RSR Predictions for Ravens vs. Browns Round 2

Winners of four straight games, the Baltimore Ravens (7-2) host the Cleveland Browns (5-3) for a divisional showdown at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday (1 p.m. kickoff). The Ravens are currently listed as 6-point favorites.

Baltimore is tied with Kansas City for the conference’s top record (7-2), while all three teams behind the Ravens in the AFC North each own 5-3 marks. (The AFC North is the NFL’s only division with each team sporting a winning record.)

The Ravens are 7-2 for the fourth time in franchise history (also 2019, 2012 & 2006), earning a playoff berth in each of the previous three such seasons.

Baltimore leads the all-time series vs. Cleveland, 36-13. Under head coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens are 25-6 vs. the Browns, including 13-2 in Charm City. In Week 4 earlier this season, Baltimore upended the host Browns, 28-3, when QB Lamar Jackson accounted for 4 total TDs (2 passing & 2 rushing), with the defense tallying 4 sacks and 3 INTs.

The forecast at kickoff is expected to feature clear skies and temps around 50 degrees with wind gusts up to 10 mph.

Tony Lombardi

We keep hearing from national talking heads about the Browns No. 1 defense, the monster named Myles Garrett and the return of Deshaun Watson from the massage table – I mean, to the lineup. And that is supposed to overcome a 25-point deficit in Cleveland during Week 4? Yeah, ok.

Never mind the fact that the Ravens played that Week 4 game without the services of Odell Beckham, Jr., Rashod Bateman, Ronnie Stanley, Odafe Oweh, Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Williams and Kyle Van Noy (all will dress on Sunday). Never mind the fact that Keaton Mitchell was just some son of a former Raven parked on IR. Never mind that the difference between the Ravens No. 2-ranked defense and the top-ranked Browns unit is 27.8 YPG, a variance largely influenced by the Browns recent dub over Arizona and the great 5th-round rookie QB Clayton Tune who “led” an anemic offense that racked up 58 total yards. Never mind that the Browns bookend offensive tackles won’t suit up to help keep Watson clean.

You feeling me?

Sunday will be a reality check for the delusional Browns.

• The Ravens will out-gain the Browns 350 yards (210 by air, 140 by ground) to 250 and a third of the Browns offensive steps forward on their Fitbit will occur during mop up time.

• Mark Andrews, OBJ and Patrick Ricard all snag scoring tosses from Lamar who will be a very efficient passer. He won’t approach the 142.5 passer rating from Week 4 v. Browns, but he will top the 110 PR mark.

• Mike Macdonald’s squad will take down Watson five times, led by Jadeveon Clowney who gains a measure of revenge against his former mates with 2 sacks, followed by one each from Oweh, Patrick Queen and Kyle Hamilton. Oweh’s sack will be of the strip variety and help set up a short field for Lamar Jackson & Co. Watson will be responsible for 3 turnovers, the other two coming on picks by Arthur Maulet off a tipped pass and a pick-six from Hamilton. The guy who eats his microphone from 2-6 on The Fan will still insist that Hamilton isn’t a playmaker.

• Watson’s passer rating on the day will under 80, his only scoring toss will be to Kareem Hunt.

• Todd Monken will invest the resources to help neutralize Garrett. He’ll register a goose egg in the sack department while the Browns only manage to take down Lamar once for a loss of three.

• James Proche will get a dash of revenge as well. The Browns punt returner will get a 30+ yard return to set the Browns up for a field goal. It won’t be anywhere near enough to threaten the Ravens control of the game.

Sit back and relax Ravens fans. This one will be in cruise control.

Ravens 27 Browns 13

Darin McCann

The Ravens are rolling along pretty well these days, but an AFC North rival is coming to town, and it has its own defense that can put a stick in the wheel of the best-operating offenses. This one feels like it’s going to be a bit more ulcer-inducing than last week’s laugher.

• Lamar Jackson will have a few more splash plays this week… because he’s going to have to. It’s going to take some great individual performances to move against this defense. He ends up throwing for 240 yards, with two completions over 50 yards.
• Zay Flowers grabs one of them, and it’s a 60-yard touchdown.
• Rashod Bateman has the other, continuing his positive play the last few weeks.
• The Ravens are held under 110 yards rushing.
• Kyle Hamilton creates a turnover.
• Odafe Oweh notches two sacks.

Ravens 23 Browns 18

Derek Arnold

Remember back in 2019 when Deshaun Watson‘s Houston Texans came to town? While I’m not predicting another 41-7 type beatdown, the Ravens sacked Watson seven times that day, and I think we’re in for a similar result.

