Week Two Preview: Ravens at Browns
The Cleveland Browns host the Baltimore Ravens Sunday for their first home game of the regular season. This will be a huge test for a team already on the ropes and missing their starting quarterback.
The Ravens have owned the Browns historically. They are 25-9 all time against the Browns and have won seven of the last eight in Cleveland. Vegas has Baltimore as a six point favorite, and ESPN gives them a 69% chance of winning. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is 14-2 against the Browns.
However, the last time these teams faced off, a veteran quarterback by the name of Josh McCown torched the Ravens defense for 457 yards and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in a 33-30 overtime win. McCown is back this week, replacing Robert Griffin III who suffered a soldier injury in the fourth quarter of last week’s beatdown in Philadelphia. McCown is 2-1 against the Ravens in his career, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh is fully aware.
“He’s had a lot of success against us,” Harbaugh said Monday during his weekly press conference. “He’s been on fire against us. He’s thrown balls up in the air, and a guy catches it with his feet for a touchdown. I just remember this guy having no conscience.”
There is no question that this game means more to Cleveland than it does to the Ravens. Things could not have gone much worse last week for a fanbase that has become far too accustomed to things going wrong. Aside from a couple big plays down the field, the Browns offense was pretty anemic last week. They were the only team in the NFL to have no drives longer than seven plays. Josh McCown may be able to change up the passing game, but Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson will have to do better. Head coach Hue Jackson is optimistic, speaking of Crowell Friday:
“We just have to hand it to him enough times,” Jackson said, per the team’s official transcript. “If you have a runner you believe in, you have to give him the ball. He has to get a feel for the game and be able to play within the structure of what you are trying to accomplish with the offensive line. That’s why I said I take responsibility for that. I think he is off to a good start. We just have to give him opportunities to go show his ability.”
Offensive Players to Watch:
Cleveland: TE Gary Barnidge
Barnidge had his break-out game against the Ravens last year with eight catches for 139 yards. He had great chemistry with Josh McCown all of last year. Baltimore will most certainly be looking to pressure McCown often, and he will be in need of his safety valve.
Baltimore: WR Mike Wallace
Wallace is a new acquisition for the Ravens and is perfect for the strong-armed, deep-ball throwing Joe Flacco. He had 91 yards and a touchdown against the Bills last week and may get even more playing time with Breshad Perriman questionable.
Defensive Players to Watch:
Cleveland: DT Danny Shelton
Baltimore will try to establish the run game early, and most of the responsibility of stopping that will be on this young man. Shelton had a good game last week and may be coming around like the Browns hoped he would last year.
Baltimore: S Eric Weddle
Another new Raven who will bring much needed help to a secondary that lacked stability last year. He will spend much of his time on the tight ends that McCown loves to target and may be the answer to McCown’s Raven-killing ways.
I also just had to throw Terrell Suggs in here somewhere because I love the quote he gave USA Today about his former defensive coordinator Hue Jackson this week:
“We’re expecting Hue to thrown the kitchen sink at us. We’re preparing for everything. Some wildcat, polecat, everything. Don’t be surprised if they come out there with the ‘Little Giants’ formation or the Flying V. They’ve got something up their sleeve.”
The Browns will definitely be trying to right the ship this week, but it’s just bad luck that it happens to be against the Ravens. In the end:
Cleveland: 13
Baltimore: 24
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