AFC North News Archives

Eric Mangini has a Darth Vader mask hanging in his office. Appropriate perhaps, considering how Browns fans feel about their team these days.

Kyle Orton #8 of the Denver Broncos celebrates after Knowshon Moreno scored a touchdown in the second half against the Oakland Raiders on September 27, 2009 during an NFL game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California.

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker It's been an interesting season in the AFC North so far as three teams remain close together in the division race.

Here we are on the doorstepA of yet another week in the NFL.A For most teams it is the unofficial half-way point in the season.A For others, they wish it was the last game of the season.

Mike Tomlin spent only one season in Minnesota as defensive coordinator of the Vikings before his surprise hiring to run the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The early season slide is over. Troy Polamalu is back from a four-week injury layoff.

By Michael Rushton, Contributing NFL Editor -- - What began as a season of optimism is quickly turning to disappointment for the Chicago Bears.

There is no quarterback out there less appreciated for what he's doing right now than Cincinnati's Carson Palmer .

The Denver Broncos are unbeaten because they have the top-ranked defense in the NFL and a quarterback who is very protective of the football.

Despite an impressive start to the 2009 season and a first place team, there are still several thousand Cincinnati Bengals tickets available for the game against the Baltimore Ravens.

It's the sports weekend, which means that Terry Pluto's Talkin' ... 1. In the off-season, you can be sure the Browns will be looking to add an impact player at cornerback.

Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini has no plans to bench Derek Anderson , the NFL's lowest-rated quarterback, for Brady Quinn or anyone else.

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker Here are some updates Wednesday around the AFC North division: Sort comments by: Most Recent First Posted Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, safety Brandon Meriweather of the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills punter Brian Moorman have been selected as the AFC's top players for Week 7 of the NFL season.

With the Denver Broncos coming out of the Bye Week like a hungry bear awakening from winter hibernation, it's time to feast on some football thoughts from the past weekend and look forward to their big matchup against the Baltimore Ravens this coming Sunday.

Bengals fans can secure perks normally associated with full-season tickets by purchasing special a oeWho-Dey Packs,a which are now on sale.

Cedric Benson #32 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs with the ball during the NFL game against the Chicago Bears at Paul Brown Stadium on October 25, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Cleveland Browns linebacker D'Qwell Jackson is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

But the inexperienced Hauschka needs to make the clutch field goals if he wants to have a long career in the NFL.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin never has fit the NFL coaching mold. Not when it comes to age, race, rhetoric or even standard procedure when making a decision that's normally as routine as fourth-and-1 from his 30-yard line midway through the second quarter.

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker CINCINNATI -- The Bengals enter the bye week in style coming off their most complete performance in years in a 45-10 blowout of the Chicago Bears .

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker Coming off Week 7 where the AFC North won the division battle by going 2-1 against the NFC North, let's get to some questions.

While the sting of three straight narrow defeats might have diminished for the Ravens during the bye, the lasting effect is a small margin of error for the final two months of the regular season.

Steelers players view Sunday's 1 p.m. game against the Minnesota Vikings at Heinz Field as their most important matchup since they defeated Tennessee in the opener.

Five things we learned while watching the Bengals crush the Bears, 45-10, on Sunday.

Police say Cleveland Browns cornerback Eric Wright flipped his car on a wet highway entrance ramp and was taken to a hospital.

Cleveland wide receiver/return specialist Joshua Cribbs once again was limited in practice on Friday and is questionable as he attempts to get ready for the Browns' home test versus Green Bay on Sunday.

A previous glance at this weekend's game between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field would have likely conjured up images of a defensive onslaught.

Somewhere in the cosmos, football demigods, Paul Brown and George Halas, spent the last few days arm-wrestling and taking cheap digs at one another in preparation for this week's game.

Browns cornerback Eric Wright was back at practice hours after flipping his car on a wet highway entrance ramp.

Through six weeks of the season, the Bengals have found themselves in the unexpected catbird seat in the AFC North Division in large part because they have fixed one of the most gaping holes on the team from recent years: the defensive line.

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker We had a banner 3-0 sweep in the AFC North last week.

It was this past summer, and a camera crew for NFL Films and the HBO series ''Hard Knocks'' was following the former Bears defensive tackle around as he prepared for training camp with his new team, the Cincinnati Bengals .

For much of the past decade, the Baltimore Ravens strived to create an offense capable of matching the swagger of a defense that annually ranks among the best in the NFL.

The Steelers schedule has worked out well. After laying two giant eggs in the 4th quarter against Cincinnati and Chicago , the Steelers cleaned up two below average teams in Detroit and Cleveland.

It's a good thing the Pittsburgh Steelers were playing the Cleveland Browns and their anemic offense.

The Cincinnati Bengals finally didn't have a game come down to the last possession.

