Browns Returner and Wide Receiver Josh Cribbs Concussed and More AFC North News

Cleveland Browns receiver and returner Josh Cribbs suffered a concussion in Thursday night's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Cribbs was hit in the head by the shoulder of Ravens linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and was knocked unconscious before leaving the field under his own power.

There's no word yet on whether or not Cribbs will be ready to return for next week's contest against the New York Giants. Cribbs will have to pass a series of concussion-related testing before being cleared for contact.

Baltimore Ravens

Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun concedes that the Baltimore Ravens' Thursday night 23-16 win over the Cleveland Browns wasn't pretty, but it wasn't all that bad either. It did, however, expose some areas of weakness Baltimore needs to address before tougher, late-season opponents come to town.

One of the biggest areas that need improvement in Baltimore is their defense. Bleacher Report's Shawn Brubaker contends that the 2012 Ravens defense is among the worst in franchise history and that the offense may need to carry the load this year.

Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals cornerback Adam Jones was fined over $15,000 for a horse-collar tackle on Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris in last week's win, but Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Jones is appealing the fine, contending that it's too high for a first offense.

David Campbell of Bleacher Report gives his stat predictions for key Cincinnati Bengals starters against the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday.

Cleveland Browns

Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says that in a contest against the Ravens that carried with it low expectations for the Browns to put up much of a fight, there is instead reason for optimism despite the errors the team committed in the loss.

One thing that is clear about the Browns is that they must better utilize their first-round pick, running back Trent Richardson, far more often and effectively than they are currently. Bleacher Report's Jesse Reed breaks down how they can do just that.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Jerome Bettis and Bill Cowher are among the seven former players and coaches with Pittsburgh Steelers ties eligible for the class of 2013 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, reports Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

It's the Steelers' bye week, which is a good time to take stock of what the team has and hasn't accomplished thus far. Nick DeWitt of Bleacher Report provides us with report card grades for each player on the Steelers' 53-man roster.

Follow @FBALL_Andrea