AFC North Preview Week 2: Ravens and Steelers poised to roll; Bengals face biggest challenge

Taking a look ahead for the AFC North division in Week 2.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)

After pulling off one of the more surprising upset victories over the Atlanta Falcons, the team that was widely picked to finish last in the division currently sits atop it. The Steelers will be on the road for a second straight week as they are slated to take on the Denver Broncos, who lost their season opener in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated.

There is a very strong possibility Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner T.J. Watt will remain undefeated after their Sunday late afternoon bout against fellow Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Peyton and first-round rookie quarterback Bo Nix. This will mark the first meeting between these two teams since the 2021 season, with the Steelers being winners of their previous two matchups and the Broncos of the two before.

The Steelers are heading into this game relatively healthy, with only six players listed on their initial injury report Wednesday. While veteran quarterback Russell Wilson is the biggest name on it, having been a limited participant with a calf, Tomlin already proclaimed the team is preparing for quarterback Justin Fields to start again this week. Two of the most potentially impactful are upfront on the offensive line as neither starters on the left side—tackle Dan Moore Jr. (ankle) and guard Isaac Seumalo (pectoral)—didn’t participate in practice. The only other players listed were rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson (ankle), reserve cornerback Darius Rush (concussion) and starting defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (knee) who were all limited.

Baltimore Ravens (0-1)

The reigning AFC North champions will be looking to notch their first win of the season in their home opener this Sunday after coming a toe shy of completing a comeback over the two-time defending champions in Week 1. Unlike the season opener, they are heavy favorites to prevail against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders, who lost to head coach John Harbaugh’s younger brother Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers by double digits to open the season.

This will be the first time that these two teams will have met since facing off on Monday Night Football to open the 2021 season. That game went into overtime and ended with a walk-off touchdown win for the Raiders and before that, the Ravens had won the previous two matchups dating back to 2017, scoring 30-plus points and not allowing more than 17 in each.

The Ravens are heading into this game very healthy with just three players listed on the initial injury report but the only one who didn’t practice was veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy who is dealing with an eye injury that was originally reported as an orbital bone fracture. Both All Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith (shoulder) and third-round rookie edge rusher Adisa Isaac (hamstring) were limited participants. If Van Noy can’t suit up, having Isaac back in the fold after he showed some promising flashes in his preseason debut will be a nice boost for the Ravens’ pass rush going up against an offensive line that allowed four sacks and six quarterback hits last week.

Cleveland Browns (0-1)

Despite being favored to come out on top at home to open the season, the Browns were handed the most lopsided loss in the entire division in Week 1 in a rout by the Dallas Cowboys and will be looking to redeem themselves on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. While starting quarterback Deshaun Watson boasts an impressive 6-1 career record against the Jaguars, all of those games came in the first four years of his career when he was the face of the Houston Texans franchise. He has yet to recapture his former glory or even resemble the player the Browns believed they were acquiring after giving up a king’s ransom and signing him to a historic contract.

This will mark the second year in a row that these two teams are facing off with last year’s matchup resulting in an impressive 31-27 win for the Joe Flacco-led Browns in Week 14. With the former Super Bowl MVP gone, this will also mark the first time that Watson faces off with former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence of the Jaguars who succeeded him in college at Clemson University. After letting a double-digit lead slip through their fingers in Week 1, the Jaguars will be out to prove their contenders and not pretenders on their home turf.

The Browns had a dozen players listed on their initial injury report including eight starters between both sides of the ball. Those who did not take the practice field on Wednesday included tight end David Njoku (ankle), offensive tackle Jedrick Wills (knee) and defensive back Myles Harden (shin). The limited participants were offensive guard Joe Bitonio (elbow), offensive tackle Jack Conklin (knee), long snapper Charley Hughlett (foot), defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (knee) and defensive end Alex Wright (triceps/elbow). The full participants were cornerback Denzel Ward (shoulder), wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (knee), linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (knee) and center Nick Harris (knee).

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)

Coming off the most shocking upset from Week 1 in which they fell to the New England Patriots at home after entering the game as overwhelming favorites, Joe Burrow and Co. will be looking to bounce back as heavy underdogs on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2.

Even though Burrow is 3-1 in his career against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs including the postseason, all of those previous matchups took place much later in the year or the playoffs. This go-round is happening in the first month of the season when the Bengals have struggled out of the gate under head coach Zac Taylor since 2019 during which they have started 0-2 in four of the previous five seasons.

The Bengals had seven players listed on their initial injury report on Thursday including Burrow (right wrist) but he was the only full participant of the bunch. Defensive tackle B.J. Hill (knee) and first-round rookie offensive tackle Amarius Mims (pectoral) were limited while star wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring), starting linebacker Logan Wilson (knee), tight end Tanner Hudson (knee) and rookie defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (thumb) all did not practice.