They've met with their coaches, watched tape, talked among themselves. The Pittsburgh Steelers still aren't certain how they're going to do it.

First round draft pick Andre Smith #71 of the Cincinnati Bengals waits his turn for a drill during rookie minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium on May 1, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Saints move atop the Power Rankings this week after a dominating 48-27 victory over the Giants.

AFC North blogger James Walker discusses the hot topics within the division. Sort comments by: Most Recent First Posted Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site.

The Ravens are one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North, not to mention heading into the bye week with a three-game losing skid.

On a crisp, sunlit afternoon before a crowd of 64,000 that was rapt with anticipation, the Cincinnati Bengals went backward yesterday.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says kicker Jeff Reed will play in Sunday's home game against the Minnesota Vikings despite a recent brush with the law.

The Cleveland Browns have moved talent out of town with little hesitation this year.

During a 33-31 loss to Minnesota on Sunday, the Vikings used plays of 26 yards and 21 yards to grab a 14-0 lead.

The Steelers' defense, one of the best in NFL history only a year ago, isn't the dominating unit it was expected to be.

Antwan Odom very well may be lost for the season. That's the feeling you got if you stepped into the Cincinnati dressing room just minutes after the Bengals were upset by Houston, 28-17, Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.

Prior to the beginning of the NFL Week Six match up, the AFC North looked different than it had in years.

When Art Modell last endured this amount of off-season turmoil, he was branded a villain.

Don't blame Baltimore's latest loss on its kicker. Blame it on its defense. For the third straight week it wasn't good enough.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gets a pass off against the Browns in the third quarter at Heinz Field yesterday.

Not that this will cause me to curb my intake of Coors Light, but Romeo Crennel was 24-40 in four seasons as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and was never what you would call a great sound byte.

Well, this one wasn't close and didn't come down to the final minute. Instead it was a case where the Bengals fell right through a trap door.

Now that the Bengals are perched atop the AFC North standings and feeling good about themselves after an "emotional" win, one face springs to mind when looking ahead to the next game against the Texans; that bug-eyed, lobster-like freak, Admiral Ackbar, in Return of The Jedi.

Former New York Giants wide receiver David Tyree cut short his visit to Tampa and returned to Baltimore to sign with the Ravens.

This was the Browns-Steelers rivalry: Hall of Famers Jim Brown and John Henry Johnson trading 100-yard games.

The following are my NFL football picks for Week 6 of the season. They are done strictly on which teams I think will win and which ones I think will lose -- not with or against the odds.

BALTIMORE - The man everyone wanted to talk to declined politely to speak. That was fine.

What's wrong with the Ravens? That's a fair question to ask after Baltimore, now 3-2 and a game back in the AFC North race, struggled in a 17-14 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday.

South Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 6: Men of Troy: After injuring his knee in Week 1, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is expected to return to the lineup Sunday against the Cleveland Browns .

The 2008 version of the Denver Broncos lost their final three games, blew the AFC West title, and got their longtime coach canned.

The Bengals avoided a local television blackout for their game against the Houston Texans -- with an assist from Motorola and receiver Chad Ochocinco .

The roll call is impressive: Greg Jennings, Braylon Edwards, Derrick Mason. All of them faced the Cincinnati Bengals' secondary this season.

By Michael Rushton, Contributing NFL Editor -- - Despite all of his success in the NFL, Brett Favre had never before began a season 5-0. Yet it took him just one season to accomplish that feat with the Minnesota Vikings.

By Shawn Clarke, Contributing NFL Editor -- - With trade and real estate rumors swirling in Cleveland, it's no wonder Browns first-year head coach Eric Mangini is having a rough experience at the helm.

Safety Troy Polamalu #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on against the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Coming into the 2009 season, it stood to reason that there would be a huge battle for the AFC North crown.

Another week and another surprise for me: The Steelers' defense finally came through in the clutch! With the defending Super Bowl champions clinging to an 8-point lead late in the 4th quarter, the Steelers finally put "Blitz" back in Blitzburgh.

The AFC North Division has been full of surprises this season, maybe none bigger than the emergence of the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals took time out from their recent success to mourn a significant loss in their family.

With a black glove supporting his left hand, quarterback Carson Palmer went through a full practice on Wednesday, an indication that his sprained thumb won't be a problem this week.

Here's a look at recent media coverage of the Ravens: Clark Judge of CBSSports.com says Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is one of the top assistant coaches so far this season .

BALTIMORE - If Cedric Benson hit holes as slowly as he dresses, he'd never make it out of the backfield.

AVON LAKE, Ohio -- ESPN.com's AFC North blogger James Walker confirmed Tuesday night that Cleveland Browns backup quarterback Brady Quinn is looking to move.

If Limas Sweed holds onto the ball in the end zone or Joe Flacco hits his wide-open receiver down the sideline, nobody is talking about the Cincinnati Bengals as a surprise team.

