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AFC North
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|
Team |
W |
L |
T |
PCT |
PF |
PA |
Home |
Road |
AFC |
NFC |
DIV |
Streak |
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Pittsburgh
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
1.000 |
60 |
10 |
1-0 |
1-0 |
2-0 |
0-0 |
1-0 |
Won 2 |
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Baltimore
|
1 |
1 |
0 |
.500 |
40 |
40 |
1-0 |
0-1 |
1-1 |
0-0 |
0-1 |
Won 1 |
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Cincinnati
|
1 |
1 |
0 |
.500 |
72 |
71 |
1-0 |
0-1 |
1-1 |
0-0 |
1-1 |
Lost 1 |
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Cleveland
|
1 |
1 |
0 |
.500 |
58 |
79 |
1-1 |
0-0 |
1-1 |
0-0 |
1-1 |
Won |
Week #2 – AFC North Scores
Cleveland 51 Cincinnati 45
Baltimore 20 New York Jets 13
Backup QB Kyle Boller threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns Sunday, and the Ravens overcame a late charge by the Jets in a 20-13 win. Boller was efficient, going 23-for-35 without an interception. The offensive line was very effective in pass protection allowing Boller to get through the contest without being sacked. RB Willis McGahee contributed 97 rushing yards on 26 carries and caught a TD pass. With seven catches (76 yards and one TD), Todd Heap has now had at least 3 receptions in 18 straight games. The defense was dominant in the first 3 quarters, but yielded 177 passing yards in the 4th quarter. Baltimore played without OT Jonathan Ogden (toe) and lost standout DE Trevor Pryce (broken wrist) in the third quarter for 3-5 weeks.
It’s pretty difficult to score 45 points in an NFL game and lose, but that’s what happened to the Bengals. QB Carson Palmer tossed a career-high six TD (33 completions, 50 attempts, 401 yards, 2 INT), but his final chance to rally the Bengals (1-1) ended when he was intercepted at the Browns' 27 with 21 seconds left. WR Chad Johnson (11 catches, 209 yards, 2 TD), TJ Houshmandzadeh (8 catches, 69 yards, 2 TD) and RB Rudi Johnson (23 rushes, 118 yards; 4 catches 33 yards and 1 TD) all put up some lofty numbers in the loss. "Defensively it was a case of not being good enough," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "Offensively, we came up a little short. We could have done better on third down. And special teams-wise, we have to get better, point blank."
What quarterback controversy? Derek Anderson showed why he is Romeo Crennel's No. 1 choice, throwing for 328 yards and 5 TD. Anderson spread it around to TE Kellen Winslow (100 yards, 1 TD) and WR Braylon Edwards (146 yards, 2 TD) and Joe Jurevicious (44 yards, 2 TD). Cleveland racked up 554 yards of total offense, scored its most points since returning to the league in 1999, and for the time being, took some of the heat off coach Crennel, who improved to 11-23 in his third season. "A division win, how about that?" said Crennel, playfully mocking his 2-12 record against AFC North opponents. RB Jamal Lewis rushed for 216 yards on 28 carries including a 66-yard TD burst in the third quarter and 47-yard run in the fourth.
The Steelers finally broke the plane of the end zone with 4:46 left in the third quarter. Until then, kickers Jeff Reed and Rian Lindell were the only offense. After the Steelers' got their first score though, the defense shut out Buffalo the rest of the contest. QB Ben Roethlisberger continued his strong start to 2007. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 242 yards and found nine different receivers. The Steelers had the ball nearly 11 minutes longer and out-gained the Bills 420 yards to 223. RB Willie Parker ran for a touchdown and 126 yards on 23 carries. Mike Tomlin won his home opener as the Steelers' coach, just as Bill Cowher (1992) and Chuck Noll (1969) did. Pittsburgh has allowed 10 points in two games. The defense has 10 sacks.
Baltimore Ravens (1-1) versus Arizona Cardinals (1-1)
The Ravens have been installed as a 7½ point favorite. The Cardinals enter this contest on the heels of a close win in their home opener versus the Seahawks. WR Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Bolden will present a challenge to the Ravens secondary, and RB Edgerrin James is off to a good start in 2007. Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm bring years of familiarity with the Ravens as former Steelers assistants. The Cardinals offensive line is young and developing, so the Ravens should be able to apply pressure to Matt Leinart. Since 2004, the Cardinals have played 9 games in the eastern time-zone and their record in those games is 1-8.
Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) at Seattle Seahawks (1-1)
The Bengals face a Seahawks team that is 19-6 at home since 2004. Mike Holmgren is certain to feature Shaun Alexander in this match-up as the Bengals defense looked toothless versus the Browns last week. The Bengals wasted a great offensive performance, and it will be interesting to see how they react in what will be a very difficult road contest in Seattle. Unless their defense and special teams show sudden and dramatic improvement, they will have a tough go of it this week.
Cleveland Browns (1-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-2)
This is a match-up between 2 teams that many predicted to finish last in their respective divisions. Last week, the Browns were able to win their 2nd division game in the last 14 and the Raiders were oh so close to winning their first game after 10 straight losses, bowing to the Broncos in Denver in OT. Raider QB Josh McCown has contributed to the self destruction in both 2007 losses throwing 5 INT's. On the bright side, RB LaMont Jordan gained a career-best 159 yards on 25 carries against Denver. The Browns are coming off of their 51 point output against the Bengals and are 7-11 all-time versus the Raiders including a 24-21 victory in Oakland in 2006.
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) versus San Francisco 49ers (2-0)
The 49ers are 2-0 and have won 4 of their last 5. The 49er faithful have expressed concerns about the passing game and the play calling (sound familiar?) and most of it centers on the lack of plays downfield from QB Alex Smith and the lack of touches from TE Vernon Davis. The 49er offense ranks 32nd good for dead last in the league after 2 weeks of play in 2007. The defense, albeit solid to date has been of the bend but don’t break variety. The Steelers have quietly gone about their business and Big Ben has been efficient, while not spectacular against the Browns and the Bills. This will be their first real “test” of 2007, and the experts like their chances; installing Pittsburgh as 8 point favorites. Since 1990, the 49ers are 4-1 against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh 24 San Francisco 3
Photo by Sabina Moran
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