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In the Hood: The AFC North - THE AFC NORTH WEEK 8

Will the Ravens hold serve?
Posted On: 11/1/06
Written By:  
Eric Buckner
AFC North
Team
W
L
T
PCT
PF
PA
Home
Road
AFC
NFC
DIV
Streak
Baltimore
 
5
2
0
.714
145
91
2-1
3-1
3-1
2-1
1-0
Won 1
Cincinnati
 
4
3
0
.571
155
142
2-2
2-1
3-1
1-2
2-0
Lost 1
Cleveland
 
2
5
0
.286
108
139
1-3
1-2
2-3
0-2
0-2
Won 1
Pittsburgh
 
2
5
0
.286
157
145
2-1
0-4
2-4
0-1
0-1
Lost 2
 
Baltimore Ravens      (5-2)
 
The Baltimore Ravens offense looked very sharp, converting 3 red zone possessions into TDs in a 35-22 pasting of the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome on Sunday. Returning from their bye week with Brian Billick calling the plays, RB Jamal Lewis picking up 109 yards on 31 carries and QB Steve McNair fully recovered from a grade 2 concussion, the Ravens were much too physical for the upstart Saints.
 
New Orleans was forced to abandon their rushing attack early in the contest, as RB Deuce McAllister and RB / slot receiver rookie Reggie Bush were no factors in the contest held to a mere 27 yards on 10 carries. The Ravens defense forced 5 turnovers in the game turning 2 of them (interceptions by CB Ronnie Prude and S Dawan Landry) into TDs.
 
McNair had his best overall performance as a Raven by throwing 2 TD passes and rushing for one on a beautifully conceived and executed QB draw. For the day, McNair threw 17 completions on 23 passing attempts with no INTs. The Saints were able to put up 383 passing yards behind QB Drew Brees, many of which came when the outcome was no longer in doubt. ITH is still mystified as to how WR Marques Colston, 6 receptions for 163 yards and 2 TDs dropped to round 7 of the draft.
 
Cincinnati Bengals      (4-3)
 
The Cincinnati Bengals were defeated by the Atlanta Falcons 29-27 suffering their 2nd home loss, as well as their 2nd loss to an NFC South opponent.
 
Falcons QB Michael Vick was too much for the Bengals inconsistent defense to handle. Vick completed 20 of 28 passes for 291 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs. He also picked up 55 rushing yards on 9 carries. QB Carson Palmer fumbled while being sacked, ending one of his better performances of the season on a downcast note. Palmer was 24 of 36 for 266 yards in his failed quest to keep up with Vick.
 
On the day, Palmer had his best passer rating of the season (106.9), his longest bomb of the season (a 55-yarder), and his 2nd most yards of the season (266). Bengals RB Rudi Johnson was held to 46 yards on 12 carries with 1 TD and complained about not receiving enough carries. As testimony to Vick’s effectiveness, this was the first game in the last 25 that the Bengals defense failed to produce a turnover dating back to 12/12/2004 in Foxboro against the Patriots.
 
If not for Vick, the Bengals defense did a decent job against the Falcons rushing attack, holding RB Warrick Dunn and RB Jerious Norwood to a combined 88 yards on 29 carries. Note that WR Chad Johnson is prepared to move into 2nd place on the Bengals all-time receiving list. He has 415 catches and will move past Isaac Curtis (416) and Cris Collinsworth (417).
 
Cleveland Browns      (2-5)
 
The Cleveland Browns won for only the 2nd time this year, and the 1st time at home defeating the New York Jets 20-13. The Browns built a 20-3 lead and then held on for victory as a controversial pass for a potential TD on 4th and 4 by the Jets was ruled out of bounds with only 59 seconds remaining on the clock. Jets QB Chad Pennington dropped back and ducked underneath a blitz from S Sean Jones before lofting a pass to the near right corner for TE Chris Baker.
 
The 6-foot-3, 258-pound Baker leaped and hauled in Pennington's toss with one hand as he soared through the air. But before he could come down with either foot in bounds, Baker was drilled from the side by DB Brodney Pool, who sent Baker sprawling.
 
Baker held on to the ball and the officials did not immediately make a call. They huddled for several seconds before referee Mike Carey (there’s that "malice in his heart" guy again) said Baker could not have made the catch in bounds. Because it was a judgment call, the play is not reviewable under the NFL's instant replay system.
 
Afterward, Carey said field judge Buddy Horton determined that Carey caught the ball out of bounds. Cleveland's RB Reuben Droughns rushed for a season-high 125 yards, QB Charlie Frye threw a touchdown pass to TE Kellen Winslow and new coordinator Jeff Davidson got Cleveland's stagnant offense going long enough to give the Browns a much-needed win.
 
