Around the AFC North: Post-Week 4 Notes
By Connor Howe
Oct 1, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett (29) runs the ball past Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Antwon Blake (41) during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Week 4 is in the books for all AFC teams, and the Cincinnati Bengals now have the AFC’s best record at the quarter pole–tied only with the Denver Broncos. With the Baltimore Ravens taking out the Pittsburgh Steelers in an overtime thriller on Thursday, the Bengals also hold a two-game lead over 2-2 Pittsburgh in the AFC North. The Ravens and the Browns, meanwhile, both have 1-3 records. Here are a few links pertaining to AFC North teams within the division after another week of football.
Cincinnati Bengals (4-0)
Cincinnati Bengals Beat Kansas City Chiefs 36-21 (Stripe Hype)
Is Jeremy Hill’s Starting Spot in Jeopardy? (Stripe Hype)
Jeremy Hill bounces back with career day against Chiefs (Cincy Jungle)
Bengals vs. Chiefs: Winners and Losers (Cincy Jungle)
BONUS: Domata Peko is Better Than You Think (Cincy Jungle)
Here’s why the Cincinnati Bengals could be Super Bowl Contenders (ESPN)
Andy Dalton sharp again as Bengals stay unbeaten (ESPN)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
Steelers lose heartbreaker in overtime (Still Curtain)
Steelers lose: Who is to blame? (Still Curtain)
Big Ben could be back sooner rather than later (Behind the Steel Curtain)
PFF Breakdown for Steelers’ loss (Behind the Steel Curtain)
Steelers Defense throwing sack party for first time in years (ESPN)
Steelers Release Josh Scobee, sign Chris Boswell (ESPN)
Baltimore Ravens (1-3)
Brandon Williams quietly having breakout season (Ebony Bird)
Ravens’ offensive line struggles are a huge concern (Ebony Bird)
What does Chris Givens bring to the Ravens? (Baltimore Beatdown)
Ravens vs. Steelers: A Tale of Two Kickers (Baltimore Beatdown)
Ravens reach quarter mark with one win and newfound hope (ESPN)
Without Steve Smith, Ravens must become a running team again (ESPN)
Cleveland Browns (1-3)
Browns fall to Chargers on late field goal (Dawg Pound Daily)
Browns at a loss to stop the losing (Dawg Pound Daily)
San Diego Beats Cleveland on Game-Winning Field Goal (Dawgs By Nature)
Browns vs. Chargers: 7 Talking Points (Dawgs by Nature)
Josh McCown secures grip on Browns’ starting QB job (ESPN)
Cleveland Browns’ defense collapses in 30-27 last-minute loss (ESPN)
Another week of football in the books. Here are some themes I found this week:
-The Bengals are legit. Enough said.
-Kicking in Pittsburgh is a lot harder than people think; Scobee isn’t a bad kicker.
–Domata Peko dominated just days after I wrote a film study on him. Coincidence? I think not.
-Peko saw this said film study, so I think it’s safe to say that my praise was the driving force behind his breakout performance.
-Please don’t rail me in the comments; that was sarcasm. Or was it?
-Behind the Steel Curtain is an awful website; I feel bad for Steelers fans who crave football news. That being said, Still Curtain does a great job.
-AFC North fans are relentless in the comments section.
-Now that Antonio Brown‘s random 5-50 streak has come to a close, Steelers fans are blaming Big Ben’s absence for Brown’s subpar play. Also, they’re telling Bengals fans that A.J. Green wouldn’t be as good if he didn’t have Andy Dalton.
-So apparently, a season after Steelers fans called Dalton “garbage,” they now think that he’s a good quarterback.
We’re at the quarter-pole, so football is already a quarter of the way over (minus Week 17 and the playoffs). We’re starting to see who the good teams are and who the bad teams are. Although it’s way too early to say that the Bengals are a lock to win the division, they’re starting to look like the heavy favorites. If they beat Seattle this week, NFL media outlets will go crazy. With that, today’s a great day to be a Bengals fan. Who Dey baby! 4-0!