AFC North Preview – Week 7

by Joe Kuzma (joe_kuzma) on October 21, 2017

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

Heading into Week 7 the Pittsburgh Steelers have a one-game lead in the AFC North, as they take on division foe the Cincinnati Bengals who have won two straight.

If there’s ever a week for the Cleveland Browns to win a game, it would be this Sunday. The Titans defense may be worse than the Browns, and with Tennessee leaning on the run game with a banged up Marcus Mariota, Cleveland’s decent run D could make this a close one… maybe.

The Ravens travel to Minnesota to face a Vikings team who just beat a Packers team who lost Aaron Rodgers. They’ll try and stay in the race for the division only one game behind going into Sunday.

AFC North Standings

AFC North Week 7 Standings

Embed from Getty Images

Browns Preview

	Browns	Titans
Last Week	L 33-17 at Houston	W 36-22 vs. Indianapolis
Coach vs. Opp.	Hue Jackson: 0-1	Mike Mularkey: 2-0
PTS. For/Against	15.7/26.2	24.3/27.3
Offense	308.3	336
Passing	Kevin Hogan: 46-75-517-4-5-71.9 OR DeShone Kizer (R): 81-159-851-3-9-49.5	Marcus Mariota: 89-142-1098-4-4-84.2
Rushing	Isaiah Crowell: 74-252-3.4-0	Derrick Henry: 62-318-5.1-2
Receiving	Duke Johnson, Jr. (RB): 26-269-10.3-1	Delanie Walker (TE): 25-261-10.4-0
Defense	310.7	337
Sacks	Myles Garrett (R): 3	Derrick Morgan: 3
INTs	Jason McCourty: 3 (T2L)	Many tied: 1
Take/Give	-9 (7/16)	-2 (7/9)
Punting (Net)	Britton Colquitt: 50.5 (3L) (42.2)	Brett Kern: 51.5 (2L) (46.9) (2L)
Kicking	Zane Gonzalez (R): 20 (11/11 PAT; 3/6 FG)	Ryan Succop: 62 (2L) (14/14 PAT; 16/17 FG)

Game Notes

LEADER: Browns lead all-time series, 35-29
LAST GAME: 10/16/16: Browns 26 at Titans 28
STREAKS: Browns have won 2 of past 3
LAST GAME AT SITE: 9/20/15: Browns 28, Titans 14
QB MARCUS MARIOTA passed for 306 yards with TD last week. Has passed for 541 yards (270.5 per game) with 5 TDs vs. 1 INT for 111.4 rating & rushed for 83 yards in 2 career meetings. Is 1 of 6 QBs with 7,000+ pass yards (7,342) & 700+ rush yards (717) since entering league in 2015.
RB DE MARCO MURRAY had 87 scrimmage yards (47 rec., 40 rush) with rush TD last week. Had rush TD in last meeting. Since entering league in 2011, has 45 rush TDs, 5th most in NFL.
RB DERRICK HENRY had career-high 131 rush yards, incl. 72-yard TD, in Week 6.
WR RISHARD MATTHEWS had TD catch in last meeting.
WR ERIC DECKER has 3 TD catches in 2 career meetings. Has 43 TD catches since 2012, 7th most among NFL WRs.
TE DELANIE WALKER is 1 of 2 TEs (ROB GRONKOWSKI) with 2,000+ rec. yards (2,149) & 12+ TD catches (13) since 2015.
Rookie WR TAYWAN TAYLOR had 1st career TD catch last week.
LB WESLEY WOODYARD has 3.5 sacks & FF in past 4 meetings.
LB AVERY WILLIAMSON had FF last week. Had sack in last game vs. Cle.
LB BRIAN ORAKPO had sack in last meeting. Has 18.5 sacks since 2015, 6th most among NFL LBs.
LB DERRICK MORGAN leads team with 3 sacks. Has sack in 2 of past 3 on road. Aims for 3rd meeting in row with sack.
DT JURRELL CASEY has sack in 2 of past 3. Since 2013, ranks 4th among NFL DTs with 29.5 sacks.
QB DE SHONE KIZER (rookie) is 1 of 4 NFL QBs with 125+ rush yards (126) & 2+ rush TDs (2) this season.
QB KEVIN HOGAN had career-high 20 comp. last week.
T JOE THOMAS has started 166 consecutive games since entering league in 2007, longest active streak among NFL o-linemen.
RB DUKE JOHNSON, JR. had rush TD in last meeting. Leads team with 26 catches. Ranks 3rd among NFL RBs with 269 rec. yards. Since entering league in 2015, ranks 2nd among NFL RBs with 140 catches & 1,317 rec. yards.
RB ISAIAH CROWELL had rush TD in last home meeting.
TE SETH DE VALVE had TD catch last week.
Rookie TE DAVID NJOKU has 3 TD catches in past 5. Leads NFL rookies with 3 rec. TDs.
WR KENNY BRITT had 157 catches for 2,450 yards & 19 TDs in 5 seasons with Ten. (2009-13).
CB JASON MC COURTY had 56-yard INT-TD last week. Aims for 3rd in row with INT. Ties for 2nd in NFL with 3 INTs & 9 PD. Appeared in 108 games (90 starts) & had 13 INTs in 8 seasons with Ten. (2009-16).
Rookie DE MYLES GARRETT has 3 sacks in past 2. Ties for 2nd among rookies with 3 sacks.
LB CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY had TFL & FF in last home meeting.
Kirksey (313 tackles, 9.5 sacks) & LB JAMIE COLLINS, SR. (335, 12.5) are 2 of 9 players in NFL with 300+ tackles & 8+ sacks since 2014. Collins had sack & INT in only career meeting (12/20/15 with NE).
ON THE AIRWAVES TV: CBS (1:00 PM ET): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta SIRIUS: 145 (Ten), 146 (Cle) | XM: 380 (Ten), 228 (Cle)

