Ravens Look To Scoreboard During Bye Week As Playoff Race Heats Up
By Samuel Njoku
The Ravens return from their bye this week to prepare to battle the Saints on Monday Night Football. With a 6-4 record, Baltimore finds themselves right in the middle of the playoff race in the AFC. Because Baltimore was off this week, they were forced to watch their other rivals go to work. Here’s a look at how those games turned out.
Houston Texans 23, Cleveland Browns 7
The Browns were the talk of the NFL after some pretty impressive victories found them atop the AFC North. Not so much in Week 11 as they fell to the Texans and out of the top spot in the division. The game was highlighted with a touchdown reception from J.J. Watt – the defensive end. The talented defender was also a huge part of the Browns struggles on offense as he recorded a strip sack and 3 tackles for a loss.
The Browns offensive coordinator couldn’t stop Watt on Sunday. The defensive coordinator couldn’t stop him either. Big game for him and tough week for the Cleveland Browns.
Cincinnati Bengals 27, New Orleans Saints 10
The Ravens benefited greatly from the Browns loss on Sunday. Not so much luck from the Bengals. Andy Dalton had one of those “hard to watch” performances last week and rebounded nicely against the boys from the NFC South. Dalton threw 2 touchdowns to his tight end Jermaine Gresham and a third to his big time receiver A.J. Green to take care of the Saints and regain possession of 1st place in the AFC North.
The Ravens will have their chance against the Saints next Monday night and they’ll hope for similar success against Drew Brees. Of course the Bengals and Ravens have two very different pass defenses. If Baltimore wants a win against Brees, their secondary will have to step up.
For more Ravens news and updates, visit Ravens Central.
Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.