Bengals stay perfect, Steelers still in the chase

Article by Gordon Dedman

Is the AFC North the most interesting division in the NFL? None of the weekend’s games were blowouts. Two went into overtime and Monday night’s game was decided on the final play of regular time.

There are several players that deserve plaudits, but for me the headline man of the weekend is Josh McCown. He showed more than heart to give the Browns their first win in Baltimore since 2007. He showed the leadership the Browns have been seeking for just as long.

The Browns have now found their quarterback, so the fans should be hoping the organisation stick with him to give Johnny Manziel time to mature and develop without bearing the burden of becoming their franchise quarterback.  Not yet, anyway.

 

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens

After a nervy start with both teams going three and out, Joe Flacco found his form and led his team to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter. Previous Cleveland teams may have folded, but McCown’s didn’t and the Browns began to creep back into the game during the second period and replied to Baltimore’s superiority in the third quarter as McCown confirmed his ability when leading his team on a drive of 90 yards before finishing with his 10-yard touchdown run.

The fourth quarter saw Cleveland finally edge ahead, but the lead was to change hands twice more before  Baltimore kicked the field goal that made the score 30-30 to send the game into overtime.

After the Ravens three and out on their possession, McCown guided the Browns downfield to kick a 32-yard field goal to win the game and affirm they will play their part in deciding the division title. McCown threw for a team-record 457 yards and became the first Cleveland quarterback to have three straight games of 300+ yards. There should be no debate with the fans now as to who should be leading the team.

Cleveland’s victory handed Baltimore their first 1-4 start to a season and it also meant they had lost their first two games at home for the first time.

Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals

Is this the year Andy Dalton comes of age? Against the Seahawks, Dalton showed poise, patience, panache and potency. This battle of two top quarterbacks saw Dalton come out on top of Seattle’s Russell Wilson and provide more proof of his development. The Seahawks star has been to the last two Super Bowls while Dalton has failed to get past the first round of the playoffs on four straight occasions.

Having matched the Seahawks in the first half, the third quarter belonged to Seattle as the Bengals offense stalled. As the game went into the fourth quarter, the Bengals were trailing by 17 points and needed a lift to spark resurgence.  Cincinnati’s Adam Jones provided that with his 35-yard punt return giving his team outstanding field position on their opponents 33.

Four plays later, Dalton’s touchdown pass had reduced the Bengals deficit and was followed on their next possession with Dalton’s 5-yard touchdown run up the middle. When the Seahawks were restricted to a three and out on their next series, the Bengals had 2:17 to force the game into overtime. Dalton guided his team into field goal range and as time expired, Mike Nugent’s 31-yard field goal tied the game 21-21 to add a fifth period.

As I have said several times previously, a Hollywood script for a game like this wouldn’t be viewed as credible. Seattle couldn’t make any progress in overtime, but Nugent was presented with a 42-yard field goal attempt that bounced off the left upright to add the drama that gave Dalton’s Bengals the victory. The Bengals are 5-0 for the first time since 1988, the last time they appeared in the Super Bowl.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers at San Diego Chargers

The Steelers Michael Vick only completed half of his passes during the game, but when it matter most midway through the final period, he threw a 72-yard touchdown completion to Markus Wheaton to tie the game at 17-17 and set up an unbelievable finale.

Both offenses found it difficult to make progress in the first three quarters. Vick struggled to find his receivers and relied heavily on Le’Veon Bell to make yardage. The revamped Chargers offensive line found the Steelers defense on top of their game preventing Philip Rivers from having time to settle.

It came down to the final three minutes for a wild finish. After a 12-play drive that finished with Josh Lambo’s 54-yard field goal, the Chargers were three points in front with 2:56 remaining. The big question hanging over the struggling Steelers offense was whether they could go downfield far enough for a field goal attempt.

Using short passes and Bell to keep the San Diego defense honest, the Vick of old emerged after he scrambled 24 yards up the middle for a first down. A 16-yard pass placed the ball on the Chargers one with just five seconds for a play.

With one timeout remaining, a field goal attempt was now secondary and the final play came in, possibly scripted by Ben Roethlisberger on the sideline. Ably assisted by David DeCastro’s block,  Bell’s off tackle run just broke the goal line to hand the Steelers an important win and keep their playoff hopes alive as they chase the 5-0 Bengals.

The NFL has confirmed the game clock in the Steelers final possession wasn’t operated correctly, but in his Tuesday press conference, coach Tomlin dismissed it as not defining the outcome of the game, so he was moving on although I think the media won’t.