Baltimore Ravens Sneak Out of Last Place in AFC North

Nov 9, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) throws the ball in the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens won 21-7. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Ravens fans were watching Sunday’s NFL action a little more closely than usual during the team’s bye week.  This is largely due to the unique circumstances the Ravens found themselves in, a position that meant they could go from last place to first place in the AFC North with losses by the Bengals, Steelers, and Browns.

Heading into Sunday, it looked like the Bengals and Browns had a shot at losses, while the Steelers only had to face the lowly Titans on Monday Night Football.  The Browns did indeed lose to the Houston Texans at home, but the Bengals unfortunately rebounded in a big way to defeat the Saints in New Orleans.

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One week after posting the worst pass rating of his career (2.0) in one of the worst quarterback performances of all time, Bengals QB Andy Dalton bounced back in a big way by completing 16 of 22 passes for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. His passer rating of 143.9 was the best of his career.

The Browns, meanwhile, got manhandled in their hosting of the Texans and new starting quarterback Ryan Mallet, 23-7.  It was a huge letdown for a team that has overachieved this season and given Cleveland Fans a lot of hope for the future.  The good news for the Browns is that they will finally get all world wide receiver Josh Gordon back in week 12 now that his suspension is up.

Even though the Ravens couldn’t achieve the seemingly impossible task of climbing back to first place while taking a week off, a Steelers loss on Monday Night would push them into second place and only a half game back from the Bengals.  After Sunday’s results, Baltimore sits in third place with a 2-3 division record behind the Steeler’s 2-2 mark.  Both of those teams, along with the Browns, have 6-4 overall records.  So for at least one night, Ravens fans are also Titans fans.