AFC North Recap: Week 14: Steelers defeat Ravens for division lead

Week 14 of the NFL season saw the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers facing off for the first time this season, with the division lead on the line. Meanwhile, Shedeur Sanders gave the Cleveland Browns reason for optimism in a loss, while the Cincinnati Bengals’ playoff hopes took a plummet.

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)

The first meeting between the Steelers and Ravens ended in a 27-22 victory for Pittsburgh. The Steelers now have sole possession of first place in the AFC North with four games remaining in the regular season.

Pittsburgh’s passing attack came to life against Baltimore, as Aaron Rodgers turned back the clock with a vintage performance through the air as he connected on multiple deep shots to his wide receivers. The veteran quarterback completed 23 of 34 pass attempts for 284 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a touchdown. Rodgers found DK Metcalf for multiple explosive plays against the Ravens, which was something that had been largely absent this season. Metcalf finished the game with a season-high 148 receiving yards on seven targets, marking just the second time he has crossed 100 yards in a game this season.

James Pierre came away with an early interception for Pittsburgh’s defense, but the unit overall had trouble stopping Baltimore’s offense from moving the ball. The Steelers allowed the Ravens to rush for 217 yards after giving up 249 to the Buffalo Bills a week ago.

Baltimore Ravens (6-7)

Baltimore dropped their second divisional game in a row at home with their 27-22 loss to Pittsburgh. The Ravens are now once again under .500 and in survival mode as they hope to claw their way into the playoffs.

Despite an early interception, Lamar Jackson had perhaps his best game since returning from injury earlier this season. Jackson finished the game with 19 completions on 35 attempts for 219 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, while adding another 43 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Jackson appeared much more mobile than in recent weeks, which is a great sign if Baltimore wants to have a chance at finishing this season strong.

Unfortunately, officiating overshadowed most of the discourse surrounding the game, as the Ravens found themselves on the wrong end of three questionable calls. Perhaps the most controversial was an overturned touchdown catch by Isaiah Likely, as the tight end had the ball pried loose in the end zone before he could take a third step. An interception by Teddye Buchanan that was overturned as a catch by Rodgers was another head-scratcher. An unnecessary roughness penalty against Travis Jones on a field goal attempt was the third, which led to a touchdown for the Steelers on the next play.

Cincinnati Bengals (4-9)

Any hope the Bengals had entering Week 14 of making a playoff run with Joe Burrow back at the helm was short-lived as they fell to the Bills in a 39-34 shootout.

Cincinnati led for much of the game before a late pick-six by Burrow gave Buffalo the lead in the fourth quarter. Burrow started strong before throwing two interceptions. He finished the game with 25 completions on 36 attempts for 284 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. Tee Higgins led the team with 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six catches. Higgins appeared to hit his head hard on the ground multiple times in the game, but was allowed to finish playing. Following the game, he was placed into the concussion protocol for the second time in recent weeks, leading to scrutiny over his allowance to return to the field in Buffalo.

The Bengals are not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, but it will take a combination of things falling their way, along with winning the remaining four games on their schedule, to find their way into the postseason for the first time since 2022.

Cleveland Browns (3-10)

Despite losing 31-29 to the Tennessee Titans in Week 14, the Browns left the game with some reason for excitement.

Shedeur Sanders delivered the best performance by a Cleveland quarterback this year on Sunday. The rookie finished the game with 23 completions on 42 attempts for 364 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception while also rushing for 29 yards and another touchdown. Kevin Stefanski has since announced that Sanders will remain the team’s starter for the rest of the season. Fellow rookie Harold Fannin led the team with 114 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight receptions.

Myles Garrett added his 20th sack of the season against Tennessee. Garrett is now 2.5 sacks away from tying the single-season sack record set by Michael Strahan and later tied by T.J. Watt. With four games remaining, it’s a safe bet that Garrett will be the new record holder.