AFC North

Coming out of college, he heard it. Early in his NFL career, the same story. Even after winning an MVP and establishing himself as a franchise quarterback, Lamar Jackson heard the constant chorus wondering whether his style of play is sustainable.

It turns out it very much is.

Jackson has been the best player in football through the first three weeks of the 2022 NFL season, throwing for 749 yards and 10 touchdowns against two interceptions while adding 243 yards and two scores on the ground. He's been a one-man offensive ecosystem unto himself, producing 87 percent of the Ravens' total yards this season.

“I just want to win. By doing that, I just got to do what I do—play Lamar football," Jackson told Jamison Hensley of ESPN.

Jackson's brilliant play is a bit of a double-edged sword for the Ravens, who failed to reach a contract extension with their franchise face before Week 1. As the team reportedly balked at signing Jackson to a fully guaranteed contract similar to the one given to Deshaun Watson, Jackson bet on himself in hopes of raising his price.

So far, he's winning.

Often derided as a running quarterback by critics, with the emphasis used to criticize Jackson's passing ability, the 2019 NFL MVP is the best passer he's ever been through three weeks. He's tied for third in the NFL with eight completions of 25 or more yards, as the Ravens are seemingly comfortable allowing him to sit in the pocket and let it rip down the field.

"I just think it's a natural next step in terms of finding his rhythm during the week, what he's looking at, how he studies defenses, how he breaks defenses down,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. "It's not a lightbulb thing, it's an evolution of studying the game that you see quarterbacks go through.

“He's still a young quarterback [25]. You watch him play, does it look like he understands what he's going up against and what he's dealing with out there? That's the result of that process and that work effort that he's putting in. It's really impressive.”

Once a franchise known for ball-control offense and a world-beating defense, the script has flipped so far for the Ravens this season. Baltimore's lone blemish in the 2022 campaign saw its defense allow 28 fourth-quarter points in a 42-38 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.

But so long as Jackson stays healthy, the Ravens should be on the shortlist of contenders despite an uncharacteristically shaky defense.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett suffered a shoulder sprain, biceps strain and lacerations in his single-car crash on Monday.

It remains unknown whether he can play in Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

an update on Myles pic.twitter.com/c2cXe1odzw

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 27, 2022

Garrett was driving with a female passenger, and Camryn Justice of WEWS Cleveland reported "the car went off the right side of the road and the vehicle flipped several times before coming to a rest."

His agent, Nicole Lynn, released a statement Monday saying he was "alert and responsive."

Statement regarding Myles Garrett: pic.twitter.com/XzkZW9f86s

— Nicole Lynn (@AgentNicoleLynn) September 27, 2022

Garrett has been one of the most explosive and productive pass-rushers in the NFL since entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2017. This season, he has registered seven tackles and three sacks through three games.

The 26-year-old star is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro who arguably enjoyed the best season of his career in 2021.

After posting a then-career-high 13.5 sacks in 2018 followed by 10 sacks in 10 games the following season, and 12 sacks in 2020, Garrett set a new career high in 2021 with 16 sacks.

With Garrett playing at an elite level, the Browns went 11-5 in 2020 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2002, but they dropped off significantly last season through no fault of his.

The Cleveland defense, while talented at every level, takes a significant hit whenever Garrett misses time because opposing offenses would usually have to account and game-plan for him.

WKYC in Cleveland released bodycam footage from the Medina County Sheriff's Office that showed the aftermath of Myles Garrett's single-car crash Monday.

In the clip, Garrett is seated on the ground and being tended to by first responders. The firefighter can be heard asking about his left biceps, and Garrett eventually walks toward a nearby ambulance.

Nicole Lynn, Garrett's agent, released a statement Monday night saying the 6'4", 272-pound Texas native was "alert and responsive." Lynn also told Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot he didn't suffer any broken bones.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday morning Garrett had been released from the hospital and had non-life-threatening injuries.

