Tony Lombardi
The Good
* Ravens win by 13+
* Eric Weddle has 2 INT’s
* No more ugly football until November 20
The Bad
* The offense produces only 1 TD
* The Ravens only double the two offensive red zone snaps from the previous 2 games
* The run game doubles its YPC output from last week but it’s still < 4
The Ugly
* The Ravens produce just 325 yards of offense against the soon to be 0-10 Browns
* The purple rush uniforms
* Syndicated reruns of Seinfeld will draw better ratings than this snoozer as Cris Collinsworth is exceedingly annoying.
Derek Arnold
I think the Ravens win this one, but it’ll be another ugly Thursday night game. This offense still inspires no confidence.
Give me Ravens 16 Browns 13.
Ken McKusick
The Ravens face the 0-9 Browns in another must-win game for their divisional hopes.
—Cody Kessler does not have a strong arm, but he has been very effective beating zone coverage (90% adjusted completion percentage per PFF leads the NFL). I still expect the Ravens to try zone coverage, since they were successful with it versus the Steelers. The Ravens will need to get pressure to make his night miserable.
–On defense, Jamie Collins is a player who wants to roam and an agent for pressure with the blitz success versus the Ravens recently. The Browns best defensive player remains Danny Shelton, who played well versus the Ravens in the first meeting when the Ravens were healthy on the interior OL. Without Yanda, he will be a challenge to handle.
–The Browns otherwise don’t have much talent along the defensive front, so the Ravens need to press that advantage.
Predictions:
—Chris Moore is rewarded for some fine special teams play and has snaps increased from 4 to the high teens. He’ll make a big catch as a rotated threat.
–After 0 offensive snaps versus the Steelers, Buck Allen also will get some snaps in the backfield and make at least 1 play.
—Kenneth Dixon’s touches will increase despite a bruise suffered versus the Steelers.
—C.J. Mosley continues his fine season by undercutting a ball in the middle of the field for an interception.
—Matt Judon records a sack in his 3rd straight game.
Final Score: Ravens 23 Browns 10
Brian Bower
The last three times these two teams have met, it’s been decided by a touchdown or less. The trend will continue tonight. Instead of jumping out to an early lead, the Ravens offense will sputter and have to play catch up in the second half. Flacco throws his 8th interception of the season but also tosses two touchdowns to Dennis Pitta against a Browns team that’s struggled to contain tight ends. Buck Allen gets some action in the run game and adds a score.
On defense, the Ravens find a way to get pressure on Cody Kessler and force a late game interception. Matt Judon and Timmy Jernigan each record a sack and Dean Pees’ unit holds the Browns run game to just 68 rushing yards. Corey Coleman and Terrelle Pryor each find pay dirt.
Ravens 27, Browns 20
Cole Jackson
The Ravens will shock the world and actually win a game by more than 4 points.
The run game will be re-established against a subpar rush defense and Terrance West will have over 100 yards and 1 TD.
I stopped making this prediction for a few weeks, but I have a gut feeling that Breshad Perriman hauls in his first 30+ yard TD.
Flacco will throw two interceptions and still look rather shaky, but the defense does enough to keep the Browns at bay. Matt Judon registers another sack to build on a solid rookie year.
Ravens 24 Browns 10.
Joe Polek
The Browns are awful once again, and are winless with a chance of going 0-16. When you are this far into the season with a winless team, nobody wants to play them. No one wants to be the only win of their season. But the Ravens have been there before. In 2007, the Ravens went to Miami and lost to the Dolphins… their only win that year.
There is no reason the Browns should beat the Ravens tonight, but there is always that risk. Former GM Charley Casserly says the Browns match up well with the Ravens, because they have good wideouts, and the Ravens secondary has struggled. He also said the Browns defense could shut down the Ravens run game, which would make Flacco have to pass it around, and that hasn’t worked well for Baltimore yet.
This will be another ugly game to watch, but that doesn’t matter. A win is a win, and they all count the same. I’d rather win 12 ugly games than nine pretty games. The Ravens will find a way to win this one.
