One Divisional Matchup and Two Tough Outs
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The Baltimore Ravens are coming off a hard-fought loss to the Indianapolis Colts, while the Browns are coming off a blowout victory over the Tennessee Titans. Both teams sit at 2-1, behind the 2-1 Steelers who are atop of the division.
The Browns defense hasn’t been getting the same acknowledgment as the San Francisco 49ers or the Dallas Cowboys, while Cleveland has given up the least amount of points so far this season, with 32. The Browns’ offense is also in the top half of the league in points for. A combination of being able to score points, rushing the passer at an elite level and having an elite red zone defense. Yes, red zone defense. Cleveland has yet to allow a touchdown in the red zone in 2023.
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With the best red zone defense in Cleveland, Baltimore is tied for third in touchdowns per game in the red zone, at 2.7. There’s no question that the Ravens offense can be as explosive as any team in the league, with Lamar Jackson at quarterback, Mark Andrews at tight end and rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers. Jackson seems to be improving as a passer as his completion percentage is up to 73.3%. It’s only been three games, but the highest it’s been in his career was 66.1% in 2019.
Tough out number one. The Pittsburgh Steelers against the Houston Texans. Why is this a tough out? Houston beat the Jacksonville Jaguars by 20 in Jacksonville, and they played the Ravens well for the first half of the game. Their defense is a little more feisty than people thought, with Demeco Ryans as the new head coach and they have a few weapons on offense. Tank Dell, Nico Collins and Robert Woods is a solid receiving core, along with Dalton Schultz at tight end and Dameon Pierce at running back. It’s not an overload of talent but it’s an overlooked group.
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The Steelers have a core of players that have been together for a few years and they are coached by one of the league’s best in Mike Tomlin. The Pittsburgh defense is going to keep them in the game and Kenny Pickett has been making a few strides in the right direction, ever since the team’s blowout loss to the 49ers in week one. The inability to establish a run game has been a problem for the Steelers offense and for Kenny Pickett, but their defense is good enough to keep them in every game. Now, Pittsburgh is three-point favorites on Sunday on the road (-3), so if they were home, they would probably be about 6.5 point favorites. Pittsburgh is a better team at home, like most teams, but the talent on both sides of the ball might be too much for the young Texans roster to handle.
The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a three-point victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. The offense took awhile to get going, as they didn’t score a touchdown until the third quarter, on a 14-yard touchdown run by Joe Mixon. The Bengals now have a game against the Tennessee Titans and you may be asking, why is this a tough out? Let me tell you.
Mike Vrabel. He is one of the best coaches in football and he coaches the Titans. While the Tennessee team isn’t littered with talent like some of the other teams that have won the AFC over the last few years, he’s coached his group so well to the point where the talent hasn’t really been questioned until they lost to the Chiefs in the 2019 AFC Championship game (they were leading that game 10-0 and 17-7). They still have Derrick Henry, one of the league’s best running backs and they added DeAndre Hopkins to play that A.J. Brown role, in the play-action game, but Ryan Tannehill seems to be holding them back more than ever in 2023.
Getting the ball to your playmakers is what helps you win games. The Bengals were finally able to do just that against the Rams. Ja’Marr Chase racked up 144 yards on 12 catches. Cincinnati also had six sacks and had two interceptions, both by linebacker Logan Wilson, in the win. Can this be a blowout win for the Bengals? Absolutely. Can it be closer than most people think? Most definitely. Coaching plays a huge part in game’s and for teams that lack the talent that some other teams have. Zac Taylor isn’t a bad coach by any means, but Vrabel has shown that he can get a team with a lack of talent to about a .500 record or better and be within striking distance in any game. The Bengals are only 2.5-point favorites in Tennessee, also a very hard place to play.
