NFL Grade 6: Steelers get 'B +' for return win, Dolphins 'A +' for victory with Osweiler

If you attended a game between the Bengals and the Steelers, you saw them all, and Sunday's Pittsburgh win of 28-21 was further evidence.

The Steelers' seven-point win has given you a bit of everything you'd expect from this rivalry.

You want a potentially dirty hit of Vontaze Burfict? Check.

You want a game that goes with the wire? Check. Four of the last five games in this series have now been decided by a score.

Want to watch the Bengals get ripped off by a Steelers team that seems to have perfected hearts in Cincinnati? Check.

For the third year in a row, the Steelers went to the Paul Brown Stadium and took the win, even though they were lagging behind in the fourth quarter. In 2016, the Steelers scored nine points in the fourth quarter to win a 24-20 win. Last year, the Steelers scored 10 points in the last four minutes of the game and beat the Bengals 23-20.

This time, the collapse of the Bengals was more dramatic.

After defeating Ben Roethlisbeger and Antonio Brown for most of the day, the Bengal defense went away for most of the fourth quarter, including the Pittsburgh victorious mark. While the Steelers were leading 21-20, Big Ben and the Steelers offensive took possession of the ball on their own 23-yard line with only 1:18 left to play. It was the perfect time for the Bengals to prove they were a legitimate threat in the AFC, and the perfect time for the Bengals to take command of the AFC North with a well-deserved win over a Steelers team that had beaten in eight of their last nine games before Sunday, but that's not what happened.

Instead, the Cincinnati fans could only watch helpless Roethlisberger at the head of another victorious goal by bringing the Steelers to 77 yards. Roethlisbeger played big on two games. First, he found JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 23-yard gain that allowed the Steelers to hit a potential goal. A game later, Roethlisberger opened the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown pass for Brown.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Brown only had three passes for a 26-yard gain, but the Bengals had no answer for the Steelers star in the last quarter of the match, while he had two huge catches for 79 yards. Roethlisberger also did a lot of damage in the fourth quarter, amassing 148 of his 369 yards in the last nine and a half minutes of the game.

After chasing the Steelers receivers for three quarters, the Bengal defense seemed exhausted in the fourth quarter. The Steelers beat the Bengals dramatically so often that Brown expected to win after Cincinnati took a one-point lead over a touchdown pass by Andy Dalton.

"We have often been in this situation and I knew we were going to do it," Brown said.

The fourth quarter merger of the Bengals overshadowed another impressive victory for Dalton. Two weeks after a touchdown pass with seven seconds remaining to defeat the Falcons, Dalton scored a 75-yard practice that led to a Joe Mixon touchdown with only 1:18 remaining. Of course, in the end, this touchdown meant nothing, as if the start of the match by 4-1 Bengals will end up saying nothing if they can not win big games.

The Bengals were lucky enough to have a monkey the size of the Steelers Sunday, but they did not do it and things are not going to get any easier next week when they travel to Kansas City for a Sunday night game. The Bengals are 0-6 in the last 10 years Sunday evening football.

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Pittsburgh 28-21 on Cincinnati

"Veon Bell may come back this week, but the Steelers may not need him in the manner of James Conner." Conner crossed the Bengal defense with 111 yards and two touchdowns in just 19 races. That's why it's impressive.

The Steelers also got an impressive performance thanks to a defense that continues to stifle the match of their opponents. The Steelers dropped just 62 yards on the ground in Cincinnati, scoring the third time this year that the Steelers dropped less than 65 yards.

The Bengal defense could be the biggest problem for the team right now. After giving the Steelers 481 yards on Sunday, the Bengals have now yielded more than 480 yards in the past two weeks. The 2014 season and the 2018 season are the only times in the last 20 years where the Bengals have yielded more than 480 yards several times during a season. The Bengals did not record any bags for the first time this season. Cincy is now 0-3 since the start of 2017, when they do not dismiss the opposing quarterback once. Speaking of bags, the Bengals' O line struggled to protect Andy Dalton, who was sacked three times.

Minnesota 27-17 on Arizona

If we awarded marks for the ability of a team to convert to third, the Cardinals would have gotten an "F" in this game. In one of the ugliest series of all NFL teams this season, the Cards went to 0 for 10 at the third drop. The fact that Arizona still failed to convince David Johnson did not help. The attacking midfielder, who scored a huge stretch in the offseason, had only 55 yards and still has not crossed the 75-yard mark in any game this season.

