ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

With the second week of the NFL season in the books, here are seven personal observations from this week's AFC North games:

1. We are not sure where to start with the Cincinnati Bengals' offense. There is little imagination coming from the coaching staff of head coach Marvin Lewis and offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski. The receivers aren't getting as open as they did in the past and quarterback Carson Palmer is not sharp. You wonder how much the team is missing Chris Henry, or at least another serious threat in the slot. Otherwise the offense is very predictable because opponents feel only two players (Chad Ocho Cinco and T.J. Houshmandzadeh) can beat them. The running game is up and down so far and the offensive line isn't winning most of the battles up front. There are no easy answers right now for this unit.
   
   
2. The Bengals having 12 men on the field not once, but twice at crucial moments Sunday is indefensible. Cincinnati's offense had a 12th man run off during a third-quarter drive that pushed the team back and ended in a missed 38-yard field goal by kicker Shayne Graham. The defense also had 12 on the field during a goal-line stand that helped lead to a second-quarter touchdown. The team almost kept 12 out there on the following play, but luckily a defender ran off at the last second. These are subtle transgressions that make you scratch your head.
   
   
3. The Pittsburgh Steelers showed their versatility on offense through the first two weeks. After putting up 38 points against the Houston Texans, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians simplified the playbook Sunday because of inclement weather and grinded it out against the Cleveland Browns. The game plan was more conservative and only resulted in 10 points. But there were no turnovers and when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did take his shots, he was able to connect with receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes for big gains of 31 and 48 yards, respectively. Pittsburgh had a run-pass ratio of 31-19 Sunday night.
   
   
4. Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith had one of his best games in recent memory with four tackles, two sacks and two quarterback hurries against Cleveland. Smith lined up mostly against the Browns' right side of guard Rex Hadnot and tackle Kevin Shaffer. He is coming off a biceps injury last year and looks fully healed.
   
   
5. The Browns' offense is not nearly as dynamic when Pro Bowl receiver Braylon Edwards doesn't have it going. Edwards has five catches for 46 yards on the season, and he has at least five drops in the first two games. In the past Edwards has been able to bounce back from his case of the dropsies, but so far he is struggling to do so and continues to press. Perhaps the most surprising thing with Edwards this season is he hasn't been able to win a lot of his one-on-one matchups.
   
   
6. Cleveland's 0-2 start can also be traced, in part, to the quarterbacks. Opposing quarterbacks are completing an amazing 70.6 percent of their passes against Cleveland, while Browns starter Derek Anderson is completing just 51.8 percent. That's nearly a 20 percent disparity, which makes a big difference. The Browns are also being out-gained through the air by an average of 107.5 passing yards per game.
   
   
7. The Baltimore Ravens have an unexpected Sunday off because of damage done in Houston by Hurricane Ike. We noticed many fans in Baltimore up are in arms that the Ravens lose their bye for the 2008 season, but there is a bright side. First, many ailing players such as tailback Willis McGahee and defensive tackle Kelly Gregg get an extra week to heal. Second, rookie quarterback Joe Flacco gets another full week of practice before taking the field again.