Back-to-back blankings?
Coming off a better-than-it-looked-on-the-scoreboard loss
last Sunday to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns travel to Baltimore for a
Sunday showdown with the Ravens in hopes of evening their record in the AFC
North.
They haul a 12-game losing streak in the division into
Baltimore, where they won their last division game, a 33-30 overtime victory on
Oct. 11, 2015. They take on a team trying to find its personality on one side
of the football and playing boastfully outstanding football on the other side.
Don’t be fooled by the Ravens’ impressive 20-0 victory
against the Bengals last Sunday in Cincinnati. When you remove the blinders,
blemishes exist.
Not on the defensive side of the ball, of course. It’s quite
an accomplishment when you pitch a shutout in the National Football League. The
Ravens have hurled 10 since 2000, tying Seattle for the league lead in that
department. The Browns, on the other hand, have been blanked 12 times in that
span, by far the most in the NFL.
But when you take a close look at the current Ravens
offense, that’s where you discover the blemishes. It starts with Joe Flacco,
the large man under enter who has tormented the Browns over the last nine
seasons. Not Ben Roethlisberger torment, but awfully close.
Since entering the league in 2008, Flacco is 15-2 against
the Browns with losses of six and three points spoiling an otherwise perfect
performance against them. He has thrown for 3,835 yards and 24 touchdowns with
only 11 interceptions.
Not exactly overwhelming quarterback figures, but Flacco was
the beneficiary of a solid defense and strong running game in many of those
victories. He basically did not make enough mistakes to alter the outcome of
games.
He was bothered by back problems enough this year to miss all of training
camp and the entire exhibition season. The rust showed in the Bengals
victory. He completed only nine of 17 passes for 121 yards, all in the first
half.
With a cushy 17-0 lead at the half and the defense playing
lights out, the coaching staff buttoned down the attack in the second half,
relying almost exclusively on the run. Flacco attempted five passes in the half
and completed none. Two of his four incompletions were nullified by defensive
penalties and one pass was picked off.
The defense, meanwhile, made life miserable for Bengals
quarterback Andy Dalton with four interceptions and the recovery of a Dalton
fumble. The Bengals’ offense threatened only once. How bad was it? Six first-half
possessions resulted in three punts and three picks.
Now factor in that the Cleveland offense is worse than
Cincinnati’s – although fans can reasonably argue that is not the case given the
Bengals have yet to score a touchdown in two games – and you get some idea of
what awaits the Browns as they help the Ravens open their home season.
The Steelers pointed the way on how to control the Cleveland
running game in the season opener. The Ravens are every bit as stingy against
the run, featuring a pair of 340-pound defensive tackles in Michael Pierce and
Brandon Williams, who take up a lot of space and are hard to move.
Also factor in Terrell Suggs, playing what the Ravens term
their rush linebacker. Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas calls Suggs, who
seems to have been around forever, one of the best pass rushers he has ever
faced. The 15-year veteran recorded two of the Ravens’ five sacks against the
Bengals.
The ultra aggressive Suggs has 17 sacks in 25 games against the Browns. As much as anything, that’s a testament to the
greatness of Thomas, who usually draws Suggs as his assignment.
The Cleveland offensive line, which struggled against Pittsburgh last Sunday,
might be challenged even more by the Ravens. Winner of that battle most likely
will be the determining factor as to the outcome.
The Browns’ defense, which starred in the season opener, is
much like Baltimore’s defense in that it gives its team the best chance to win.
The new aggressive approach on that side of the football is extremely popular with the fans and should have been made long ago.
Flacco has four new receivers this season in wideouts Michael
Campanaro, Chris Matthews and Jeremy Maclin and a new starting tight end in
Nick Boyle, who moved up when veteran Dennis Pitta was released.
Maclin, signed as a free agent, teams with Mike Wallace and
Breshad Perriman to give the Ravens outstanding speed on the outside, an attribute that could be problematic for the young Cleveland secondary.
Former Brown Terrance West and Buck Allen, who combined to compile
151 of the Ravens’ 155 yards on the ground against the Bengals, handle the
running game behind a good offensive line.
Look for more of the same kind of offense from the Ravens in this one with an emphasis on the ground game, pounding the ball until the Browns prove
they can stop it and force Flacco to throw. That undoubtedly will be the major
goal of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ front seven.
A couple of statistical facts with regard to Ravens coach
John Harbaugh. He is 16-2 against Cleveland and 6-0 against rookie quarterbacks
at home (allowing only two touchdowns and picking off eight passes). Browns
quarterback Cody Kessler was the latest victim last season. Now it’s DeShone
Kizer’s turn.
That opening-game shutout over the Bengals was the Ravens’
first since blanking (you guessed it) the Browns midway through the 2009
season.
The last time the Browns failed to score a point in a game was
a 30-0 loss to Cincinnati at home back in 2014. And the last shutout they recorded was an 8-0 triumph over
the Buffalo Bills in a blizzard at the Cleveland lakefront in December of 2007.
Shutting out a team in the NFL is difficult of course. Doing
it two games in a row is as rare as an eclipse. The St. Louis Rams last
accomplished the feat in 2014, knocking off Oakland and Washington
back-to-back.
The Ravens now have a chance to duplicate that rarity. Posting
back-to-back shutouts is nothing new for them. The 2000 team recorded four
shutouts, including back-to-back blankings of the Bengals and (you guessed it again)
Browns in weeks four and five.
First the Bengals last Sunday and now the Browns on deck
this Sunday. Will history repeat itself? No, although the Browns like last week
will make it close for a half. Make it:
Ravens 20, Browns 9
Browns Defense should control Ravens run attack (80-90 yds) and if they can limit big pass plays should hold them under 17 points. If the Browns Offense can limit turnovers and match the Ravens rush attack I believe they'll hit a couple big plays by surprise. 20-16 Browns...
ReplyDeleteI admire your optimism, unc. Don't ever lose those rose-colored glasses. A lot of ifs have to happen to be right.
ReplyDeleteThose "ifs" apply to your prediction also!
ReplyDeleteThey always do.
DeleteThey always do.
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ReplyDeleteRich... Kizer should have stayed on the sideline? Too many turn overs in the red-zone... Canceling trip to Indy now...
ReplyDeleteDon't give up, unc. If Luck doesn't play, they have a shot at winning.
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