The Cleveland Browns march into Baltimore to take on the Ravens in a battle for supremacy in the AFC north early this season. The Browns are coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Rams and currently sit at 1-2 on the season.
The Ravens are coming off a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, placing them at 2-1 on the season. With the Steelers and the Bengals both sitting at 0-3 this battle looks to be between the two teams looking for the north division title.
Up to this point in the season Cleveland has severely underwhelmed after getting loads of hype coming into the year. This sits at the play of quarterback Baker Mayfield and the offensive line. Mayfield was coming off a great season last year and has yet to match that success, with three touchdowns and five interceptions Mayfield has not been living up to that number one draft pick.
It is not all on Mayfield though, the offensive line is not giving him the protection that he needs. In 14 games last season Mayfield was sacked 25 times, so far this season he has been sacked 11 times. The Browns offense is on pace to allow 58 sacks this season which would not be a record but is nothing to boast about. They are quite possibly the least dangerous team that was supposed to contend up to this point in the season.
On the other side you have one of the most explosive teams up to this point in the season in the Ravens. The Ravens offense has been one of the biggest surprises in the league this season, with Lamar Jackson not only controlling the game on the ground, but also in the air with his improved arm.
The offense this season does not seem to be the biggest concern for the Ravens, that would be the defense. Defense has always been the name of the game in Baltimore, this season it has not started off great. After demolishing the Dolphins, they would get exposed by the Cardinals even though they escaped with a win. The defensive troubles showed in their week three matchup against a great team in the Chiefs where Patrick Mahomes carved up the secondary, which proved to be enough to get a win in the contest.
Both teams obviously have things they need to work on throughout the remainder of the season, but it all starts with this week. This win would be huge for both teams, if the Browns win, they would be tied with the Ravens for first place in the division (1st with the tiebreaker), and if the Ravens win, they would gain a 3 game advantage over the next closest team in the division.
This will be a matchup of two areas that have not lived up to expectations so far, The Browns passing attack vs. the Ravens pass defense.
Prediction
The Ravens Mark Ingram is playing at an all-star level right now and is averaging 85.67 yards per game. Ingram is also not the only running threat on the Ravens offense. The Browns have ranked in the middle of the pack in rush yards allowed this season with 102.0, ranking 14th in the league. The Ravens offense found life in the second half against the Chiefs when they devoted themselves to the run, if they want to keep up the success then they will have to stay devoted to the run.
The Browns on the other hand just need to get something going. One of the most hyped offenses coming into the season they have not been able to find their groove yet. With Baker Mayfield under center this should fix itself sooner than later, but they have been unable to prove that so far.
If the Browns offense doesn’t come out full force like they are capable of then it may be challenging for them to matchup with the explosive Ravens offense. The key for the Browns will be to slow down the Ravens offensive attack, which is easier said than done. With so many offensive weapons, the Ravens have an advantage on the offensive side thanks to the play of Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram and the whole Ravens attack.
If the Browns cannot slow down the Ravens offensive attack, then they will be in for a tough matchup trying to go blow for blow against one of the best offenses in the league. The Ravens found out that a strong running game is integral to a strong offense, they will use that as a key part of their game plan against the Browns.
Pick: Ravens 24-20