• The Ravens lead the NFL in sacks, and Mike Macdonald is an absolute master at generating pressure.
• The Browns are missing three-fifths of their usually dominant offensive line.
• Watson holds the ball forever (or at least, that’s my impression the few times I’ve watched him play), and that won’t change against a Ravens secondary that’s jelling beautifully.

I think all of that adds up to five or six more sacks for the league leaders. That will be enough to keep the Cleveland offense totally stuck in the mud.

Todd Monken has been keeping some things close to the vest, and I think he’s ready to unleash them here in these division games. With a new toy at his disposal in Keaton Mitchell, the Ravens will move the ball, even against the Browns’ very impressive defense.

A late Cleveland score makes this one seem closer that it was.

Ravens 24 Browns 16

Rob Shields

Cleveland’s defense is playing at a very high level and Myles Garrett deserves MVP consideration.

The offense can’t say the same thing although Deshaun Watson is back and Amari Cooper is coming by off arguably his best game as a Brown.

The issue for Cleveland is that they will be without their two starting tackles. Jack Conklin has been out for most of the year and now Jedrick Wills is out. That’s bad news against a defense that is the best at getting after the QB this year.  Plus, Watson has a tendency to hold onto the ball too long and that could lead to sacks and potential turnovers as well.

The Ravens offense isn’t likely to move the ball up and down at will but I think they can do enough, like the first game, where they score enough points to where Cleveland just can’t catch them.

I don’t see the Cleveland offense doing much.

Get out of this game healthy and be ready for Cinci on a short turnaround. It would be nice if we had a big lead and could pull some starters in the fourth again but I think the Browns defense is too good for that to happen.

Ravens 23 Browns: 13

Jared Pinder

At this point we understand what this Browns team is: an unbelievably talented defense with a dreadful offense. Deshaun Watson’s side of the ball is straight up awful and they are now dealing with injuries to the O-Line with a rookie sliding over to left Tackle and a bad replacement filling in on the right side.

— Lamar continues to dominate through the air with three plus touchdowns.

— Mitchell and Gus do well enough but with a better d-line in front of them they don’t have the success of the last couple of weeks.

— Browns defense is able to do some things but with a bad offense they can’t keep pace with the Ravens.

— The Browns offense really struggles and they can’t reach the end zone this week.

Ravens 27 Browns 3

Brennan Stewart

Baltimore’s 37-3 win over Seattle last week made it the most talked about team in the entire league, no question. On a four-game win streak, the momentum has never been higher for the Ravens as they head into a second-straight home game against an already-beaten team.

The 5-3 Cleveland Browns are not a team to be overlooked, currently sitting as the sixth seed in the AFC playoff picture. They too enter the game with some momentum, having just blown out the Cardinals at home, 27-0.

Interestingly enough, Baltimore sits first in the NFL for fewest points per game allowed (13.8) while Cleveland sits in first (just above Baltimore) for fewest yards allowed per game (234.8). In other words, it’s going to be a defensive showdown come Sunday.

Here are my props based on a gut-feeling:

• Keaton Mitchell finishes with more rushing yards than Gus Edwards.
• Lamar Jackson exceeds well over 200 passing yards.
• Myles Garrett sacks Lamar Jackson, forcing a lost fumble.
• Amari Cooper is held to under 100 receiving yards.
• Mark Andrews tacks on his seventh touchdown of the season.

The Ravens keep on rollin’ this week, beating the Browns worse than they did in Cleveland.

Ravens 35 Browns 7

Kevin McNelis

The good news is that the last meeting between the Ravens and the Brownies ended up being a romp for Baltimore. The bad news is that Cleveland seemed to right the ship after their loss, and they’ve rattled off four wins in a row. So whose winning streak continues on Sunday?

— Deshaun Watson will likely play better than DTR did in the first meeting, so you shouldn’t count on three interceptions by the Ravens defense. That said, Watson hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire, and he’s nursing a shoulder injury that has him showing up to work seemingly at random. With several members of the Browns O-line out or questionable for Sunday, Baltimore’s EDGEs are likely licking their chops at the prospect of facing backups. Jadeveon Clowney, Justin Madubuike and Odafe Oweh each record sacks, one of which generates a fumble.

— In a ton of metrics, Cleveland and Baltimore have defenses that are pretty evenly matched and posting top-5 stats. The difference maker for Sunday in my mind is how smooth the two-pronged attack has looked for the Ravens in the last few weeks. They’ve unleashed Keaton Mitchell, and Lamar has looked so crisp when they can keep the pocket clean. Baltimore posts over 300 yards of total offense and three touchdowns.

