While Cleveland is playing improved football, that play won’t be good enough to beat a team accustomed to playoff success–and one that’s hungry to experience it again.
WHAT: Week 17, Game 16 vs. Cleveland Browns
WHEN: 4:25 p.m. (ET); Sunday, December 30
WHERE: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore (71,008)
RECORDS: Browns, 7-7-1; Ravens, 9-6
LIFETIME SERIES (regular season): Ravens lead, 29-10; the Ravens are 15-4 against Cleveland at home, having beaten the Browns on nine of their last ten visits to Baltimore
TV: WJZ-TV, Channel 13 (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, booth; Tracy Wolfson, sidelines)
RADIO: WIYY-FM, 97.9 (Gerry Sandusky, Jarret Johnson, booth; Kirk McEwen, sidelines)
REFEREE: Shawn Smith
About the Browns
—Along with the Baltimore Colts and San Francisco 49ers, the Browns franchise was born as part of the All-America Football Conference in 1946. Cleveland won all four of that league’s championships. Since joining the NFL (along with the 49ers and Colts) in 1950, the Browns have won 18 division titles and earned 24 playoff berths (tied for the league’s tenth-most). But the Browns’ recent history has not been nearly as spectacular. The Browns are one of four franchises that have never appeared in a Super Bowl (others are Houston, Jacksonville, and Detroit). Cleveland last won an NFL championship was in 1964–two seasons before the Super Bowl was born. Cleveland hasn’t had a winning record since 2007 (10-6). And it missed the playoffs that year.
–The Browns are 0-3 in the modern-day AFC Championship Game, losing to Denver in 1986 (“The Drive”), 1987 (“The Fumble”), and 1989 (“The Blowout’). Since returning to the league as a 1999 expansion team, Cleveland has no AFC North titles, has made just one playoff appearance (2002), and has had only two winning seasons (2002, 2007). The Browns have finished last in the North seven straight years. It last avoided the cellar by going 5-11 in 2010. Not this year, though! Cleveland has already clinched third place this year due to their sweep over Cincinnati.
—With this intradivisional return matchup being played in Baltimore, it ends a streak that saw two of the last three return matches played in Cleveland. The Ravens have swept the head-to-head series 12 times–including in three of the last four years–while the Browns have recorded two sweeps (2001, 2007) and are going for a third sweep after winning an overtime game in Cleveland earlier this year. There have been five splits, the most recent occurring in 2015.
—Last season the Browns became the second team in the 16-game schedule era (1978-present) to lose every regular-season game (Detroit, 2008). Cleveland had lost its first 14 games in 2016—only four of them by single-digit margins—before upending the then-San Diego Chargers, 20-17, on Christmas Eve. In 2017, Cleveland lost four games (three at home) by three-point margins, including one in OT to Tennessee. The Browns snapped a 19-game winless streak this year. After a 2-5-1 start and head-coaching change in late October, the Browns have proceeded to win four of their last six games.
–When the Baltimore Colts were part of the NFL, they met the Browns on 15 occasions, winning only five of those games and losing their last five straight matchups with Cleveland before moving to Indianapolis. The teams met three times in postseason play with the Browns winning the 1964 NFL title game at home, 27-0 (the franchise’s last title of any kind). The Colts returning the favor four years later, 34-0, in a game that put them into Super Bowl III. Baltimore won a 1971 Divisional round game on the road, 20-3, before getting shut out at Miami, 21-0, in the AFC title game.
–The Ravens and Browns have closed the regular season against each other twice before. The Browns won a home game in 2005, 20-16, and the Ravens took the 2014 season finale at home, 20-10. These two teams opened the 2004 regular season against each other. The Browns won at home, 20-3.
–Cleveland is 2-5 on the road this year–starting 0-5 and winning the last two (at Cincinnati and Denver). The Browns closed out their home schedule with a win last week against the Bengals. The Browns opened the season playing four of their first six games at home, but could only post a 2-3-1 record in that stretch.
