AFC North Preview Week 5: Ravens to square off with Bengals; Steelers will host Cowboys in primetime

Taking a look ahead for the AFC North division in Week 5.

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)

After their first loss of the season last week to the Joe Flacco-led Indianapolis Colts, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be back at home where they will face off with the Dallas Cowboys. Head coach Mike Tomlin and Defensive Player of the Year candidate T.J. Watt will be looking to bounce back against a banged-up opponent and hold onto their lead in the AFC North standings for another week. This will mark the first meeting between these two teams since the 2020 season when the Steelers snapped a two-game skid against the Cowboys in a 24-19 win.

The Steelers are heading into this game almost as injured as the Cowboys with nine players listed on Wednesday’s initial injury report. Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson (calf) was a limited participant, which means Justin Fields is likely to be the starter for a fifth week in a row. Those who did not participate in practice include running back Jaylen Warren (knee), outside linebacker Alex Highsmith (groin), outside linebacker Nick Herbig (ankle), running back/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle) and tight end MyCole Pruitt (knee). The only other limited participant was defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (ankle) while the only full participants were offensive guard Isaac Seumalo (pectoral) and Jerimiah Moon (ankle).

Baltimore Ravens (2-2)

The reigning AFC North champions are coming off their second straight win of the season over the Buffalo Bills. and will face their first divisional opponent off the year in the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are returning home after their first win of the season over the Carolina Panthers. Last season, the Ravens pulled off their first sweep of the Bengals since the 2020 season after losing four of the previous five matchups from 2021-2022 (including the postseason).

The Ravens are entering this rivalry game as healthy as they’ve been since the start of the season, with all 52 active players participating in Wednesday’s practice. Of the five listed on the initial injury report, defensive tackle Michael Pierce (shoulder) was the only full participant while linebacker Chris Board (ankle), cornerback Arthur Maulet (knee/hamstring), defensive end Brent Urban (neck) and left guard Andrew Vorhees (ankle) were all limited.

Cleveland Browns (1-3)

Coming off consecutive losses, the Browns will take on the surging and division-leading Washington Commanders in Week 4. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett and quarterback Deshaun Watson will have their handful trying to slow down and keep pace with a red-hot and highly-efficient offense quarterbacked by Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite Jayden Daniels.

The Commanders will look to avenge a 24-10 loss from Week 17 of the 2022 season and snap a two-game skid against the Browns in the all-time series.

Cleveland had well over a dozen players listed on their initial injury report, including 11 starters between both sides of the ball. Those who did not take the practice field on Wednesday included offensive tackle Jack Conklin (knee), defensive end Myles Garrett (Achilles), linebacker Jordan Hicks (ribs/elbow), defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (illness), center Ethan Pocic (ankle), offensive tackle Jedrick Wills (knee) and defensive end Alex Wright (triceps/elbow).

Cincinnati Bengals (1-3)

After overcoming the Panthers for their first win of the season, the Bengals will try to claw and scratch their way back into AFC North contention in a home game against the Ravens. They are still in search of their first conference win of the season and will be looking for their first win over a Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore squad since Week 7 of the 2021 season after losing both games last season and beating a Tyler Huntley-led team in the two prior meetings.

The Bengals are heading into this seemingly must-win game with nearly a dozen players listed on their initial injury report on Wednesday. The only two who didn’t practice were veteran nickel cornerback Mike Hilton (knee) and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (hamstring). There were only three limited participants: defensive end Trey Hendrickson (neck/back), defensive tackle B.J. Hill (hamstring) and linebacker Germaine Pratt (ankle).