Ravens Rivals Gain Early Divisional Lead

The Baltimore Ravens watched as their three division rivals battled it out.

Sep 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) in action against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens had the honor of playing in the NFL Kickoff game on Thursday, so while they rested and regrouped, the rest of the league, including their three AFC North rivals, battled it out on Sunday.

After losing a heartbreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Ravens were just hoping for their rivals to lose as well so they could get back on even footing. They didn't get the clean sweep, but hey, two out of three isn't bad.

Starting off with the one team that won: the Pittsburgh Steelers, who defeated the new-look Atlanta Falcons 18-10 on the road. Justin Fields got the start in place of the injured Russell Wilson, and managed the game well enough as he completed 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards and had 14 carries for 57 yards.

As is basically tradition for Mike Tomlin's team at this point, though, the defense more than made up for a ho-hum offense. T.J. Watt and co. made life difficult for new Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, picking him off twice and constantly getting in his face. Kicker Chris Boswell also had a game to remember as he made all six of his field goal attempts, including three from more than 50 yards out.

One team that couldn't overcome a poor offensive performance was the Cincinnati Bengals, who lost 16-10 to the New England Patriots at home in perhaps the biggest upset of the day. Joe Burrow completed 21 of 29 passes, but managed just 164 yards with no touchdowns and was sacked three times. Cincinnati also had two costly fumbles - one of which came just as they were about to score - that both led to New England field goals.

On the defensive side, the Bengals struggled to contain Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who ran for 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. That, combined with a strong defensive performance, was enough to give Jerod Mayo his first win as Patriots head coach, while the Bengals start 0-1 for the third season in a row.

Then in the late window, the Cleveland Browns played host to the Dallas Cowboys in America's Game of the Week on Fox, which also marked the debut of Tom Brady in the broadcaster booth. Unfortunately for the Browns, that wasn't enough to save them from a 33-17 loss, and even the final score was deceiving.

The main story from the game was the poor play of controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson. In his first game back from a season-ending shoulder injury, Watson completed just 24 of 45 passes for 169 yards (3.8 yards per attempt), one touchdown and two interceptions, was sacked six times and posted a dreadful quarterback rrating of 9.4. His good moments in Cleveland have been few and far between, and with the contract the Browns gave him, they're essentially stuck with him.

On the other side, the newly-minted Dak Prescott completed 19 of 32 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. Ezekiel Elliott scored a touchdown in his first game back with the Cowboys, while Kavonte Turpin had a punt-return touchdown. Dallas' offense didn't do anything spectacular, but it was more than enough to win the day.

So, after one week, the Steelers stand atop the division at 1-0 while the Ravens, Bengals and Browns are 0-1. All four teams have playoff potential, so it will be interesting to see the race unfold throughout the season.

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