AFC North Roundup: How Did the Other Teams Do?
The Baltimore Ravens might have not played on Sunday, but two other teams in the AFC North division did. Those two other teams were the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns.
Cincinnati played host to Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons at one o’clock. At first, this looked like it could have been a duel between two of the best receivers in the game, A.J. Green and Julio Jones. However, Green left the game late in the first quarter with a toe injury and did not return. This could be a huge blow for the Bengals if he were to miss significant time. But they looked pretty good without him on the field.
After taking a 10-3 lead into halftime, the Bengals would outscore the Falcons 14-0 in the third quarter. They defeated Atlanta by a final score of 24-10 and dominated all the way through.
A.J. Green left the game against the Atlanta Falcons with a toe injury late in the first quarter and did not return
Andy Dalton completed a bunch of long passes in this game, as he accumulated only 15 completions on 23 attempts, but threw for 252 yards through the air. After Green left, Mohamed Sanu and running back Giovani Bernard would take over and dominate the game. Not only did Bernard rush for 90 yards on 27 carries, but he also caught five passes for 79 receiving yards.
Sanu caught three passes for 84 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown in the third quarter to open the game up. He even got in on some action in the passing game, as he completed a 50-yard pass to Brandon Tate on an end-around in the first quarter. You can watch the play right here, and as they will state in the video, Sanu was indeed a quarterback in college.
Even with a quarterback completing a 50-yard pass in that game, the matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints was far more exciting.
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The Browns got off to an early 16-3 lead after a 62-yard interception returned for a touchdown by safety Tashaun Gipson in the second quarter. However, as we all know, 13 points is nothing for Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense. The Saints would produce the next two scores, both short touchdown passes from Drew Brees to his favorite target Jimmy Graham.
The Browns would respond though, capping off a 14-play, 80-yard drive with rookie running back Terence West’s first career touchdown to give the Browns a 23-17 lead. But Drew Brees says “anything you can do I can do better”, covering 80 yards in 13 plays to help the Saints regain the lead.
The Browns had one more chance with under three minutes to go at their own four-yard-line. Slowly but surely, they marched their way down the field. On 3rd-and-1 at their own 13, Hoyer hooked up with Miles Austin for four yards with two minutes to go. Three plays later, the Browns converted another third down, making their way to the 34.
On 4th-and-6 with 38 seconds remaining, Hoyer hit Gary Barnidge for a first down. The next play, veteran receiver Miles Austin made a nice sliding grab near the sidelines, to bring the Browns into Saints’ territory. Two plays later, Hoyer found a wide-open Andrew Hawkins at the 11-yard-line to set up the game-winning field goal with six seconds left, and guess who was set to kick it? That’s right, Billy Cundiff. Unlike the AFC Championship game in 2012, Cundiff hit this field goal from 29-yards out to give the Browns the 26-24 upset over the Saints.
Sep 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns kicker Billy Cundiff (8) celebrates after kicking the game winning field goal during the fourth quarter to defeated the Saints 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Every team in the AFC North division earned victories in Week 2 except for the Pittsburgh Steelers, which means the Cincinnati Bengals have sole possession of first place. However, if A.J. Green is to miss an extended period of time, they likely won’t maintain their lead atop the division.