Baltimore Ravens (3-5)

The Ravens won their second straight game last week with a 28-6 win over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night. After getting off to a bit of a slow start, Lamar Jackson settled in to throw four touchdowns with a 143.2 passer rating in his first game back from injury.

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Baltimore’s defensive continued their midseason improvement with a season-best performance in terms of points allowed. The Ravens forced three turnovers and had two sacks, two areas they’ve struggled in all season. As they’ve returned players from injury and worked in some new additions, the Ravens’ defense has performed better.

Standing in the way of a three-game win streak is the Minnesota Vikings, who are coming off a big divisional win over the Detroit Lions – who beat the Ravens in Week 3. The Vikings have a blitz-happy defense with a knack for creating takeaways, so pass protection and avoiding turnovers will be key for the Ravens offensively. Establishing the run earlier and sustaining drives more effectively are important points of emphasis.

The biggest defensive challenge for the Ravens is limiting wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who will most likely be covered by Nate Wiggins for much of the game. The Vikings have a solid running back duo and other good pass-catching weapons as well, like Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. Creating pressure consistently will help matters against a young quarterback in J.J. McCarthy making only his fourth career start.

Cleveland Browns (2-6)

Fresh off their bye week, the Browns will be looking to turn a new lead and win their third game of the year. The first half of the season saw Cleveland score more than 17 points just once and lose by double digits in four of eight games. This Sunday presents the Browns with perhaps their best opportunity of victory left on the schedule.

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A date with the New York Jets is on deck, one of the only remaining teams that have a worse record than the Browns. If not for a miraculous comeback win in Week 8, the Jets would still be winless on the year. The Jets have allowed 27+ points in all but two games this season and may very well trade away some defensive pieces this week at the deadline. So, this is as good a chance as any for the Browns’ offense to find success.

In doing so, the Browns need to run the ball with more success once again, which they struggled mightily to do against the Patriots in their last contest. Dillon Gabriel also needs to perform more efficiently at quarterback as the calls for the Browns to start Shedeur Sanders quietly begin to grow louder. Gabriel has had some nice moments this season but has mostly struggled in his rookie season.

The Browns’ defense is good enough to keep them competitive, even on the road, against an up-and-down Jets’ offense. It’s unclear whether Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor will be New York’s starting quarterback. Either way, their offense has been pretty limited for much of the season – although they did score 39 points last game. That was against a much weaker Cincinnati Bengals’ defense, though.

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)

The Steelers earned a big bounce-back win last week, defeating the Indianapolis Colts at home in convincing fashion. The Colts were 7-1 entering the contest with an elite offensive attack, but the Steelers slowed them down and forced a whopping six turnovers. It was a much-needed defensive turnaround for the Steelers after consecutive poor performances previously.

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With the victory, the Steelers maintain a two-game advantage over the Ravens for the division lead. Their schedule will continue to be tougher over the next several weeks, though, and they have another difficult matchup on deck this Sunday night. In their second primetime game in a span of three weeks, the Steelers will take on a 6-3 Los Angeles Chargers squad on the road.

The Chargers have won three of their last four games but are 3-3 overall since beginning the season on a three-game win streak. Offensive line injuries have ravaged the Chargers and their offensive line is vulnerable, which provides the Steelers’ pass rush with a good opportunity to wreak havoc and continue building momentum. Even so, they will be challenged by Justin Herbert under center and a capable group of pass-catchers.

Pittsburgh’s offense should be able to find some success against an up-and-down Chargers’ defensive unit. As has been the case, though, remaining on-script and avoiding mistake will be key for the Steelers to score enough points to win. It should help that the Steelers may actually have a fan advantage in this game, as the Chargers are notorious for having a lackluster home-field crowd at SoFi Stadium.

Cincinnati Bengals (3-6)

The Bengals are on a bye week after losing their second straight game last week, dropping a 47-42 thriller against the Chicago Bears. Cincinnati now has a 3-6 record on the season overall.