AFC North Recap Week 17: Browns to the rescue

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.

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)

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.

Baltimore Ravens (8-8)

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.

Cincinnati Bengals (6-10)

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 tossing four touchdowns, Burrow had another strong game, completing 24 of 31 pass attempts for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Flacco finished the game, completing three of five pass attempts for 24 yards. Chase Brown tallied 101 rushing yards and two touchdowns to lead the team on 22 carries, while Ja’Marr Chase led the passing attack with 60 yards and both of Burrow’s touchdowns on seven catches.

The Bengals’ defense held the Cardinals’ offense to just 233 total yards while sacking Jacoby Brissett four times. Arizona did not score their second touchdown until there were under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Bengals’ defense has finished the year strong, considering the historically bad start the unit had to the season.

Cleveland Browns (4-12)

The Browns won just their fourth game of the season on Sunday with a 13-6 win over the Steelers. Cleveland’s victory ensured that Pittsburgh did not clinch the division ahead of Week 18 and kept Baltimore’s playoff hopes alive for another week.

Shedeur Sanders’ up-and-down rookie season continued with another two-interception performance. The fifth-round pick has now thrown seven interceptions in the last three games and 10 overall in just seven games. Sanders’ one touchdown – the lone score of the game – went to rookie Harold Fannin Jr., who then exited the game with a groin injury. Jerry Jeudy led the team with 54 receiving yards on five catches, while rookie Dylan Sampson led the ground attack with 27 yards on 11 carries in the absence of fellow rookie running back Quinshon Judkins.

The all-time single-season sack record will have to wait one more week to be broken, as Myles Garrett was unable to take down Rodgers during the game. Garrett has one final game against Cincinnati next week and needs 0.5 sacks to tie the record and a full sack to break it.