AFC North Preview Week 7: Ravens and Steelers play in primetime; Ohio teams square off

Taking a look ahead for the AFC North division in Week 7.

Baltimore Ravens (4-2)

The reigning AFC North champions are coming off their fourth straight win of the season in which they beat their regional rival Washington Commanders in the Battle of the Beltway to remain in first place in the standings. Now they will face another one of their toughest opponents to date in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road in primetime on Monday Night Football at Raymond James Stadium.

This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the 2022 regular season and the Ravens lead the all-time series 5-2 having won each of the last five dating back to 2006. It will also mark the ninth head-to-head matchup between the first overall and 32nd overall picks in the 2018 NFL Draft with reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson having the better record against Baker Mayfield-led teams at 6-2 but the Buccaneers are looking especially formidable this year.

The Ravens are entering this interconference primetime matchup pretty healthy with just six players listed on Thursday’s initial injury report with none being starters or even every-down players on either side of the ball. Their three non-participants included linebacker Malik Harrison (groin), defensive end Brent Urban (illness) and wide receiver/return specialist Deonte Harty. Meanwhile, the limited participants were cornerback Arthur Maulet (knee/hamstring), defensive tackle Broderick Washington (knee) and rookie running back Rasheen Ali (ankle).

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)

After ending their two-game losing skid last week with a resounding win over the reeling Las Vegas Raiders, the Steelers still find themselves technically tied for the top stop in the division standings with the Ravens. Pittsburgh will be playing in primetime at home for the second time in the last three weeks when they host the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football.

This will mark the first meeting between these two teams since the 2022 season when the Jets came away with a four-point victory 24-20 in Week 4. Even though the New York’s record is the inverse of Pittsburgh’s at 2-4, their defense is still stout and their offense just got a major boost after the team acquired six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Davante Adams via trade to reunite him with future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rogers.

The Steelers are heading into this game a little banged up with nine players listed on Wednesday’s initial injury report with non-rest-related designations. For the first time this season, veteran quarterback Russell Wilson wasn’t among those listed on the injury report with his lingering calf issue and head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t rule out the possibility of him potentially starting this week.

Those who did not participate in practice on one or both days include running back Najee Harris (ribs), safety Damontae Kazee (ankle), center Zach Frazier (ankle), outside linebacker Nick Herbig (ankle) and running back/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle). Those who have been limited or full participants are outside linebacker Alex Highsmith (groin), tight end MyCole Pruitt (knee), offensive tackle Dylan Cook (foot) and wide receiver Roman Wilson (hamstring).

Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)

Fresh off notching just their second victory of the season in a low-scoring interconference matchup on Sunday Night Football last week, the still desperate Bengals will be favored to come out on top of the AFC North matchup with the Cleveland Browns in the first edition of the Battle of Ohio. However, the Bengals haven’t won in Cleveland since 2017 and franchise quarterback Joe Burrow has a losing record against the Browns at a mediocre 1-5 with his lone win coming in Week 14 of the 2022 season.

The Bengals are heading into yet another must-win game with just four players listed on their injury report. The only limited participant on the first two days of practice was cornerback DJ Turner (ankle) while Burrow (wrist, shin) cornerback DJ Ivery (knee) and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. (thumb) all practiced fully.

Cleveland Browns (1-5)

With their losing streak extended to four straight after getting beat on the road by the Philadelphia Eagles last week, the Browns will begin a three-game homestand starting with their instate division rivals. While both teams are desperate for a win, Cleveland appears to be coming to terms with the fact that this season might be a lost cause as they traded away Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday and could be among the top sellers over the next few weeks as the midseason trade deadline nears.

Cleveland has over a dozen players on their injury report, including 11 starters between both sides of the ball. The only two players who did not take the practice field on Wednesday or Thursday were running back Jerome Ford (hamstring) and safety Ronnie Hickman (ankle). The list of limited and full participants includes the following:

RB Nick Chubb (knee)

DB Grant Delpit (concussion)

OT Jedrick Wills (shoulder)

C Ethan Pocic (knee)

CB Denzel Ward (hamstring)

TE David Njoku (knee/ankle)

DE Myles Garrett (Achilles)

CB Martin Emerson (rib)

LB Jordan Hicks (elbow, triceps)

RB Nyheim Hines (knee)

WR Jerry Jeudy (knee)

DB Juan Thornhill (calf)

RB D’Onta Foreman (ankle)