Week 15 AFC North Wrap-Up

Dec 13, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) passes the ball during the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Bengals defeated the Eagles 34-13. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles

The Bengals started the game strong, going up 10-0 in the first quarter. Philadelphia retaliated though, with sloppy play by Cincinnati, and headed into the half 13-10 over the Bengals. The story in the second half was different. Cincinnati’s defense dominated and shut Philly out in the third and fourth quarters of the matchup.

Andy Dalton threw for 127 yards and one touchdown in the Bengals victory. He accounted for both of Cincinnati’s turnovers, fumbling the ball twice. BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 106 yards on 25 carries and picked up a touchdown in the process. A.J. Green finally got touchdown, after being shutout of the end zone for the past two weeks. The receiver picked up 57 yards on six receptions and was second in receiving for the team behind Jermaine Gresham, who had six receptions for 63 yards.

The Cincinnati defense was the real star of the game. They forced five turnovers by the Eagles and held Philadelphia to only 221 yards of total offense. Leon Hall intercepted Nick Foles, while Domata Peko, Wallace Gilberry, Taylor Mays, and Chris Crocker came up with fumble recoveries to seal the Eagles’ fate.

Final Score: Bengals 34, Eagles 13

Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns

For the second time this season, the Redskins started the game with a brand new rookie under center. RGIII went down last week with a knee injury and even though he returned to practice this week, the team made the decision to start fellow rookie Kirk Cousins.

The teams appeared to be well-matched in the first half, only separated by four points heading into halftime. At the start of the second half, Washington turned it on. The Redskins scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter, as Cleveland struggled to keep up. The fourth quarter was much of the same as Washington continued their second half domination.

Brandon Weeden passed for 244 yards, one touchdown, and threw two costly interceptions in the loss to the Redskins. Trent Richardson led the rushing attack with 28 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. Greg Little had another solid game, catching the ball five times for 74 yards.

Final Score: Redskins 38, Browns 21

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens

Before this game began, the Denver Broncos had never won a game in Baltimore. Not many have. The Ravens are tough team on their own turf and Sunday’s matchup, from all standpoints, seemed like it would be a close game in M&T Bank Stadium.

Viewpoints were changed as soon as the game began. Denver’s defense came up big, shutting the Ravens out at home in the first half. The teams entered the half 17-0 in favor of the road team. The Ravens didn’t seem to come alive until the fourth quarter of play when it was too little, too late in Baltimore.

Joe Flacco was 20 for 40 and passed for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He also turned the ball over two times. The first was an interception to Denver’s Chris Harris, who set an NFL record, running the ball back for 98 yards and a score. The second was a fumble recovered by the Broncos’ Rahim Moore.

Ray Rice was held to just 38 yards rushing on 12 carries. Dennis Pitta led the receivers with 125 yards on seven receptions. The tight end also picked up two touchdowns in the loss. The Broncos defense was able to hold the Ravens to just 278 total yards in the game.

Final Score: Broncos 34, Ravens 17

Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys

Both teams needed the win, and just like in their game last week, the Cowboys were the last team standing. The teams were very evenly matched throughout the showdown, matching each other point for point.

Ben Roethlisberger looked good in his second game back from injury and led his team into overtime on the road against the Cowboys. The Steelers quarterback threw for 339 yards and put up two scores through the air. Isaac Redman led the rushing attack with 30 yards on three carries. He was followed closely by Jonathan Dwyer with 22 yards on nine carries and a touchdown.

Mike Wallace benefitted from Big Ben’s return, posting up 95 yards on four receptions. Heath Miller put up 92 yards and touchdown in the win, and was joined in the scoring by Antonio Brown, who scored a touchdown and picked up 76 yards on eight receptions.

In the end, Roethlisberger threw a costly interception in overtime to Brandon Carr. Carr returned the ball to the Pittsburgh one-yard line. After a Tony Romo kneel-down, Dan Bailey hit the field goal to win the game for the Cowboys in consecutive weeks.

Final Score: Cowboys 27, Steelers 24