–The Browns have been more competitive because they’ve stayed close in games. In the first quarter, they’ve been outscored by 54-52. The team holds three-point advantages in the third and fourth quarters. In the second, they have been outscored, 126-94. The Browns are 7-0 when allowing 20 or fewer points. More typical stats for a .500 team: the Browns have scored 41 touchdowns and allowed 41, and the team has also recorded 35 sacks while allowing 38. The Browns have been aggressive on two-point conversion plays, attempting ten of them and converting four.
—Cleveland is tied with Denver and New Orleans with a plus-9 turnover ratio, the league’s third-best. The Browns’ 17 interceptions are the league’s fourth-most and Cleveland’s 13 fumble recoveries (recorded by 11 different players) is tied with Houston for the league high. The team’s 30 total takeaways lead the AFC and is second only to Chicago leaguewide. But the Browns’ 21 giveaways are the second-most among teams with top-ten overall ratios. Cleveland has dropped 18 passes, the league’s seventh-highest total and just one more than Baltimore’s total. Tight end Daniel Njoku has been charged with five drops, while fourth-round rookie Antonio Callaway has four.
—Cleveland has committed 108 accepted penalties, tied with Indianapolis for the fifth-most in the league, and three more than the Ravens’ total. The Browns have been called for offensive holding 20 times, one of eight teams to have 20 or more such penalties. Even worse, the Browns’ 18 defensive holding calls is tied with Denver for the league’s second-most. Defensive back TJ Carrie leads the team with ten penalties even though he has started seven games. He has four pass-interference calls. Defensive end Myles Garrett has nine flags against him, six for jumping offsides.
–Veteran defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, a 28-year NFL assistant, was hired in late October to be the franchise’s 20th head coach after Hue Jackson was released. Williams is in his second year in Cleveland. He was hired several years after being implicated and suspended as part of the New Orleans Saints’ “Bountygate” scandal. Other coaching-staff notables include senior offensive assistant Al Saunders (Ravens, 2009-10), strength and conditioning coach Evan Marcus (Maryland, 1994), and tight ends coach Greg Seamon (Navy, 1987-88).
—The Browns are a middle-of-the-pack team offensively, ranking 14th in total offense (tenth rushing, 15th passing, 19th scoring). The team has the league’s sixth-worst third-down offense but is the sixth-best in the red zone. Defensively, Cleveland is ranked 29th of the 32 teams overall (24th vs. rush, 27th vs. pass, 20th scoring). The Browns rank eighth in third-down defense but are allowing touchdowns in the red zone at a rate that ranks them 23rd in the league.
–Rookie quarterback and 2018 top overall pick Baker Mayfield is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma. Mayfield didn’t play until Week 3 when he replaced an injured Tyrod Taylor. Since then, he has started every game, throwing 24 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions for a passer rating of 95. His 64.6 completion percentage is a shade below the club single-season record of 64.7 set by Otto Graham in 1953. His touchdown-pass total is just two below the NFL single-season rookie record set by Peyton Manning and equaled by Russell Wilson. He is backed up by Taylor and NFL journeyman Drew Stanton.
—On the ground, second-round rookie Nick Chubb (35th overall pick)–the cousin of Denver pass-rushing rookie Bradley Chubb–has set the Browns’ single-season rookie rushing record with 972 yards. The previous record-holder was ex-Brown and Raven back Trent Richardson. Since replacing the traded Carlos Hyde, he has cracked the 100-yard barrier four times. And since becoming the starter in Week 7, Chubb has averaged almost 90 yards per game. Chubb’s ten total touchdowns give him 60 points, second on the team. Pass-catching back Duke Johnson is in his fourth year with the team and hasn’t missed a start. He has 36 carries but has touched the ball more as a receiver with 46 receptions.
—Flush with plenty of salary-cap room, the Browns dove into the deep end of the free-agent pool last spring. The biggest acquisition was ex-Miami receiver Jarvis Landry, who leads the team with 76 catches, an 11-yard average, with three of the team’s 25 receiving touchdowns. Njoku is next with 53 receptions and four scores, while Callaway has a 13-yard average and four touchdowns, the same number of scores as Rashard Higgins (35 catches). Ex-Ravens first-round pick Breshad Perriman has caught 13 passes in his short time with the team, but he has one score and a 22-yard average. Backing up Njoku at tight end is veteran Daniel Fells (ten catches, three scores).