Per Pelissero, the crash happened because the veteran edge-rusher "swerved to avoid an animal on a wet road and overcorrected." His Porsche 911 Turbo S flipped multiple times as a result.

Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Ray Santiago told Cabot that authorities already ruled out drugs or alcohol playing a role in the crash. He added that Garrett and his female passenger were wearing seat belts at the time, which helped them avoid worse injuries.

WKYC's Bri Buckley showed the damage to the vehicle:

We were on scene just as it was clearing out. Here’s a look at what his car looked like after the accident near Wadsworth in Sharon Twp ⤵️ https://t.co/fmr2a9tWAy pic.twitter.com/Jl4EtsDCSf

— Bri Buckley (@BriBuckleyTV) September 27, 2022

The Browns have yet to confirm whether the three-time Pro Bowler will be available to play in Sunday's road game against the Atlanta Falcons.

The 26-year-old has seven tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble through the first three weeks of the 2022 NFL season.

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is in the concussion protocol after being assessed for a head injury after Thursday's loss to the Cleveland Browns, head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters Tuesday.

Fitzpatrick played all 72 defensive snaps plus four special-teams plays in the Steelers' 29-17 loss last week as the team fell to 1-2.

He's the only Steelers player to appear in 100 percent of defensive snaps this year, per Pro Football Reference.

The impressive durability comes after Fitzpatrick opened this year's training camp on the active/non-football injury list after suffering a wrist injury in a bike accident while on vacation.

The 25-year-old University of Alabama product was one of the NFL's most durable players across his first four seasons, playing 64 of a possible 65 regular-season games. His only absence came last year while on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

He's emerged as one of the league's best safeties since the Miami Dolphins selected him in the first round of the 2018 draft. He was traded to Pittsburgh during the 2019 season. His accolades include two Pro Bowl appearances and a pair of First Team All-Pro selections.

The versatile defensive back has added 24 tackles and two interceptions so far this season, returning one pick for a touchdown.

Tre Norwood and Miles Killebrew could each get a chance to fill the hole in the Steelers' secondary any time Fitzpatrick is sidelined for the team's Week 4 game against the New York Jets.

Pittsburgh's defense must be the bedrock if the team is going to make some noise this season amid an evolving offense following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. Losing Fitzpatrick for any extended period of time would be a massive setback.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was reportedly discharged from the hospital Monday night after being involved in a single-car crash earlier in the day.

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported further details about the crash Tuesday morning:

#Browns star Myles Garrett was discharged from the hospital Monday night, per source.

More tests coming. The good news is Garrett’s injuries aren’t life-threatening. He swerved to avoid an animal on a wet road and overcorrected. Car flipped multiple times. Could’ve been worse.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 27, 2022

Ohio State Highway Patrol officials said neither alcohol nor drugs were a factor when Garrett's car, which also had a female passenger, went off the side off the road and flipped several times, per News 5 Cleveland. The woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

An official cause of the crash wasn't immediately released by police.

Garrett's agent, Nicole Lynn, released a statement Monday night:

Statement regarding Myles Garrett: pic.twitter.com/XzkZW9f86s

— Nicole Lynn (@AgentNicoleLynn) September 27, 2022

The 26-year-old Texas native has played all three games for the Browns so far this season. He's recorded seven total tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble as the team has posted a 2-1 record.

Garrett has emerged as one of the NFL's premier edge-rushers since Cleveland selected him with the first overall pick in 2017. His 61.5 sacks since that point rank fourth in the league.

His career accolades include three Pro Bowl appearances and two first-team All-Pro selections.

The Browns didn't immediately provide an update on his playing status ahead of Sunday's Week 4 road game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins is expected to make his 2022 season debut on Sunday against the New England Patriots, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Dobbins missed the first two weeks of the season while nursing a knee injury.

The news comes after Ravens head coach John Harbaugh teased Dobbins' return to the lineup earlier this week.

