AFC North: Week 4 Recap

Here’s a recap of the AFC North’s Week Four action. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Half of the AFC North was off as the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns had the early bye week. The Pittsburgh Steelers lost in the final seconds to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after many penalties and mental errors. The Ravens took advantage of a Carolina Panthers team that was handled by the Steelers last week. All in all, the division is starting to get a little clearer after Week Four.

The Cincinnati Bengals got some well needed rest before their Week Five, Sunday night matchup versus Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The Cleveland Browns got the same rest before playing a struggling Tennessee Titans team looking to rebound.

The Steelers lost a heart breaker to the Buccaneers in the last few seconds of the game as Tampa Bay scored with seven seconds to spare. The Steelers struggled early on after a Ben Roethlisberger fumble and found themselves down 10-0 early. They came back and scored the next 17 points to take a 17-10 lead into halftime. In the third quarter, the Steelers found themselves tied before opening up a 24-17 lead to start the fourth quarter. The Buccaneers shut down the offense and scored the last 10 points to win 27-24. The Steelers drop to 2-2 on the season in third place in the division.

The Ravens found success against a struggling Cam Newton and the Panthers offense. Their defense controlled Cam Newton and the offense found their stride in the second quarter to take a 21-7 lead into halftime. The Ravens then picked up where they left off scoring 17 of the 20 points scored in the second half to win 38-10. Joe Flacco led the offense, as he threw for three touchdowns and 327 yards.

Here is how the AFC North stacks up as of now:

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It is still early in the season, but with the Steelers loss, they are now two losses behind the AFC North’s first place Bengals and only one win ahead of last place Cleveland. A loss for the Bengals and a win by the Ravens next week would tighten up the standings at the top. The Ravens will face a dominant Indianapolis team that has taken control, despite what their record says (2-2) by dominating divisional teams. The Steelers have arguably an even weaker opponent in Jacksonville than the Buccaneers, but questions are starting to fly. Will the Steelers play down to Jacksonville and give them a chance at their first season win, like they did against Tampa Bay?  

The AFC North should prove to be as competitive as ever going forward.