Ravens Gain Little Ground in AFC North Race

The Baltimore Ravens are finally in the win column, but they're still behind in the division.

Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) leaves the field after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

At long last, the Baltimore Ravens are finally in the win column.

It wasn't pretty and it certainly wasn't perfect, but Baltimore earned its first win of the season with a 28-25 defeat of the Dallas Cowboys. A fourth quarter that saw the Ravens give up 19 unanswered points is certainly cause for concern, but hey, the win is what truly matters in the end.

At the very least, it was a better result than some of their AFC North rivals had.

For instance, the Cleveland Browns lost 21-15 at home to the previously-winless New York Giants. Deshaun Watson completed 21 of 37 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns, both to Amari Cooper, but Cleveland's offensive line was simply dreadful, allowing a whopping eight sacks and 17 quarterback hits. Meanwhile, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones completed 24 of 34 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns, both to first-round rookie Malik Nabers, against the highly-touted Browns defense.

More importantly for the Browns, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett briefly left the game with an injury and is now day-to-day.

Also in Sunday's early window, the Pittsburgh Steelers remained unbeaten with a 20-10 home victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Unlike many other Steelers victories, where they manage to win in the most bizarre ways possible, this was just an overall strong showing by Pittsburgh.

Justin Fields put together one of the best games of his career, completing 25 of 32 passes for 245 yards, two total touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) and an interception. The Steelers' defense also held the Chargers to 168 total yards, an impressive performance even with L.A. quarterback Justin Herbert leaving due to injury.

Finally, the Cincinnati Bengals. In one of the most surprising stories of the year so far, Cincinnati is now 0-3 after falling to the Watshington Commanders 38-33 at home on Monday Night football.

It was a shootout for the ages, with Joe Burrow completing 29 of 38 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns for Cincinnati, while rookie Jayden Daniels completed 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). In fact, it was the first game since at least 1940 with no punts or turnovers. The difference came in Cincinnati settling for field goals more often than Washington, which proved incredibly costly.

Now through three weeks, the Steelers sit atop the division at 3-0, the Ravens and Browns are tied for second at 1-2, and the Bengals are in the basement at 0-3. Just like everyone predicted.

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