5 Surprises from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Bye Week

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have to do much this weekend in order to improve their status within the AFC North. In fact, they didn’t do anything as the Black and Gold rested during Week 5 with a scheduled bye.

While the Steelers were idle their three division rivals all had games. Let’s have a look at those opponents and what surprised us from last Sunday.

Browns, Ravens, Bengals all lose

What could be a better bye week situation than seeing all of the AFC North teams lose while the Steelers didn’t have to lift a finger?

The Browns hosted the Minnesota Vikings in the United Kingdom for a London Series game, dropping their fourth loss on the season 21-17. The Ravens entered Sunday with a 1-3 record facing another 1-3 Houston Texans, and the Bengals hosted a Detroit Lions juggernaut that also rolled with ease.

How the Ravens lost

At this point in the season no one imagined the Ravens would have a 1-4 record. Yet, Sunday was an uphill battle with the number of injuries Baltimore had to account for.

Former league MVP Lamar Jackson was sidelined, with backup quarterback Cooper Rush taking his place. The remaining players who were unavailable is a laundry list of starters, many of whom are star players for Baltimore: Chidobe Awuzie, Marlon Humphrey, Patrick Ricard, Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton, and Ronnie Stanley.

Despite the loss of veterans in the lineup, no one envisioned the Ravens getting rolled 44-10 by the previously one-win Texans team. It’s not only the 44 points that stood out, but how the Texans handled the Ravens with ease. Houston scored on all but two offensive possessions – the last two – one of which was a set of kneel downs to end the game.

The Texans racked up 417 yards of offense, running 66 plays to the Ravens’ 40. Baltimore would possess the ball for about 23 and a half minutes, and sustained only a single drive – their first – that was more than five plays.

Bengals considering QB change

The Bengals didn’t fare much better, but had a more complimentary defense on Sunday than the Ravens. Cincy could’ve taken advantage of some sloppy plays by Detroit in the first half, but their own poor performances behind backup quarterback Jake Browning would sabotage those opportunities.

Browning threw two interceptions in the second quarter, and another on the opening possession of the third, as Detroit took a commanding 28-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

Dealing with defensive injuries and stepping off of the gas, Detroit’s defense gave up three Browning touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late. The extra push at the end made the game look closer than it was, and thus, rumors are swirling that head coach Zac Taylor is exploring a change at quarterback in the absence of Joe Burrow.

Journeyman Brett Rypien is the lone passer on the depth chart, with Sean Clifford on the practice squad, as the team eyes a trip to Green Bay to face the Packers this Sunday.

Browns rookies lead offense

You can at least credit the Browns for trying something different, as the team continues to pursue developing its young talent.

Several rookies have pushed to the forefront of Cleveland’s offense this season, with Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel getting his first start across the pond last Sunday. In his first action, Gabriel completed 19-of-33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was to fellow rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr., his first in the NFL.

Offseason holdout and the last player to sign a contract from the 2025 NFL Draft, Quinshon Judkins, had his first 100-yard rushing game. Judkins had a season-high 23 carries for 110 yards (4.8 average) with a 32-yard long.

Judkins leads the team in attempts (72), yards (347), and rushing touchdowns (2) through five games.

Steelers stand alone

The Steelers now stand alone as the only team in the AFC North with a winning record. At 3-1, Pittsburgh has a 1.5 game advantage over the 2-3 Cincinnati Bengals, while the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns each share a 1-4 record.

For tie-breaking purposes, the Steelers also hold a 2-0 record in the conference, though they have yet to play a game within the division. That will change soon as Pittsburgh hosts the Browns on Sunday and follows up quickly with a Thursday night trip to play the Bengals.

The Bengals and Ravens currently have a 1-0 record in the division, each having defeated the Browns, who are now in desperation mode with an 0-2 record in the North.

Intriguingly, the Steelers are also the only team in the AFC North who has the same Week 1 starter at the quarterback position (Aaron Rodgers), as their opponents have seen their starters (Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Joe Flacco) sidelined for one reason or another.