—The Browns’ offensive line has been mostly made up of the same cast of characters. The newest member is fifth-year NFL left tackle (and former Detroit Lions free-agent pickup) Greg Robinson, who has just seven starts this year. The rest of the line has been constant with Joel Bitonio and Kevin Zeitler (an ex-Cincinnati Bengal) at the guards; former Pittsburgh Steelers right tackle Chris Hubbard; and ex-Green Bay Packer starter JC Tretter at center. The line has paced a solid running attack–even though it has permitted 38 sacks, But they haven’t allowed a quarterback takedown in four of the Browns’ last six games.
—Cleveland gets a pretty good pass rush from its front four. The team’s top two sack artists come from this unit. Defensive end and former first-round pick Myles Garrett has 12.5 sacks, while interior rusher Larry Ogunjobi has 5.5, along with 49 total tackles. Opposite end Emmanuel Ogbah has 37 tackles and three sacks, while defensive tackle Trevon Coley has registered 39 tackles and a half-sack. The Browns boast a deep defensive line rotation of nine players, including former Ravens’ draft pick Carl Davis, a 2015 third-round selection, who backs up Ogunjobi.
—One of the many young players that has contributed to the Browns’ aggressive defense is rookie outside linebacker and fifth-round pick Genard Avery (Memphis). He has chipped in with 29 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Avery works the weak side, while former New England Patriot starter Jamie Collins is the strong-side starter. Collins, who has a ring from Super Bowl 49, was traded to the Browns midway through 2016. He currently has 66 tackles, three sacks, an interception and forced fumble. Third-year middle linebacker Joe Schobert, who missed three midseason games with an injury, has three sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception. Eleven different players have split the Browns’ 17 interceptions.
—Fourth-year free safety and former Green Bay first-round pick Damarious Randall leads the Browns with 69 solo tackles and four interceptions. He is paired with strong safety and versatile first-rounder, Jabrill Peppers, who can also play linebacker in certain packages and contribute in the return game. Peppers has 48 solo tackles and 72 total stops, the team’s fourth-most. Cornerback TJ Carrie, despite his penalty problems, is a starter who has notched 69 total tackles. Terrance Mitchell starts on the other corner. Denzel Ward (three interceptions), this year’s fourth overall pick, has been slowed by a concussion, Backup safety Briean Boddy-Calhoun has 41 solo stops among his 50 total tackles.
—Jabrill Peppers is the team’s primary kick and punt returner. He has performed a bit below average, running back punts at an 8.8-yard rate and kickoffs at just over a 21-yard average. Rookie running back Dontrell Hilliard has run back 11 kicks at a 24-yard rate. The coverage teams have not fared well, allowing 10.7 per punt return and 24.4 on kick runbacks. Only 22 runbacks have been attempted against Cleveland’s kick-coverage team.
–Greg Joseph took over for Zane Gonzalez as the team’s kicker early in the season. That happened after Gonzalez missed three of five field-goal tries and two of five extra points. But Joseph, despite his team-high 70 points, has misfired on four extra points, while converting 16 of 18 field-goal attempts. Joseph has made all ten kicks from 40 yards or closer. Veteran punter Britton Colquitt has 32 coffin-corner punts and five touchbacks in his 79 punts this year. He has netted 38.2 yards per punt and has had two punts blocked this year.
Prediction
The Ravens are on the precipice of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2014–and only the second time since winning Super Bowl 47.
Given how well Baltimore’s offense has performed since converting to a run-first scheme, it seems inconceivable that Cleveland’s young defense will be able to respond. On top of that, the Browns have registered only two season sweeps of the Ravens.
While Cleveland is playing improved football, that play won’t be good enough to beat a team accustomed to playoff success–and one that’s hungry to experience it again.
Cleveland will have to wait its turn and it could be a long wait.
Ravens 23, Browns 10
