receiver.
Sitting at 2-4, the Bengals will travel to Cleveland for a Week 7 matchup.
