Bengals: Cincy Rallies for Dramatic Win, But Loses Top Tight End
Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd continues to be a fourth-down annoyance for Ravens fans, as he converted twice on fourth down to help the Bengals come from behind to beat the Falcons, 37-36, in Atlanta. Boyd moved the chains twice on fourth down on the Bengals' game-winning drive and A.J. Green caught a game-winning 13-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left.
The win keeps the Bengals atop the AFC North at 3-1 with a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Ravens.
As excited as the Bengals were about the win, they lost their top tight end in Tyler Eifert to a gruesome broken ankle that would presumably end his season. Eifert had 15 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown so far this season.
Browns: Refereeing Controversy in Browns' Overtime Loss
The Bengals rallied to come back, but the Browns blew a late lead in large part because of two late controversial referee calls.
First, instead of the Browns getting a fumble recovery and potential long return, a turnover was ruled a sack when a referee determined that Raiders quarterback Derek Carr's forward progress was stopped.
Still, it looked like Browns running back Carlos Hyde had won the game with a 2-yard run to move the chains, but the spot of the ball was challenged and moved back to force a punt. Carr and the Raiders marched down the field for a game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion with 30 seconds left, sending the game to overtime.
The Raiders missed a 50-yard field goal on their first overtime possession, but Cleveland went three-and-out and Oakland went 70 yards on its next drive to set up Matthew McCrane for a game-winning 29-yard field goal.
The Browns' two losses have been by a combined six points this season, as they could be looking at 4-0 almost as easily as their current 1-2-1 record.
Steelers: Le'Veon Bell Is Coming Back
After taking a 26-14 loss on Sunday Night Football, Pittsburgh woke up not feeling so hot this morning. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Ron Cook had this headline: "Steelers problems are great, and there are many."
Cook points to the Steelers' run game without Le'Veon Bell, a lackluster second-half offense, Pittsburgh's defense overall and slow starts. The Steelers (1-2-1) are tied with the Browns at the bottom of the AFC North with the Falcons up next, then a trip to Cincinnati.
Update: On Monday night, ESPN reported that Bell plans to return during the Steelers' Week 7 bye, which could put him in line to play in Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers will travel to Baltimore the following week. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Steelers are still pursuing trade options for Bell, however, so questions still remain.