— This feels like a Mark Andrews kind of game for me. There’s no love lost between these two teams, and Mark is one of those guys who seems to let chippy games just make him that much better. He had nine catches for 80 yards last week; even if he doesn’t hit those numbers, I see him getting close again this week.

Ravens 28 Browns 16

Chris Schisler

The Ravens beat the Browns the first go around, and now they are on a greater roll. The Ravens run game was the key in the last game. When the offense flipped the switch the Browns number one defense couldn’t do one thing to stop them. Look for more of the same, as the Ravens run game just steamrolled the Seattle Seahawks.

Deshaun Watson may not be ready for what the Ravens bring defensively. The Ravens lead the league in sacks. Last time they got to Dorian Thompson Robinson four times and had three picks. The Ravens have the best defense in the league, and this game will prove it.

1. Keaton Mitchell has 100 yards on the ground.
2. Gus Edwards runs for two touchdowns and breaks out a 50-yard scamper.
3. Lamar Jackson has two touchdown passes and only four incomplete passes.
4. Justin Madubuike has another sack.
5. The Ravens have 6 sacks and force two turnovers.

Ravens 27 Browns 10

Chad Racine

It seems lately when I predict a close game or a loss the Ravens get a blowout win. Maybe I should predict another loss. The Ravens are running hot right now but it’s also not easy to sustain every week. I also don’t think the first game means this one will be similar.  It’s hard to beat the same team twice and a tough defensive team like Cleveland. I do have faith in Mike MacDonald and Todd Monken to keep the Browns on their toes…or their heels.

— Deshaun Watson will wish he sat another week. He’ll get sacked four times and hit another three.

— Madubuike, Clowney, Michael Pierce and Kyle Hamilton get the sacks.

— Brandon Stephens gets another interception that Geno Stone won’t steal.

— Lamar will play another efficient game passing for 225 yards and one touchdown. He’ll rush for another 60 yards. He will however lose another fumble giving the Browns a short field to score.

— Rashod Bateman will be the recipient of the touchdown pass and another three receptions for a total of 50 yards.

— Gus Edwards finds the end zone only once this week.

— Keaton Mitchell won’t rush for as many yards as last week but he will have a touchdown.

Ravens 21 Browns 17

Tanner George

The AFC North is stacked.

If the season ended today, every single team in the division would make the playoffs. That’s just unheard of, and it’s not like it’s early in the year either.

Which is why every division game matters. A lot.

The Browns roll into town this Sunday looking to get back on track and gain ground in the division race, currently sitting at (5-3). The Ravens, on the other hand, are flying high—their (7-2) record is tied for the best mark in the AFC, thanks to a month-long winning streak highlighted by dismantling top NFC squads. The offense is starting to click more often, and when Monken’s crew is clicking, it’s very hard to stop. The defense is playing on a level above every other unit in the league and has shown no signs of slowing down.

Lamar gets into the end zone twice (once on the ground and once through the air), Geno Stone records another pick, and Madabeast registers 1.5 sacks as the Ravens steamroll their way to 8-2.

Ravens 27 Browns 10

Nick Polinsky

Baltimore finally gets a stab at an AFC North opponent at home after knocking out all three of their divisional road games early. The loss of Nick Chubb has hurt this Browns offense, but Cleveland has battled through it, winning four of six games since he went down with a gruesome knee injury. However, the eye test and stat sheet tell you that this Browns offense is just not the same without Chubb, and are now further handicapped by the loss of offensive tackle Jedrick Wills for at least the next four weeks. Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt have combined for just 3.7 yards per carry on the year.

Both defenses are elite, but Baltimore still holds the upper hand in that category allowing just 13.8 points per game to the Browns 17.4. Marlon Humphrey and co. will be tasked with holding down the Browns’ biggest offensive weapon, Amari Cooper, who is averaging a stellar 17.6 yards per reception. But Deshaun Watson must be careful looking deep downfield, Geno Stone is gunning for his fifth straight game with an interception looking to add to his pro-bowl resume, and potential bag to be received after the season.

The Ravens have the quarterback advantage, as they do against most, and Lamar Jackson performed well against Cleveland earlier this year. He completed 15 of 19 passes, and ran for two touchdowns guiding the Ravens to an easy 28-3 victory earlier this season.

On paper, The Ravens are best in every aspect of the game when matched up against Cleveland. However, when both quarterbacks are healthy, AFC North matchups tend to run close. The Browns certainly shouldn’t be counted out, and as they always say, “any given Sunday,” right? Wrong, the Ravens keep the throttle down and sweep the season series against Cleveland.

Ravens 27 Browns 13

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