The Cleveland Browns (0-3, 0-1) will be in Baltimore to face the Ravens (2-1, 1-0) on Thursday night, just four days after the Ravens beat the Patriots, 31-30. These two teams are trending in two completely different directions. While the Browns have to travel on the shortest possible week in the NFL, they won’t lie down. On the flip side, the Ravens are much healthier than the Browns are which is huge in what is sure to be a physical contest.
If the Ravens win this game, they will go to 3-1 in the first quarter of the season for the fourth straight year. It would also be their 14th straight home win and their 22nd win in their last 23 home games. For all of that to happen, I believe there are four keys to the game for Baltimore.
Courtesy: Joshua Bunter/The Plain Dealer
1. Contain CribbsThe Browns may not have many weapons, but one they do have who has seemingly been their entire offense over the years is Cribbs. Currently, he leads the NFL in kick return yards (341) and is third in the league in punt return yards (130). While he only has two receptions for 28 yards this season, for his career Cribbs is averaging 11.0 yards per reception and 5.8 yards per carry. The Browns probably won’t make a lot of big plays. But any plays they do make could come from their offense starting on a short field, provided by Cribbs’ dynamic returns.
2. Rely on Boldin
Torrey Smith (six receptions, 127 yards, two touchdowns) had a huge game against New England on Sunday, and Dennis Pitta (five receptions, 50 yards, one touchdown) had a strong performance as well. While Anquan Boldin caught four passes for 48 yards, he’s capable of much more against Cleveland. In Boldin’s only home game against the Browns (Week 3, 2010), he caught eight passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Unless I’m missing something, Cleveland’s pass defense hasn’t upgraded significantly in that time. This is a good opportunity for Flacco to continue to work with Boldin and give opposing coaches even more game film to worry about.
3. Rack up sacks
Baltimore enters Week 4 of the season with the sixth-most sacks in the league (8). Cleveland is just ahead of them, with the fifth-most sacks (9). The Browns have an elite left tackle (Joe Thomas), but aren’t dominant at the other four offense line spots. Through three games, the Browns have allowed eight sacks (11th most). Moreover, (rookie) quarterback Brandon Weeden will get his first introduction to this rivalry on the road in primetime without any major passing weapons. Even if Cleveland’s running game gets going (which I’m not sure it will), Weeden should be under constant pressure from start to finish.
Courtesy: Cincinnati.com
4. Rush for 200 YardsAt halftime of Thursday’s game, Jamal Lewis will be inducted into the Ravens’ Ring of Honor. It’s quite appropriate the Ravens pick this game for the ceremony because on September 14, 2003, Lewis rushed for a then all-time record of 295 yards (in the entire ’03 season vs. the Browns, Lewis rushed 52 times for 500 yards and four touchdowns). Ray Rice is primed for a similar season against the Browns. Through three weeks, Rice is averaging 5.8 yards per carry (4th most among running backs with at least 40 carries). Cleveland ranks tied for 16th in the league, as they’re allowing an average of 4.1 yards per carry. Especially considering the Ravens have the best fullback in the league (Vonta Leach), 200 team rushing yards might be a conservative estimate.
Game Notes:
-Baltimore enters Week 4 ranked third in net points (+31), behind Houston and Atlanta (+46).
-While both of these defenses are struggling (Cleveland: 25th, Baltimore: 27th), the Ravens offense is far superior to the Browns offense (Cleveland: 26th, Baltimore: 4th).
-Baltimore leads the head-to-head series by a combined record of 19-7 (their best record against any other team). The Ravens have outscored the Browns by an all-time score of 602-363.
-Baltimore has won the last eight games in the series by an average of 14 points per game.