"You'll know it when you see it. I'll put it that way," Harbaugh said Friday. "I'm happy with how he's working. We got certain parameters that we are looking at. It's not going to be too long."

Dobbins tore his ACL, LCL, meniscus and hamstring in the final preseason game of the 2021 season and missed the entire season.

Kenyan Drake was Baltimore's top running back through the first two weeks of the season, rushing for 39 yards on a team-high 17 attempts. Justice Hill and Mike Davis also saw playing time, though their roles should decrease moving forward.

With Dobbins set to return, fantasy managers might feel tempted to plug him into lineups. The 23-year-old had a solid rookie season in 2020, rushing for 805 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games. He also caught 18 passes for 120 yards.

However, it's unclear what his workload might be in what will be his first meaningful game since a Divisional Round loss to the Bills in January 2021. Furthermore, the Patriots defense has allowed just 78 yards of rushing offense per game, so it might be difficult for Dobbins to get going on the ground.

New England is also one of eight teams to not allow a rushing touchdown through the first two weeks of the season.

Managers looking to claim the Dobbins, a 2020 second-round pick, before Sunday's slate of games might not have much luck, as he's rostered in 93 percent of Yahoo Sports' fantasy leagues.

The Ravens enter Sunday's game with a 1-1 record and will look to beat New England for the first time since November 2019.

Team owner Jerry Jones praised former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, Amari Cooper, following his trade to the Cleveland Browns.

Jones discussed why the franchise moved on from Cooper, who's tallied 219 yards and two touchdowns in his first three games with the Browns, Friday on 105.3 The Fan radio (via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News).

"The issue with Amari Cooper was how much we were paying him and what we could do with that money, completely," Jones said. "Amari Cooper is a real good player. Top player."

He added, "you can't have it all" when it comes to building a roster within the salary cap.

Cooper's early success in Cleveland combined with Dallas' mediocre offensive performance through two games has reignited questions about why the team decided to deal the wideout in return for a fifth-round draft pick and a sixth-round pick swap.

The Cowboys have maintained it was a financially motivated move related to his five-year, $100 million contract, but the Browns restructured the deal shortly after the trade to save over $15 million in cap space for the 2022 season, leaving his cap hit at $4.9 million.

Dallas currently has $12.5 million in cap space, the third-most in the NFL, per Spotrac.

"It's not like I disliked being in Dallas," Cooper told reporters after the trade. "I actually loved being there. I wouldn't say I just wanted to leave. But you know, at the same time, it's never personal. It's just business."

The Cowboys' offense has been heavily impacted by injuries, most notably the absences of quarterback Dak Prescott and two key receivers, Michael Gallup and James Washington. The unit would nevertheless be stronger if Cooper was still on the roster.

Meanwhile, the four-time Pro Bowl selection is operating as the Browns' unquestioned No. 1 target during the team's 2-1 start. He's recorded 27 targets, 11 more than the next highest pass-catcher, tight end David Njoku.

Dallas' offense should eventually find its stride assuming all of the key contributors are eventually on the field at the same time, so the situation could eventually become a moot point.

For now, the Cowboys decision to move on from Cooper isn't aging all the well so far.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin heaped praise on Nick Chubb after Thursday's 29-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns, saying the Pro Bowl running back "controlled the game."

"I thought they controlled the game, man. They possessed the ball. Nick Chubb controlled the game," Tomlin told reporters. "He was running through arm tackles and things of that nature, getting yards after contact. It wasn't good enough."

Chubb ran for 113 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, continuing his dominant start to the 2022 season. The fifth-year back has racked up at least 87 yards rushing in each of the Browns' first three games and is a good bet to be leading the NFL in rushing (341 yards) after Week 3.

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This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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Panic isn't a word that is generally associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are quite possibly the most stable franchise in sports. They have had three head coaches in over half a century. They have won six Super Bowls. And their current head coach has never experienced a losing season.