Pittsburgh Steelers      (2-5)
 
The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to 2-5 after falling to defeat at the hands of the Oakland Raiders 20-13. The loss drops the Steelers to the bottom of the division and marks the 4th road loss in 2006 in 4 games away from Heinz Field.
 
The Steelers held the Raiders to only 98 yards of total offense, but were unable to overcome 5 turnovers including 4 interceptions of QB Ben Roethlisberger who now has 11 INTs in 5 ½ games played.
 
"I'm embarrassed about the way I played," he said. "I'm letting the whole team down. It just seems like one guy makes mistakes and that's me. ... In my wildest dreams, I didn't think I'd be playing this bad."
 
The Steelers committed 4 personal foul penalties and yielded 5 sacks. Trailing 13-6, Pittsburgh drove to the Oakland 7 before DB Chris Carr intercepted Roethlisberger at the goal line and raced the length of the field for his first career score, making it 20-6. Oakland's pass defense lived up to its No. 1 ranking, which had been achieved in large part because the Raiders trailed so often early in the season opponents didn't need to pass. Roethlisberger finished 25-for-37 for 301 yards, but 197 yards came after Pittsburgh fell behind 20-6. The Steelers could only manage 89 rushing yards on 28 attempts.
 
WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS:
 
Cincinnati   (4-3) @ Baltimore  (5-2)
 
This should be one exciting contest. The Bengals feature a high -powered passing attack that figures to match up well with the Ravens secondary, which had difficulty containing both the Panthers and Saints giving up several big plays in those contests.
 
Defensively, the Bengals had been productive until last week when they could not get turnovers against the Falcons and they have been inconsistent yet not terrible against the run. The Ravens offense appears to have turned the corner versus the Saints and a ball control, clock consuming attack would leave the Bengals at risk. The Ravens defense has also been generating turnovers which have offset some of the big plays that they have allowed.
 
One barometer to watch is the productivity of RB Rudi Johnson who was openly critical of the coaching staff about not getting enough carries against the Falcons. In the Bengals 2 victories versus the Ravens in 2005, Johnson gained 97 yards and 1TD on 29 carries in Baltimore and 114 yards and 2 TDs on 27 carries in Cincinnati. In the Bengals 4 wins in 2006, Johnson has similar numbers compared to his performance versus the Ravens averaging 97 yards on 25 carries. In the Bengals 3 losses, Johnson averaged only 54 yards on 14 carries. The Ravens have been solid in run defense this year and the Bengals are missing key players at LB (David Pollack and Odell Thurman) and on the O-line (LT Levi Jones, C Rich Braham), which gives Baltimore the edge at home this week.
 
Baltimore   29     Cincinnati   19
 
Cleveland   (2-5)   @  San Diego   (5-2)
 
The Browns were finally able to crank up their running game against the bottom feeding Jets, whose rush defense ranks 29th in the league. The Chargers are a vastly different animal on defense than the Jets and it’s hard for ITH to envision a scenario whereby the Browns are able to move the ball consistently on the ground this Sunday.
 
The Chargers offense should also be able to take advantage of a Browns defense that has been decimated by injury, yet to their credit they continue to play hard every Sunday. Unless QB Charlie Frye is able to heat up the passing attack early on and get some quick points on the board or Marty’s boys have an unprecedented melt down at home, this one shouldn’t be close. Cleveland is 7-12 all time versus San Diego.
 
San Diego   34     Cleveland   15
 
Denver   (5-2)   at Pittsburgh   (2-5)
 
This match-up is certainly intriguing pitting the teams that played in the 2005 AFC Championship game. Pittsburgh’s loss to the Raiders is inexcusable at this point in the season and the Broncos come off of a loss at home to the Colts. Denver finally broke through on offense by posting 31 points and ran the ball extremely well against the Colts defense which ranks last in the league stopping the run. QB Ben Roethlisberger played well against Atlanta before being injured, which leads ITH to believe that his performance against the Raiders could be attributed to him not being 100%.
 
Denver’s defense has been solid, but that unit is not built to consistently rush the passer. Peyton Manning went virtually untouched in the 2nd half of last week’s contest. Three weeks ago the Steelers in their last game at home totally manhandled an improving KC Chiefs team, so they obviously have it in them to beat the Broncos at Heinz Field. Even though the Steelers are 7-12 all time versus Denver, ITH looks for Coach Cowher to rally the troops at home in order to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive. Hey coach! You better find a running game, and soon!!!!
 
Pittsburgh   28   Denver   17 
 
 
ITH Record:   Last week: 1 – 3, Through Week 8: 13 - 12

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Posted On: 11/1/06
Written By:  
Eric Buckner

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