NFL: Takeaways From The AFC North For Week 3

The AFC North had an exciting week with close games, upsets, and blowouts. The Bengals lost to the Vikings 48-10, the Steelers won a close game against the Patriots, the Browns pulled off an exciting win in Cleveland against the Packers, while the Ravens… There are a lot of things to examine and look at from this week in the NFL. Here are two takeaways from each team in the AFC North.

Cincinnati Bengals: The offense is not competitive without Joe Burrow

The Bengals offense was outscored by the Vikings’ defense; that is all that needs to be said. They were simply turnover machines with no fight. It all starts with the run game for the Bengals; they are incompetent in everything when it comes to the ground game. They are just not able to move bodies and create holes for Chase Brown. Usually, they have Joe Burrow to make up for it, but he is no longer there to help.

The Bengals looked defeated

The Bengals just gave up as soon as the game seemed out of reach; all the best teams in the NFL fought to the end, no matter what. The Bengals looked like a lost puppy without its owner; they had no direction or conviction to win. Their season is gonna end very quickly if they continue to lie down and let teams use them as a punching bag. They have to realize Joe Burrow will be back for the playoffs, and they have the opportunity to do well.

Cleveland Browns: The defense continues to produce

The Browns defense, as projected, took a pretty big step up from last season; their secondary took a huge leap from last season. The front 7 is as good as everyone expected it to be. Against a really good Packers offense, the Browns were able to stick around despite having no help from the offense until the very end of the game. Browns fans should be excited for what this defense can turn into

Cleveland Browns: Judkins is taking over the backfield

Quinshon Judkins, in his second NFL game, looked like he could easily turn into one of the NFL’s top running backs. Judkins was almost all of the offensive production for the Browns; he showed signs of explosiveness and fight. He is going to make it difficult for the Browns to have Dylan Sampson or Jerome Ford take any snaps for a while.

The Ravens are at their best with smash-mouth football

Lamar Jackson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL; however, the Ravens are always at their best when they are running the ball down the throat of the defense. Lamar Jackson has all the capabilities to win any game at will, but the Ravens just do not live up to their full potential when Derrick Henry rushes for under 4 yards per carry. They need to get back to their roots.

Baltimore Ravens: The defense continues to show signs of struggling

The Ravens always have a great defense without many flaws. Coming into this year, there were fears of the secondary not being great. It was surprising to see the Lions toss the Ravens around all over the field. The Ravens are known for being tough with the run on both sides, and this was their downfall in this game. They have played two great offenses this season and given up 38 and 41 points, respectively. They have to improve. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: There is still a lot of work to be done

The Steelers won the game, but in no way looked good while doing it. They only gave up 14 points but were saved on multiple occasions by fortuitous turnovers. The Steelers biggest issue still remains the biggest need to be figured out on the team. There are a few injuries that will be difficult to overcome, but they have to. Derrick Hamron looked really good in his first NFL game after an injury that kept him out for the first few games of the year.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers needs a perfect situation

Aaron Rodgers can not create plays like he has at one point in his career. The run game for the Steelers has been underwhelming, and Rodgers has been a reason why. The Steelers have almost no depth of target, and Rodgers is constantly checking down, which allows the defense to play far up. Rodgers needs the offense to be clicking on a high level, or else there will not be a lot he can do to help the team with his inability to move out of the pocket.