The AFC North had a few teams put together offensive outbursts last week. Many are putting stake in the NFC West and NFC East as two of the best divisions in the NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens all made a solid case for the AFC North being inserted into the mix when it comes to the top divisions. Around the AFC North: Week 7 Hot Topics takes a look at the top stories within the division for this week.
Baltimore Ravens
Much has been made about the Ravens steady improvement as they grasp new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak’s offense. They exploded for 48 points against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Joe Flacco threw five touchdown passes. The idea has been to get wide receiver Torrey Smith involved. Once he is established as a weapon in the offense, the Ravens offense will be even more potent. Many look at Torrey Smith as a deep threat, which he is however, there is much more to his game than deep routes.
Expect the targets to start to expand for Torrey Smith. He will surely welcome that as he is in the final year of his contract. Torrey Smith has decent size and the Ravens have started to take advantage of that along with his speed. Defensive backs typically play off of Torrey Smith because they fear that he will get behind them. The cushion that is created provides a nice opportunity to throw an assortment of underneath routes. Flacco hit Smith on a few slants that resulted in touchdowns. The Ravens will also use Smith on crossing routes with the hope that Flacco can deliver him the ball in stride and allow him to outrun defenders to the end zone.
It is safe to say that the Ravens are likely to have another big game offensively against the Atlanta Falcons at home. The Falcons have given up a number of big plays this year so don’t be surprised if the Ravens take some deep shots to Smith. He has drawn quite a few pass interference calls as well.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals also showcased their high scoring offense. Andy Dalton threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns while Giovanni Bernard had 18 carries for 137 yards and one touchdown. These players have come to be expected to put up numbers. One player that wasn’t expected to do so was Mohamed Sanu. He had a break out game last week. Sanu posted ten receptions for 220 yards.
A.J. Green was out with a toe injury and last year’s number two receiver, Marvin Jones is out with a foot injury. Jones is also likely to be out for the rest of the year. It is time for Sanu to show that he can be the player that they were looking for when they drafted him in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft.
Another hot topic in Cincinnati is Vontaze Burfict. Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen is calling for Burfict to be fined by the NFL for trying to hurt players after the play was over by twisting their ankles. One of the players that Burfict intentionally tried to injure was Cam Newton. There has been growing discussion within the NFL that has some calling Burfict a dirty player.
Burfict has been fined $25,000 for twisting Newton and Olsen’s ankles after plays last Sunday. He also gave Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin a concussion on a hit that was not considered to be helmet to helmet.
Next up for the Bengals will be a showdown with the Indianapolis Colts. This is a game that could have playoff implications as both of these teams are likely to contend for a playoff berth.
Cleveland Browns
There have been some reports that Brian Hoyer won’t agree to a long term deal with the Browns as long as Johnny Manziel is on the roster. Hoyer’s agent Joe Linta is on record as saying that the rumor “couldn’t be further from the truth.” Hoyer has the Browns off to a fast start. Football is alive in Cleveland. Johnny Manziel is still there but Hoyer has handled the situation very well. The Browns offered Hoyer a long term extension before the season started but it was to pay him as a backup.
Now there are no contract discussions and the people in the Manziel camp said that they are willing to wait until the end of the playoffs before they start talking about a long term deal. Hoyer wants to be paid established starting quarterback money. This would be in the neighborhood of $10 – $12 million per year. Linta is no stranger to gambling on contracts. He did the exact same thing prior to the Ravens Super Bowl season. His client, Joe Flacco was rewarded with a $120 million deal. The Browns will want to see a more proven stretch of games from Hoyer before they invest a large amount of money into him especially with Johnny Manziel waiting to take over.
The stellar season that Hoyer has had so far is likely to get even better when he leads the Browns to Jacksonville to face the lowly Jaguars.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are coming off of a loss to the Browns that saw them get humiliated by a team that they normally beat. The team will be able to receive a boost as rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier may be able to return this week. Shazier injured his knee during a game against the Carolina Panthers on September 21. He is hoping to play this Sunday after practicing on Wednesday.
Shazier spoke about the possibility of coming back from injury after practice. “I tried to cut it loose as much as possible,” Shazier said. “I felt pretty good out there today. I was just excited being back out there today.” He also said that it will be up to the coaches and doctors whether or not he will play against the Texans.
The Steelers defense is much more athletic with Shazier in the lineup. Shazier was off to a solid start prior to the injury. He had 11 tackles and was all over the field in his last full game of action against the Ravens. The Steelers gave up 27 points to the Buccaneers and 31 points to the Browns while Shazier was out.
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