AFC North Week 3 preview

Article by Gordon Dedman

Entering the third week of the 2015 season, the division is developing nicely. A winless Ravens play host to the division leaders while the quarterback controversy in Cleveland will surely be revived if they lose to Oakland with Josh McCown at the helm.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) at Baltimore Ravens (0-2)

Since 1990, only 12 percent of teams with a 0-2 record have made the playoffs. The Ravens are on the edge and will be desperate to stop the rot.

During the week, the Ravens traded a seventh-round pick to Miami for cornerback Will Davis who never shown on the field what he has in practice. Perhaps the new coaching staff can bring the best out of him and Baltimore will be hopeful of doing that.

They will need to as they will anxious to get their season up and running with a win over the division leaders. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has had an unsteady start and if this continues, the commanding Andy Dalton will take the win for the Bengals.

Running back Giovani Bernard could be the key for the Bengals. If he continues the impressive work of last week, he could open up the field for Dalton.

Oakland Raiders (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1)

Josh McCown was named the Browns starter after passing the NFL concussion tests and that appears a mite hasty after Johnny Manziel had provided his team with their first win of the season.

Manziel leads the NFL in yards per completion at 16.86, ahead of Roethlisberger, who is second with 15.32.

Although not a perfect performance, for Manziel it would have boosted his confidence and he obviously felt disappointed being dropped to the bench. "Obviously I'm not going to sit here and say that I love the decision," he observed. "But I respect coach Pettine, and that's the guy that makes the calls for this team."

After their win against Baltimore, the Raiders will be full of confidence and their offense has improved from the ineffective unit of last year. This will be a fascinating contest and maybe McCown’s mission to prove himself in front of the Dawg Pound will tilt the game in Cleveland’s favour.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (1-1)

For a team that is not short of offense, the return of Le’Veon Bell from suspension for the Steelers could spell real trouble for the Rams. DeAngelo Williams is the leading rusher in the AFC, so the addition of Bell would add another dimension for the offense. Bell is effective at coming out of the backfield to catch passes so that may ensure the Steelers keep the Rams defense off balance.

 

The last time these two teams met in 2007, Roethlisberger gained a 158.3 QB rating. He’s unlikely to enjoy the same success this Sunday, even with the additional weapon at his disposal

He will be facing a Rams defensive line that is cemented by four former number one draft picks and a defense that already has six sacks to its credit this season. It will be an intriguing battle with a Steelers offensive line that has looked rock solid in front of Roethlisberger who has thrown for 699 yards.

The Rams quarterback Nick Foles hasn’t thrown an interception and the Steelers defense hasn’t gained one. If that changes, it will swing the game the Steelers way.