Embed from Getty Images

Ravens Preview

	Ravens	Vikings
Last Week	L 27-24 (OT) vs. Chicago	W 23-10 vs. Green Bay
Coach vs. Opp.	John Harbaugh: 1-1	Mike Zimmer: 0-0
PTS. For/Against	19.0/20.7	20.3/17.2
Offense	289.2	356
Passing	Joe Flacco: 116-185-1003-4-8-66.1	Case Keenum: 102-159-1134-5-1-93.1
Rushing	Alex Collins: 52-335-6.4-0	Jerick McKinnon: 42-190-4.5-2
Receiving	Benjamin Watson (TE): 24-176-7.3-1	Adam Thielen: 38 (T3L)-489 (3L)-12.9-0
Defense	330.8	295.5
Sacks	Terrell Suggs: 4.5	Everson Griffen: 7
INTs	Many tied: 2	Harrison Smith: 3 (T2L)
Take/Give	+2 (14/12)	+2 (8/6)
Punting (Net)	Sam Koch: 46.1 (42.4)	Ryan Quigley: 41.8 (40.5)
Kicking	Justin Tucker: 40 (10/10 PAT; 10/12 FG)	Kai Forbath: 44 (11/13 PAT; 11/12 FG)

Game Notes

LEADER: Ravens lead all-time series, 3-2
LAST GAME: 12/8/13: Vikings 26 at Ravens 29
STREAKS: Ravens have won 3 of past 4
LAST GAME AT SITE: 10/18/09: Vikings 33, Ravens 31
QB JOE FLACCO passed for 385 yards with 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 109.2 rating in last meeting on road. In past 6 on road vs. NFC, has 1,720 pass yards (286.7 per game) with 10 TDs vs. 3 INTs for 96.4 rating.
RB ALEX COLLINS leads team with 335 rush yards. Has 6.44 yards per carry avg., highest in NFL.
RB TERRANCE WEST has 387 scrimmage yards (96.8 per game) with 3 rush TDs in past 4 vs. NFC.
RB-KR BOBBY RAINEY had 96-yard KR-TD last week.
WR MIKE WALLACE played 1 season in Min. (2015). Has 3 TD catches in 2 career meetings. Since entering league in 2009, has 74 catches of 25+ yards, tied for 4th most among active players. Is 1 of 3 active players with 7,500+ rec. yards (7,563) & 15.0+ yards per catch avg. (15.1) since 2009.
WR JEREMY MACLIN has 871 rec. yards (87.1 per game) with 6 TD catches in past 10 on road vs. NFC.
TE BENJAMIN WATSON had 95 rec. yards & TD in only career game at Min. (10/30/06 with NE).
WR-PR MICHAEL CAMPANARO had 77-yard PR-TD last week.
LB C.J. MOSLEY leads NFL with 55 tackles. Has 56 tackles (9.3 per game), INT, 2 FRs & FF in past 6 vs. NFC. Has 8+ tackles in 4 of past 5 on road.
S LARDARIUS WEBB had 4 PD in last meeting. LB TERRELL SUGGS has 5.5 sacks in past 8 vs. NFC. Leads team with 4.5 sacks.
LB MATT JUDON had career-high 12 tackles & 2 sacks in Week 6, his 2nd career multi-sack game.
QB CASE KEENUM has 827 pass yards (275.7 per game), 4 TDs & 1 INT for 98.9 rating in 3 home games with Min.
RB JERICK MC KINNON has 245 scrimmage yards (122.5 per game) & 3 TDs (2 rush, 1 rec.) in past 2. Has 5 TDs (3 rec., 2 rush) in past 7 at home.
WR STEFON DIGGS has 20 receptions for 364 yards (121.3 per game) & 4 TDs in past 3 at home.
WR ADAM THIELEN leads NFC with 489 rec. yards & ranks 2nd with 38 receptions. Led team with 9 catches for 97 yards last week. Has 28 receptions for 411 yards (102.8 per game) in past 4 at home.
TE KYLE RUDOLPH is 1 of 2 NFL TEs (JORDAN REED) since 2015 with 150+ receptions (153) & 14+ TD catches (14).
DE EVERSON GRIFFEN ranks 2nd in NFC with 7 sacks. Has sack in all 6 games this season. Has 4 sacks in past 3 vs. AFC.
LB ERIC KENDRICKS led team with 11 tackles last week. Aims for 4th in row vs. AFC with 8+ tackles.
S HARRISON SMITH had career-high 1.5 sacks & INT in Week 6, his 2nd career game with sack & INT. Has INT in 3 of past 4.
S ANDREW SENDEJO had INT in last meeting.
DE BRIAN ROBISON had sack last week. Had sack in last meeting. Has 3 sacks & FF in past 4 vs. AFC.
CB XAVIER RHODES aims for 4th in row at home with PD. Had INT in Week 6. CB TRAE WAYNES has 2 INTs in past 4. Aims for 5th in row with PD & 3rd in row with 6+ tackles.
ON THE AIRWAVES TV: CBS (1:00 PM ET): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Jamie Erdahl (Field reporter) SIRIUS: 108 (Bal), 83 (Min) | XM: 382 (Bal), 83 (Min)