Ravens 27-17.
Mike Fast
Baltimore rushes 40+ times as a team after it saw what Dallas did to Cleveland’s rush defense last week.
Joe Flacco throws two interceptions and no touchdowns, but does hit Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman once each for a pass of 50 yards.
Justin Tucker out-scores all other players in the game from a fantasy perspective, with three field goals (38, 48, 55) and an extra point.
Give the points (Baltimore -8) and take the under (45).
Ravens 16, Browns 6.
Adam Bonaccorsi
With Yanda listed as doubtful & Ronnie Stanley‘s penalty woes, I see the Browns loading the box all night, thus forcing Flacco to throw more than the Ravens would like. With Browns starting CB Jamar Taylor out, the Ravens offense will take what they’re given & Joe will throw just shy of 300 yards finding Mike Wallace for the only offensive TD on the day.
Flip the field and I like Browns QB Cody Kessler to match Flacco’s numbers, but make a costly fumble in the 4th quarter (courtesy of Timmy Jernigan on a strip/sack), leading to a FG & a extending two-score lead for Baltimore late in the game. Toss in a Matt Judon sack, a Jimmy Smith pick-6, and a solid defensive effort and the Ravens walk away with a two-score win for the first time since, I guess since Flacco was drafted?
BAL-23
CLE-10
Ryan Jones
A win over the Steelers and being catapulted to the top of the AFC North is a good feeling, but it shouldn’t create a false reality that this team is a playoff contender or that it’s even capable of beating anyone by double digits.
The Ravens haven’t won a game by more than eight points in almost two years. Let that soak in for a minute. I don’t see it happening tonight even if it’s at home against a winless Browns team led by a rookie quarterback.
The Ravens take 13-3 lead into halftime and the defense makes life miserable for Cody Kessler as he throws for less than 100 yards and turns the ball over twice. But this backfires for the Ravens as Hue Jackson gets so frustrated with the thought of going 0-10 that he benches Kessler for Josh McCown in the 2nd half. On McCown’s first drive he hits Corey Coleman for a 50 yard TD.
This game, as every victory has been for the last two years, ends as a real nail biter. I’ll give the Ravens the edge because they’re at home but it won’t be easy.
Ravens 23
Browns 20
Brian McFarland
This is a game the Ravens can’t lose – and, most assuredly, shouldn’t, for any reason, lose. But, these also aren’t the same old Ravens that could be counted on to win games like this (see recent games against the Jets, Giants, Skins).
So, expect a tight game, until the Ravens break it open late. It will be a back and forth game into the early 2nd half, when the Ravens finally start taking control. Still, it will only be a 7-point game until the Ravens force two 4th quarter turnovers and convert them into 10 points to cruise to a win.
Flacco will have a good, but not great, game, but the Ravens will finally get the ground game cranking and the OL will play much, much better.
Being 5-4 and in First place in the division headed into a mini-Bye week doesn’t look so bad, especially given how things looked just a couple of weeks ago.
Kyle Rate
This game has a “bust out all kinds of offensive plays because if you can’t execute against the Browns at home, when can you?” sort of feel. The Ravens offense will try to use this game to infuse confidence into their offense that severely lacks it at the moment. I’m calling a flea flicker to Breshad Perriman for his first ever touchdown in the first quarter. The performance of Ronnie Stanley will surely be under the microscope, but look for him to bounce back from a dreadful game against the Steelers and help provide Joe Flacco a clean pocket most of the night. West and Dixon finally showcase the 1-2 punch we’ve been expecting, racking up a combined 225 all-purpose yards.
The defense does its thing and brings a bit more pressure than in recent weeks to put some heat on rookie Cody Kessler. Look for unheralded linebacker Zach Orr to have a big night with 10 tackles, a sack, and an interception. Lardarius Webb continues to turn the clock back with a few sound tackles, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
I think M&T gets rocking tonight and the Ravens finally coast to a somewhat comfortable win, 27-13.
