Hard Knocks: In Season With the AFC North is the first time HBO has chronicled behind-the-scenes developments for four different teams at once during a season, so it is only fitting fans got to experience December football through the eyes of four different stars.

Tuesday was the third episode of this year's in-season Hard Knocks, and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson and Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward took center stage.

HBO showed all four stars preparing for their respective Week 15 contests both on and off the field.

That included Smith discussing how he looked up to Ray Lewis as he attempts to continue the tradition of dominant linebacker play in Baltimore. While there may never be another Lewis, Smith's leadership and overall presence was clear throughout the episode.

His sessions of red-light therapy paid off, as the Ravens cruised to an easy 35-14 victory over an overmatched New York Giants team. It was an important win for a team eyeing a playoff spot, which is more than Ward's Browns can say.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, it is playing out the string on a lost season. Still, Week 15 was quite the challenge for Ward and the defense in particular against a Kansas City Chiefs team that features Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and other weapons.

Ward expressed his excitement to go against Mahomes, calling it "our Super Bowl game."

While Cleveland fell short in the game, fans got to know Ward beyond the field in Tuesday's episode. The cornerback who grew up in Ohio, went to Ohio State and was drafted by the Browns is something of a hometown hero, and his efforts to create a foundation to spread awareness of cardiac health after his father died of a heart attack was a focal point.

Ward was also named a Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in an emotional moment.

There was an element of seriousness to Tuesday's episode, but it wouldn't be Hard Knocks without some lighthearted moments as well. And those moments included Joe Burrow joking with his teammates at practice and Chase calling the quarterback "Houdini" for his magical abilities on the field.

It will require a magic act for Cincinnati to make the playoffs, but the Burrow-Chase combination remained in the race thanks to Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans. Chase's individual dominance on the field doesn't happen by accident, and viewers saw him enter a freezing cryotherapy chamber as part of his preparation.

Hard Knocks also showed Chase giving back to the community off the field and drawing cheers from his father on it.

Chase, Smith, Ward and the rest of the division is still chasing the Steelers, though, even after Pittsburgh lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wilson was under the spotlight for the Pittsburgh portion of the show for more than just the game, as he and his wife Ciara visited a Boys and Girls Club and expressed their love for the community. The quarterback even told one of the children in attendance he wanted to remain with the Steelers beyond this season.

Steelers fans will surely be thrilled to hear that, especially if Wilson and Co. are able to win the division and make a run in the playoffs this season.