Kirk Cousins ​​was not perfect (he pitched an interception and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown in Arizona), but none of that mattered because Latavius ​​Murray was gone. With Dalvin Cook inactive due to injury, Murray scored a 155-yard pass and a touchdown in just 24 carries. The Vikings totaled 195 yards on the ground, the first time since December 2015 that they have crossed the 190 mark. Although Murray played a big game, Adam Thielen almost eclipsed him. He had 11 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown in the win.

Washington 23-17 on Carolina

D.J. Moore nearly put the Panthers into a big hole early in the game. In the first quarter, Moore lost a fumble against the conceded return the Redskins had recovered on Carolina's 22-yard line. In the second quarter, Moore lost another fumble after catching a pass from Cam Newton. These two turnovers led to Washington with 10 points and turned the match into Moore's nightmare.

After being stranded in the fifth week, Josh Norman returned avenged this week to take revenge on his former team. The Redskins imposed three turnovers at Carolina, including two thanks to Norman, who earned a pass from Cam Newton in the second quarter, then chained by an attempt to fumble in the next offensive possession of the Panthers. The Redskins also continued to reap the rewards of Adrian Peterson's signing. The unmissable 33-year-old had an impressive average of 5.7 yards per race against the Panthers (17 runs, 97 yards).

Miami 31-28 over Chicago (OT)

For the first month of the season, the bloody defensive Bears ate the opposing quarters, but then met a personality called Brock Osweiler. The Bears had no answer for Osweiler and the Dolphins attack totaling 541 yards. It's the third time in 35 years that the Bears have yielded 540 yards or more in a game.

Being forced to play your quarterback at the expense of the Bears defense is usually a disaster, but that is not the case when this quarterback is Brock Osweiler. Once Ryan Tannehill eliminated, Osweiler beat the Bears defense for 380 yards and three touchdowns, which was particularly impressive considering that Chicago came into play with a second-ranked NFL defense. Osweiler would probably like to play the Bears every week. The Dolphins quarterback is now 3-0 against the Bears in his career and only 11-12 against all the other NFL teams. In addition, Osweiler did not win this game alone. Frank Gore (15 races, 101 yards) and the very fast Albert Wilson, who has six passes for an average of 155 yards and two touchdowns, have also provided valuable assistance.

N.Y. Jets 42-34 on Indianapolis

Andrew Luck made a choice of six in the second half of the match, which was almost right, as the Colts spent all day giving free points to the Jets. The Colts returned the ball four times against New York, which led directly to 20 points for the Jets. Although the pick-six was not Luck's fault (he escaped Marlon Mack), the Colts quarterback launched two more interceptions. Of course, luck was the only reason why the Colts were still in this game. The Colts quarterback threw four touchdown passes and kept Indy in the game, though he missed two of his favorite targets (T.Y. Hilton, Jack Doyle).

If the Jets could score touchdowns in the red zone, they could have scored 60 points against the Colts. The Jets have entered the Indy 20 yard line six times in total in this match, but have only managed one touchdown. Of course, even 42 points is impressive if you are the Jets. Combined with their 48 point performance in the first week, the Jets have now scored 40 or more points several times in a season for the first time since 2008.

Seattle 27-3 on Oakland

The Seahawks could ask to play all their matches in London after what they did to the Raiders on Sunday. On their first trip to England, the Seahawks probably played their best game of the year defeating Oakland. Defensively, they smothered Derek Carr, sent him off six times and forced two fumbles lost on the Raiders quarterback (Frank Clark was 2.5 and one of the forced fumbles). Offensively, we discovered what happens when Russell Wilson has plenty of time to throw: he throws touchdowns at everyone. For the second week in a row, Wilson made three touchdown passes, which were compared to three receivers of difference (Jaron Brown, David Moore, Tyler Lockett).

If we learned one thing from this match, it is that West Coast teams probably should not travel to London two days before the match and only give themselves 48 hours to adapt to a time difference of eight hours. The Raiders looked tired and neglected in this game, and although it was essentially what they were all season, it was worse. They could not protect Derek Carr (sacked six times), they could not run the ball and even their kicker was having a horrible day (31 yards per game averaged over three balls).

Houston 20-13 over Buffalo

After what happened in Houston, chances are Bill fans will never want to see Nathan Peterman in the field again. With the game tied at 13, the Bills quarterback started an interception on two consecutive possessions, including a six-point pick that allowed the Texans to win the game. The Bills are hoping to better hope Josh Allen's injury is not serious, as they will not be very far this season with Peterman under center. Peterman's performance eclipsed the big day of the Bills defense that fired Deshaun Watson seven times.

