Around the AFC North: Post-Week 5 Notes
By Connor Howe
Oct 11, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) dives into the end zone for a touchdown in the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Week 5 is almost over, with only the Steelers at Chargers game remaining tonight. The Bengals rallied to yet another win, while the Browns upset the Ravens to improve to a 2-3 record. If the Steelers lose tonight (like I and many have predicted), the Bengals will have a three-game lead on the division and become massive AFC North divisional favorites. Here are a few links pertaining to the AFC North after another exciting week of football.
Cincinnati Bengals (5-0)
Bengals Stun Seahawks 27-24 in Overtime (Stripe Hype)
Bengals vs. Seahawks: Instant Reaction (Stripe Hype)
Bengals defense ignites comeback against Seahawks (Cincy Jungle)
Seahawks vs. Bengals: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Cincy Jungle)
Dalton rallies Bengals over Seahawks in overtime (ESPN)
Bengals, others are near-certainties for playoffs (ESPN)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
Steelers vs. Chargers: Who steps up at wideout? (Still Curtain)
Steelers vs. Chargers: Five questions with Bolt Beat (Still Curtain)
Martavis Bryant ruled out Monday vs. Chargers (Behind the Steel Curtain)
CB Ross Cockerel turned practice reps into role on defense (Behind the Steel Curtain)
Le’Veon Bell’s patient style pays off for Pittsburgh Steelers (ESPN)
Blitzing Philip Rivers is risky proposition for Steelers (ESPN)
Cleveland Browns (2-3)
Cleveland Browns cage the Ravens: 8 Takeaways from the win (Dawg Pound Daily)
Josh McCown’s big day and other stats from Week 5 (Dawg Pound Daily)
Browns vs. Ravens: 7 Talking Points (Dawgs by Nature)
Cleveland Rallies to Beat Baltimore in Overtime, 33-30 (Dawgs by Nature)
Josh McCown provides unprecedented play, numbers for Cleveland (ESPN)
Browns vs. Ravens: Game Recap (ESPN)
Baltimore Ravens (1-4)
Ravens Week 5 Stock Report (Ebony Bird)
Ravens: 5 Stars from Week 5’s Loss (Ebony Bird)
Ravens vs. Browns Final Score: Ravens lose in OT (Baltimore Beatdown)
Ravens vs. Browns: Ravens felt injuries on all fronts (Baltimore Beatdown)
Joe Flacco is NFL’s worst fourth-quarter QB this season (ESPN)
Ravens defense collapses against Browns, puts season in jeopardy (ESPN)
Final thoughts:
-If the Steelers lose tonight, the Bengals will have a three-game vice on the AFC North
-Cincinnati only has to win less than half of its remaining games to be a 10-win team
-A year after Cincinnati was the most banged-up team in the NFL, it has stayed relatively healthy. On the contrary, the other three teams in the division, who were all relatively healthy in 2014, are dealing with their own strings of injuries this season.
-Baltimore has to win eight of its remaining 11 games to be a 9-7 team
–Josh McCown has quietly been the second-best quarterback in the AFC North since he came back from injury
-If the Steelers lose tonight, the arguments for Le’Veon Bell being the best running back and Antonio Brown being the best wide receiver in football will be significantly weaker
-Buffalo’s emergence as a contender could mean that the AFC North only sends one team to the playoffs a year after it sent three.