Joe Burrow is sidelined for three months after turf toe surgery, forcing the Bengals to navigate the season without their star QB. With Burrow, Cincinnati averaged 25.3 points per game; without him the offense slides to 19.9 PPG, a drop that tightens the fantasy ceiling and complicates betting angles as a December return looms. Baltimore's late-season schedule against Cincinnati adds AFC North drama and late-year pivot points for rosters and line moves.

Baltimore's 41-17 blowout of Cleveland exposed a Browns identity crisis atop a patchwork roster. The secondary was carved up as Ward left with cramps, and Myles Harden and Cam Mitchell couldn’t limit big plays. On offense, Flacco’s turnover troubles resurfaced while Dillon Gabriel offered a flicker of potential in garbage time. Special teams hiccups under Bubba Ventrone kept Cleveland from flipping momentum. The questions now frame a franchise at a crossroads and a brutal stretch ahead.