The Texans had a lousy day of attacks (three turnovers, Deshaun Watson was sacked seven times), but that does not matter because the defense and the special teams of the l '. team had a great victory. Both units scored 17 points from Houston with an impressive game. In the first period, the Texans blocked a punt (which led to a placement) and recovered a crashed ball from a return of the Bills (which led to a touchdown). The Texans also got a pick of six victories from Jonathan Joseph in the fourth quarter. After starting 0-3, the Texans now look like the scariest teams in the AFC South region.

L.A. Chargers 38-14 on Cleveland

The Chargers' win over the Browns is transformed into the Melvin Gordon Show with an appearance by Tyrell Williams. Gordon racked up 132 rushing yards and had three career-high touchdowns, while the Chargers powered the Browns for a total of 246 rushing yards. The total of the races was the highest of the Chargers since 2008. As for Williams, although he had only three passes, he took the opportunity with 118 yards and two touchdowns, including a wild catch he made while he was triple covered.

After a magical five-week run, the Browns' season finally collapsed on Sunday. Baker Mayfield looked like a rookie (two interceptions), although for his defense, he received no help from his offensive line (he had been sacked five times) and little help from a team corps receiving multiple passes. The Browns were also trampled by a Chargers ground attack that totaled 246 yards. At the time of the Super Bowl, the Browns now have a score of 0 to 25 when they give up more than 240 rushing yards in a game.

Atlanta 34-29 over Tampa Bay

In his first start of the season, Jameis Winston had 395 passing yards and four touchdowns. Winston also launched two interceptions, including a dangerous pass in the end zone. Of course, the only thing most Bucs fans will remember about this match is the fact that Tampa has decided to call a quarterback draw without further delay for the final match.

It's a good thing that Matt Ryan has been on fire lately, as every Falcon match seems to turn into a shootout, and Sunday's match against Tampa was no exception. Ryan threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns, marking the third time in four weeks that Ryan has pitched for at least 350 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, the Falcons needed each of these yards because their defense was horrible. Against the Bucs, the Falcons conceded 512 yards of offense, marking the second time of the season that Atlanta surrendered more than 500 yards in a home game. If you're wondering how bad this is, the Falcons have not yielded more than 500 yards in several home games during the same season since 1966, which turned out to be their season of expansion.

L.A. Rams 23-20 on Denver

With snowflakes falling in Denver, the Rams decided to put their passing game on the ice and give the ball to Todd Gurley as often as possible. This strategy resulted in two touchdowns and a career-high 208 rushing yards for Gurley in 28 races. Overall, the Rams totaled 270 rushing yards, which is the team's highest total of fast-paced runs since 2001.

If you want to beat the Broncos, it seems that all you have to do is throw the ball. A week after giving Isaiah Crowell 219 yards, the Broncos reacted by giving Todd Gurley 208 yards. In this regard, only two halves have scored 200 in the NFL since the start of the 2017 season, and Gurley and Crowell represent both. Broncos rookie Bradley Chubb shone with three of Denver's five sacks on Jared Goff; Of course, that did not matter since nobody on the Broncos' defense could attack Gurley.

Baltimore 21-0 on Tennessee

This match may well become the best defensive performance of the NFL team this season. The Ravens not only set a franchise record by racking up 11 bags, which was one of the NFL's records, but they also limited the Titans to just 106 yards, which is the second best defensive performance of all the time for the Ravens. The sack party was led by Za Darius Smith, who went to Marcus Mariota three times. Patrick Onuaswor also took several bags with two. The other six bags were shared by six different players.

Here's how bad this game was for the Titans: Tennessee dropped more bags (11) than Marcus Mariota only 10 (10). The Titans' attack was criticized by a Ravens defense that limited Tennessee to only 106 yards rushing, the lowest on the team since 2006. This match also marks the first time since 2010 that the Titans are excluded.

Dallas 40-7 on Jacksonville

If you can run the ball on the Jaguars, there is a good chance you will beat them. The Jags lost a total of 206 rushing yards in the game, marking the 18th time since 2000 that the Jags have dropped more than 200 rushing yards in a game, and we're just noting it because they're now 0 -18 in these games.

If a team knows how to come out of an offensive drought, it's the Cowboys. With the NFL's best defense in town, the Cowboys have exploded for their best offense in almost two years. The Jaguars did not find an answer for Dak Prescott, who suffered serious damage to his legs and right arm. Not only did he raise 183 yards and two touchdowns, he also carried the ball 11 times for 82 yards and one touchdown. The Jaguars defense seemed lost trying to stop Ezekiel Elliott (24 runs, 106 yards, one touchdown) and Cole Beasley (nine catches, 101 yards, two touchdowns). The 40-point blast marked the first time since December 2016 that the Cowboys reached the 40-point mark at home.