AFC North Preview – Week 6

by Joe Kuzma (joe_kuzma) on October 14, 2017

SCU’s AFC North Preview is a quick overview of the Steelers division opponents and their upcoming games.

Despite a loss last weekend, the Pittsburgh Steelers remain in first place by virtue of a head-to-head win tie-breaker with the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals are playing catch-up but will move no further up the ladder this week as they enjoy some time off with a bye.

The Cleveland Browns, five games into their season, are winless. They are making moves already to salvage what is likely an already lost season, moving QB DeShone Kizer to the bench in favor of Kevin Hogan.

AFC North Standings

AFC-North-Standings-Week6-2017

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Browns Preview

	Browns	Texans
Last Week	L 17-14 vs. New York Jets	L 42-34 vs. Kansas City
Coach vs. Opp.	Hue Jackson: 1-0	Bill O’Brien: 1-0
PTS. For/Against	15.4/24.8	28.8/26.0
Offense	320.6	344.6
Passing	“DeShone Kizer (R): 81-159-851-3-9-49.5 OR
Kevin Hogan: 26-38-377-3-2-104.8″	Deshaun Watson (R): 90-145-1072-12 (2L)-4-100.7
Rushing	Isaiah Crowell: 62-194-3.1-0	Lamar Miller: 83-331-4.0-1
Receiving	Duke Johnson, Jr. (RB): 23-270-11.7-1	DeAndre Hopkins: 35 (2L)-363-10.4-5 (3L)
Defense	304.8	323.2
Sacks	Many tied: 2	Jadeveon Clowney: 3
INTs	Jason McCourty: 2	Andre Hal: 2
Take/Give	-7 (6/13)	-1 (7/8)
Punting (Net)	Britton Colquitt: 50.3 (3L) (42.0)	Shane Lechler: 50.1 (40.3)
Kicking	Zane Gonzalez (R): 15 (9/9 PAT; 2/5 FG)	Ka’imi Fairbairn: 40 (13/14 PAT; 9/9 FG)

Game Notes

LEADER: Texans lead all-time series, 5-3
LAST GAME: 11/16/14: Texans 23 at Browns 7
STREAKS: Texans have won 5 of past 6
LAST GAME AT SITE: 11/6/11: Texans 30, Browns 12
QB DE SHONE KIZER (rookie) is 1 of 4 NFL QBs with 800+ pass yards (851) & 125+ rush yards (126).
QB KEVIN HOGAN completed 16 of 19 (84.2 pct.) with 2 TDs for 122.4 rating last week.
RB ISAIAH CROWELL had 91 scrimmage yards (61 rush, 30 rec.) in last meeting.
RB DUKE JOHNSON, JR. aims for 4th in row with TD. Had 83 scrimmage yards (20 rush, 63 rec.) & TD catch last week. Is 1 of 2 NFL RBs (TODD GURLEY) with 20+ catches (23) & 11.0+ yards per catch avg. (11.7) in 2017. Since entering league in 2015, has 137 catches, 2nd most among NFL RBs. Leads team with 23 catches & 270 rec. yards.
TE DAVID NJOKU (rookie) had TD catch last week. Ties for lead among NFL TEs with 3 TD catches. Is only NFL rookie with 3+ TD catches in 2017.
WR RICARDO LOUIS has 135 rec. yards (67.5 per game) in past 2.
WR KENNY BRITT has 100+ rec. yards or TD catch in 3 of past 4 meetings.
DE MYLES GARRETT (rookie) had 2 sacks last week & is 1st No. 1 overall pick since 1982 with 2+ sacks in NFL debut.
LB CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY had 9 tackles in last meeting. Since 2016, ranks 3rd in NFL with 175 tackles.
DE EMMANUEL OGBAH has sack in 2 of past 3. Has 5 sacks in past 7 on road.
LB JAMIE COLLINS, SR. had 14 tackles, INT & PD in his last meeting (9/22/16 with NE).
LB JAMES BURGESS, JR. had sack & PD last week.
CB JASON MC COURTY had INT & FF in Week 5. Had INT in his last game vs. Hou. (10/2/16 with Ten.).
QB DESHAUN WATSON (rookie) passed for 261 yards with 5 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 119.8 rating last week. Is 1 of 3 rookies in NFL history with 5+ TD passes & 0 INTs in game (JAMEIS WINSTON & RAY BUIVID). In past 2, has 544 pass yards (272 per game) with 9 pass TDs vs. 1 INT for 122.7 rating & rush TD. Ranks 2nd in NFL with 12 pass TDs & is 1 of 7 NFL QBs with 100+ rating (100.7) in 2017.
RB LAMAR MILLER has 1,043 scrimmage yards (104.3 per game) with 6 TDs (4 rush, 2 rec.) in past 10 at home. Has 220 scrimmage yards (110 per game) & 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.) in past 2.
WR DE ANDRE HOPKINS had career-high 3 TD catches last week. Has 5 TD catches in past 3 at home. Ranks 2nd in NFL with 35 catches & ties for 2nd with 5 rec. TDs. Had 80 rec. yards in last meeting.
WR WILL FULLER V had 2 TD catches last week, 2nd consecutive multi-TD game. Ties for 4th in NFL with 4 TD catches.
LB BENARDRICK MC KINNEY has 6 TFL in past 4. Is 1 of 4 in NFL with 200+ tackles (218) & 8+ sacks (8) since entering league in 2015.
DE JADEVEON CLOWNEY has 3 sacks in past 3. Has 22 TFL since 2016, tied for 2nd in NFL.
Rookie LB ZACH CUNNINGHAM tied for team lead with career-high 9 tackles & had FF last week.
S ANDRE HAL had career-high 9 tackles in Week 5.
CB JOHNATHAN JOSEPH has 5 PD in last 3 meetings.