Well, last week was another forgettable week as I managed to stay above .500 on my predictions but still had quite a few misses; predicting 9 of the 14 contests correctly.

The Cincinnati Bengals say Sunday's home game against the Houston Texans will not be a sellout, unless there is a "significant increase" in ticket sales.

What must the Ravens do to improve? My guess is you are stunned. I definitely was stunned by the Cincinnati Bengalsa TM last-minute upset of the Ravens Sunday.

The Bengals are currently 4-1, 3-0 early in conference play and the first time in years they are not looking forward to the bye week to recuperate from injuries.

Every fourth quarter is an adventure for the Pittsburgh Steelers , every game is a struggle.

Drew Pearson. Michael Irvin. T.O. None of them ever delivered a performance quite like the one Miles Austin had in Week 5. Austin set a Cowboys record with 250 yards on 10 catches, including two TDs.

Sunday's battle for first place between the Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals comes as the AFC North is undergoing a personality change.

The Bengals and Ravens both currently sit at 3-1, tied for first place in the AFC North division.

Linebacker Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens , who drew a controversial roughing the passer penalty last weekend after making contract with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady , says he won't alter his aggressive pass-rushing style.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- If the Cleveland Browns' decision to trade mercurial receiver Braylon Edwards was one of addition by subtraction, Terrell Owens did the math and came up with a far different answer.

Heading into their Week Five showdown with one another, the Baltimore Ravens are keen on bouncing back after a close loss against the New England Patriots last week, while the Cincinnati Bengals want to keep their momentum going after a three-game winning streak.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer made the trip with the team Saturday morning and will coach Sunday's game against the Ravens , team spokesman Jack Brennan confirmed.

After a few battles of my own with some Patriots fans on this site, regarding the poor officiating in last week's game, I'm not sure if I have enough brain power to write this blog, but I'll try.

Written by Ulish Carter Thursday, 08 October 2009 10:11 The Steelers put together possibly their greatest offensive game of the past two seasons against the San Diego Chargers Sunday, but still almost lost it after turnovers by the special teams cost them 14 points.

The Ravens and Bengals will battle for AFC North supremacy this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Bengals have added to their depth at linebacker by promoting rookie Dan Skuta from their practice squad.

By Tony Moss, NFL Editor -- - Though there were certain to be battles for AFC North supremacy during the 2009 season, it stood to reason that most or all of those tests would include the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

This Sunday the Cincinnati Bengals come into Cleveland in sole possession of second place in the AFC North.

After four games he's 95 for 151 for 1,103 yards with eight TDs and three interceptions.

The crowd is so loud that it's difficult to hear the quarterback's signals. The minutes are dissolving away.

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is expected to practice on a limited basis Wednesday for the first time since tearing the medial collateral ligament in his left knee Sept.

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site.

The storyline for two-and-a-half quarters of the Steelers' Sunday night contest against the San Diego Chargers was running back Rashard Mendenhall.

The guy has nine touchdown passes, no losses and four consecutive 300-yard passing games for the first time in his career.

While there was excitement in the Patriots' locker room following their 27-21 win over the Ravens, some Baltimore players questioned the officiating of Ron Winter and his crew.

Ben Roethlisberger was 15 for 19 for 204 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown pass to Mewelde Moore, for the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers, who have a 274-74 edge in total yards in dominating the Chargers .

Shayne Graham's field goal on the final play of overtime barely sliced through the right upright and the Bengals survived with a 23-20 win over the Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

The AFC North has become a division of quarterbacks. Defense still matters and running is necessary in December, but the once black-and-blue division is defined by big-armed, statuesque quarterbacks who can stand in the pocket and make every throw on the field.

Willis McGahee scampered into the end zone twice without even being grazed, dashing away from a hapless defense hampered by inferior speed and willpower.

By Scott Garbarini, Associate NFL Editor -- - Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers will be hoping to avoid a repeat of recent history when the two top-tier AFC teams renew acquaintances in a primetime clash this Sunday from Heinz Field.

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker True story: My inability to pick a single Cincinnati Bengals game this year has made its way into the team's locker room.

Written by Ulish Carter Thursday, 01 October 2009 10:03 Could this be a replay of what happened after Pittsburgh's last Super Bowl? They finished the season at 8-8. However, they had a good excuse that season because of the many injuries.

By Lyle Fitzsimmons, Contributing NFL Editor -- - ManGenius, we hardly knew ye. Just three short years after a prodigious NFL coaching debut - double-digit wins and a playoff berth with the perpetually luckless New York Jets - Eric Mangini's stock has tumbled precipitously.

Leap? Or just look? Chad Ochocinco is still deciding. Two years ago in Cleveland, the Cincinnati Bengals receiver made good on his promise to jump into the Dawg Pound after he scored.