But the anxiety level on the banks of the Monongahela River is ratcheting up because Mike Tomlin's stretch of non-losing seasons is in very serious jeopardy. After losing 29-17 to the Jacoby Brissett-led Cleveland Browns on Thursday night, talk radio in the Steel City will no doubt center on the notion of removing quarterback Mitch Trubisky and replacing him with first-round rookie Kenny Pickett.

But the reality is that Trubisky's limitations aren't the Steelers' only problem. Or their biggest problem. This team has real issues on both sides of the ball—and a change under center isn't going to fix them.

Earlier this week, while appearing on The Mike Tomlin Show on the team's YouTube channel, Pittsburgh's head coach indicated that he wasn't considering major changes to the starting lineup—including at quarterback.

“I’m not even in the neighborhood of having discussions like that, man,” Tomlin said, via Bob Quinn of Steelers Nation. “I’m more concerned about our collective growth and development and what we’re putting together in terms of what we desire to do to engineer victory. [Trubisky is] just a component of it.”

Tomlin's patience was put to the test Thursday night by a game that was in many respects a carbon copy of Pittsburgh's Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots.

The good news for the Steelers offense is that the team set a season high in yardage. The bad news is that season high was 308 yards. Pittsburgh entered Thursday's action dead last in the AFC in total offense, and this week's total isn't going to help that ranking much.

Does Trubisky bear his share of responsibility for another lackluster offensive effort? Sure. His numbers Thursday were a testament to mediocrity—20 completions in 32 attempts for 207 yards and a passer rating of 81.1. Yet again, Trubisky flatly refused to attack the middle of the field.

This is not new. It's been a theme all season.

Here is Steelers QB Mitchell Trubisky's passing charts through Week 2 via the NFL's Next Gen Stats: pic.twitter.com/Q63PmTOf0L

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) September 22, 2022

But solely blaming Trubisky for this offense's inability to average 300 yards of offense three weeks into the season is unfair. There is plenty of blame to go around.

Pittsburgh entered Week 3 with the seventh-worst ground game in the NFL, averaging 83 yards per game. That number will bump a little after the Steelers amassed 104 yards on 22 carries, but their ground game looked pathetic compared to Cleveland's.

Lead back Najee Harris has yet to get into any kind of groove this season, and Week 3 was no exception. He gained just 3.7 yards per carry on his 15 totes—and that was actually his best average of the season. Heading into the week, he was averaging less than three yards a pop.

That ain't good, folks.

Of course, Trubisky's and Harris' struggles can be traced to yet another of the problems. The Steelers have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. In his most recent offensive line rankings, Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus ranked Pittsburgh's front 28th in the league.

Yes, that line only allowed one sack against the Browns. But said sack came on a critical third down in the second half, and the Pittsburgh front was yet again unable to open holes for the run game.

Lest you think he will be spared, offensive coordinator Matt Canada deserves blame, too. Amid reports that some in the organization are growing frustrated with the second-year OC, Canada's play-calling fell flat once again. When Canada found something that actually did work (using tempo in the first half), it completely disappeared after halftime—and Pittsburgh's momentum vanished with it.

But wait! There's more!

For decades, the Steelers have been a team associated with fearsome and formidable defenses. But just like the their ability to move the ball consistently, that's gone now, too.

Last year, the Steelers fielded the worst run defense in the NFL, allowing 146.1 yards per game. This year, that number "improved" through two games—to 22nd in the league at 128.5 yards per contest.

After facing the Browns, that number is headed in the wrong direction. Nick Chub, Kareem Hunt and the Browns gashed the Steelers for 171 yards on the ground. Granted, the Browns have a tendency to do that, but Week 3 was a repeat of Week 2 against the Pats—a worn-down Steelers defense being run on successfully again and again in the second half.

