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AFC North Notebook: Hill shines in homecoming; Browns fall out of first place

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Every Monday and Friday, theScore's NFL editors will bring you a roundup of everything you need to know from around the division with the AFC North Notebook.

Cincinnati Bengals

Dalton rebounds with win over Saints. After posting one of the worst offensive performances of his career, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Hill shines in homecoming. Baton Rouge native and former LSU standout Jeremy Hill had one of his best games of the season Sunday.

Bengals fan has touchdown ball snatched away. After catching a touchdown pass to put Cincinnati up 20-3, tight end Jermaine Gresham decided to toss the ball to one lucky Bengals fan - that is, until a Saints fan snatched it away. Fortunately, the Bengals fan didn't leave empty-handed.

Baltimore Ravens

Harbaugh hopes to continue post-bye success. The Ravens are  5-1 under John Harbaugh following bye weeks, and the head coach hopes the trend continues

Kubiak not concerned about Steve Smith. Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak says Smith's declining production may have more to do with the ball being spread around to other receivers.

Midseason studs and duds. Samuel Njoku of CBS Baltimore looks at the Ravens players who have exceeded expectations so far this season and those who haven't.

Pittsburgh Steelers

McCullers ready for first start. With Steve McLendon nursing a shoulder injury, rookie Daniel McCullers is expected to make his first NFL start Monday against the Tennessee Titans.

Jones optimistic about recovery. Scott Brown of ESPN.com caught up with Jarvis Jones recently, and says the injured linebacker is optimistic he'll be able to return this season.

Upsets not uncommon for Tomlin-era Steelers. Pittsburgh has lost an AFC-leading seven games when favored by three or more points since 2012, which the Wall Street Journal's Michael Salfino says is the biggest reason the Steelers could miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

Cleveland Browns

Browns fall out of first place. Cleveland had its three-game winning streak snapped by the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon, and now sits in last place in the AFC North at 6-4.

Is it too soon to panic? Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks so.

Gordon reinstated. Josh Gordon was officially reinstated Monday following his 10-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. 

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