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Ravens Preview

	Ravens	Bears
Last Week	W 30-17 at Oakland	L 20-17 vs. Minnesota
Coach vs. Opp.	John Harbaugh: 1-1	John Fox: 4-1
PTS. For/Against	18.0/19.4	15.6/24.8
Offense	288.8	299.8
Passing	Joe Flacco: 92-144-823-4-6-71.0	Mitchell Trubisky (R): 12-25-128-1-1-60.1
Rushing	Alex Collins: 37-261-7.1-0	Jordan Howard: 82-328-4.0-4 (T3L)
Receiving	Javorius Allen (RB): 20-97-4.9-1	Tarik Cohen (R) (RB): 25-144-5.8-1
Defense	328.6	305
Sacks	Terrell Suggs: 4	Akiem Hicks: 4
INTs	Many tied: 2	–
Take/Give	+3 (12/9)	-9 (3/12)
Punting (Net)	Sam Koch: 43.7 (40.7)	Pat O’Donnell: 47.2 (39.6)
Kicking	Justin Tucker: 30 (9/9 PAT; 7/9 FG)	Connor Barth: 14 (8/8 PAT; 2/4 FG)

Game Notes

LEADER: Bears lead all-time series, 3-2
LAST GAME: 11/17/13: Ravens 20 at Bears 23 (OT)
STREAKS: Bears have won 2 of past 3
LAST GAME AT SITE: 12/20/09: Ravens 31, Bears 7
QB MITCHELL TRUBISKY (rookie) threw his 1st career TD pass in NFL debut last week.
RB JORDAN HOWARD has 496 scrimmage yards (124 per game) & 4 TDs (3 rush, 1 rec.) in 4 career games vs. AFC. In 9 career road games, has 791 scrimmage yards (87.9 per game) & 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.).
RB TARIK COHEN ranks 2nd among NFL rookies with 25 catches.
RB BENNY CUNNINGHAM had 38-yard TD catch last week, his 1st TD with Chi.
WR KENDALL WRIGHT leads team with 200 rec. yards.
TE ZACH MILLER had TD catch last week. Has 3 TDs in 3 career games vs. AFC North.
LB LEONARD FLOYD had 6 tackles, 2 sacks & safety last week, his 3rd career 2-sack game. Has 4.5 sacks, FF & 2 FRs in past 6 on road.
DE AKIEM HICKS had 2 sacks in Week 5, his 2nd 2-sack game in 2017. Has 3 sacks & FF in past 5 on road vs. AFC.
LB PERNELL MC PHEE has 2 sacks & FF in past 4. Spent 4 seasons with Bal. (2011-14) & had 17 sacks.
LB DANNY TREVATHAN has 13 tackles & INT in past 2 vs. Bal. Has 36 tackles & sack in past 5 vs. AFC.
LB CHRISTIAN JONES led team with 9 tackles last week. S ADRIAN AMOS aims for 3rd in row with 8+ tackles.
CB PRINCE AMUKAMARA has 5 PD in past 3 vs. AFC.
P PAT O’DONNELL threw 38-yard TD pass last week, his 1st career TD.
QB JOE FLACCO completed 21 of 29 (72.4 pct.) for 234 yards with 4 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 135.6 rating in last home meeting. In past 4 vs. NFC, has 4 pass TDs vs. 1 INT. Has 9 pass TDs in past 4 at home.
RB JAVORIUS ALLEN rushed for 73 yards with TD last week. Has 145 scrimmage yards (72.5 per game) with TD catch in past 2 at home. Leads team with 20 catches.
RB ALEX COLLINS has 80+ rush yards in 2 of past 3.
RB TERRANCE WEST has 120+ scrimmage yards in 2 of past 3 vs. NFC. Has 3 rush TDs in past 3 vs. NFC.
WR MIKE WALLACE had 3 catches for 133 yards (44.3 avg.) last week. Since entering league in 2009, is 1 of 4 with 7,500+ rec. yards (7,533) & 15.0+ yards per catch avg. (15.1). Has 74 catches of 25+ yards since 2009, tied for 3rd most among active players.
WR JEREMY MACLIN had 85 rec. yards in his last game vs. Chi. (10/11/15 with KC). Has 349 rec. yards (69.8 per game) & 2 TD catches in past 5 vs. NFC.
TE BENJAMIN WATSON has TD catch in 6 of past 8 vs. NFC.
LB TERRELL SUGGS had sack last week. Has 4 sacks in past 5. Has 5.5 sacks in past 8 vs. NFC.
LB C.J. MOSLEY ranks 5th in NFL with 44 tackles. Aims for 4th in row with 10+ tackles at home. Since entering league in 2014, is 1 of 3 with 375+ tackles (381), 5+ sacks (7) & 5+ INTs (7).
S TONY JEFFERSON had sack in Week 5. Had INT-TD in his last game vs. Chi. (9/20/15 with Az.).
CB JIMMY SMITH had 47-yard FR-TD last week.