The pass defense is springing leaks, too. Last week it was Nelson Agholor posting a 6/110/1 stat line. Thursday, both wide receiver Amari Cooper (7/101/1) and tight end David Njoku (9/89/1) had big games.

No one is going to confuse Mac Jones and Jacoby Brissett with Joe Montana and Tom Brady. But both had success against the Steelers. With edge-rusher T.J. Watt sidelined by a torn pectoral muscle, Pittsburgh is generating next to no pass rush.

Jacoby Brissett was pressured on just 4 of 33 dropbacks in the Browns 29-17 victory over the Steelers, his lowest pressure rate faced (12.1%) in a game in his career.

🔸 2017-2021: 35.0% (2nd-highest in NFL)
🔸 2022: 19.8% (9th-lowest in NFL)#PITvsCLE | #Browns https://t.co/ysziWSIMap

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 23, 2022

That lack of pressure is exposing an average group of cornerbacks. And Pittsburgh is being slowly, methodically dismantled.

The Steelers are losing the third-down battle, converting at a significantly lower percentage than their opponent the past two weeks. They are also losing the time-of-possession battle to the tune of almost 20 minutes the last two games.

They aren't being outplayed in one facet of the game. Losing at one position. It's all over the place. On both sides of the ball.

It didn't take long for Tomlin to make it clear no big changes were coming for Week 4.

Asked Mike Tomlin if he considers making a change a QB or playcallers in the minibye

Tomlin: “definitively no.”

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) September 23, 2022

That won't make fans happy, but it's hardly unexpected. Tomlin isn't the kind of coach that makes knee-jerk changes. The Steelers aren't that kind of team.

Or maybe he realizes that pulling Trubisky or firing Canada, on some level, would just be re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Maybe he knows that Pittsburgh's problems go beyond Trubisky. And Canada. And the offense.

Maybe he knows that these Steelers are a flawed team, and those flaws are being exposed.

And maybe he knows that streak of non-losing seasons is probably toast.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are now 1-2 on the season following Thursday night's 29-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns, but head coach Mike Tomlin isn't ready to give up on Mitchell Trubisky just yet.

When asked after the game whether or not he would consider making a change at quarterback before the team's Week 4 matchup against the New York Jets, Tomlin responded, "Definitively, no."

"The answer to that question is definitively no."

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on making any changes after loss to Browns. pic.twitter.com/5td6XIPpwY

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) September 23, 2022

For the third straight week, Trubisky was underwhelming. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 211 yards in Pittsburgh's loss in addition to rushing for seven yards and one score.

The 28-year-old averaged just 6.5 yards per attempt against the Browns. That's up from the 5.1 yards per attempt he averaged through the first two weeks of the season, but it's still not ideal.

Wide receiver Diontae Johnson led the team with eight catches for 84 yards on 11 targets. Tight end Pat Friermuth posted two catches for 41 yards, and rookie wide receiver George Pickens caught three passes for 39 yards.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported before Thursday's game that the Steelers had not had any discussions about replacing Trubisky with rookie Kenny Pickett at quarterback. He added that the Black and Gold entered the season hoping that Trubisky would be their starter for the entire year.

Tomlin also said earlier in the week that he was going to remain patient with Trubisky:

"I'm going to exercise appropriate patience and continue to teach and ask the guys to continue to learn in an effort to continue to push this train down the track and get better. I think that if anyone is sitting here on Monday in Week 2 of this thing feeling happy, they're probably wrong or misinformed."

Tomlin's patience will only last so long, and if Trubisky doesn't show improvement, it will be hard for the Steelers to not turn to Pickett, the team's 2022 first-round pick, who had a solid preseason this summer.

In three games, Pickett completed 29 of 36 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 7.3 passing yards per attempt, which is better than what Trubisky has shown early this season.

Pickett is undoubtedly the future at quarterback for the Steelers. Whether he takes over in 2022 or 2023 will likely be determined by how well, or not so well, Trubisky plays over the next several weeks.