Week 1 Recap: AFC North
The Baltimore Ravens hosted the Houston Texans Sunday afternoon and won, 25-9. Baltimore was leading Houston 7-6 headed into halftime.
The Ravens had some troubles early on in the contest, especially with ball security. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson threw an interception and lost the ball on one of his two fumbles. Jackson finished his day 17/22 for 169 yards passing for a quarterback rating (QBR) of 79.5. On his six carries, he rushed for 38 yards.
Rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers had himself quite the afternoon, as he racked in nine catches for 78 yards, but failed to hit paydirt.
Disaster struck the Ravens during this game, as running back JK Dobbins went down with a torn Achilles, knocking him out for likely the rest of the season. Maybe free agent running back Kareem Hunt finds a home in Baltimore this week?
Bengals QB Joe Burrow’s bad luck against the Cleveland Browns continued Sunday afternoon as the Browns beat the Bengals 24-3. Burrow has won a single game against Cleveland in his career. Burrow finished his day 14/31 for just 83 yards passing. While WR Tee Higgins saw eight targets, he failed to haul any in for a reception.
The monsoon in Cleveland resulted in Browns QB Deshaun Watson throwing an interception to Bengals safety Daxton Hill. Cincinnati has a chance to get into the win column next week, as they host the Ravens.
Deshaun Watson finished his afternoon 16/29 for 154 yards and recorded a touchdown and an interception. Watson added 45 yards on the ground on five attempts.
The Browns’ leading rusher Nick Chubb eclipsed 100 yards on the ground with 106 and he added four receptions for 21 yards, but failed to score a touchdown.
The Browns travel to Pittsburgh next weekend seeking their second straight divisional win.
The San Francisco 49ers were flying all over the field as they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 30-7. Kenny Pickett threw two interceptions in this game, and the Steelers’ defense couldn’t get anything going to stop the bleeding. Pickett was 31/46 for 232 yards and he added a touchdown to his credit as well.
The run game was one of the bright spots as Najee Harris had 31 yards on just six carries. Pittsburgh looks to bounce back with a divisional win over the Browns at home in week 2.