“Unstoppable” is the most appropriate term to describe the Baltimore Ravens right now. The team just extended their winning streak to five games courtesy of their fiery hot offense. With Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry both poised for career-best seasons, other NFL squads don’t seem to have an answer for John Harbaugh’s unit.
This weekend, the Ravens are eyeing a new prey: the Cleveland Browns (1-6 record). It’s an opponent that’s currently scraping and clawing just to stay afloat. In the aftermath of Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury, the Browns will be fielding backup Jameis Winston behind center against Baltimore. This alone can already get people to assume that it’ll be a walk in the park for the Ravens. Add in the recent Amari Cooper trade and some fans might not even tune in anymore due to the expected one-sidedness. However, overconfidence can bite back at times. Despite Cleveland’s troubles, positives such as Nick Chubb’s return and a competitive defensive unit continue to breathe life into the AFC North’s bottom dweller.
With all that being said, how will the Ravens fare against the Browns on Sunday? Below are some bold predictions for the Week 8 clash.
There’s no stopping the run game: Derrick Henry rushes for at least 130 yards and a touchdown, Lamar Jackson adds no less than 50 yards
Look, maybe if the Ravens faced the 2023 Browns, this prediction may be a bit more toned down. However, Cleveland’s defense hasn’t looked as sharp this season. In terms of rushing yards allowed, they went from giving up 105.5 yards last season to 126.1 yards through seven games this season. While the Browns did showcase top-tier defense against the Cincinnati Bengals last weekend — allowing just 2.4 yards per carry — their inconsistency is too much of a roadblock for a prediction in their favor.
Just look at how Jayden Daniels and Austin Ekeler carved them up on the ground back in Week 5. The Commanders, who tallied 215 rushing yards on 6.3 yards per carry in that game, took home a blowout win over the Browns. Go further back to Week 4 and the Browns’ loss to the Raiders was marred by Cleveland allowing 152 yards on the ground as five different Las Vegas RBs tallied at least 10 yards each.
If the Commanders and the Raiders were able to find their groove, what more the Ravens, who lead the NFL in total yardage (461.4 per game) and rushing yards (210.9 per game). Derrick Henry has been a monster in his first season with Baltimore. He currently leads all running backs with 873 yards to his name. As of the moment, Henry is on pace to eclipse Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record.
It also helps that the Ravens are currently the fifth-best team in run block win rate rankings, per ESPN Analytics. The fact that the O-line does a good job in giving Henry gaps is a sign that the four-time Pro Bowler could be in for another big night.
If the Browns continue to show glimpses of their stingy Week 7 defense, maybe they’ll prove this prediction wrong. But right now, more momentum is on the Ravens’ side. Expect Henry and Jackson to keep doing their thing on Sunday.
Roquan Smith continues racking up the tackles and shuts down Nick Chubb
The Ravens’ defense is interesting, to say the least. They rank dead last in pass defense, allowing 287.1 yards per game. Maybe it’s the missed coverages. Maybe it’s the fact that Baltimore has gone up against a string of talented quarterbacks to open the season. Anyhow, that’s still a problem that needs to be solved.
On the contrary, they’re the top team in terms of stopping the run. Baltimore has allowed opponents to run a mere combined 479 yards through all their games so far. One of the biggest reasons for this is none other than the team’s top linebacker, Roquan Smith. Fresh off another All-Pro campaign last year, Smith continues to be a dominant presence this season. The middle linebacker leads the Ravens with 74 tackles (40 solo). He’s also got three passes defended and an interception on Patrick Mahomes back in Week 1. Against Tampa Bay this past Monday, Smith recorded a total of 18 tackles.
Related Baltimore Ravens NewsArticle continues below
With Jerome Ford out, the Browns will again rely on Chubb to handle the majority of the carries this weekend. While everyone knows what the running back is capable of, Sunday’s outing is only Chubb’s second game back after more than a year. He did score a touchdown during his return last weekend, but he ran for just two yards per carry. It’s hard to believe that the four-time Pro Bowler will suddenly emerge in peak form against a defense that has Roquan Smith manning the middle. Furthermore, the Browns are just 26th in run block win rate, heightening the probability that Smith and other interior defenders gain the upper hand in this scenario.
The Browns put up a fight, but the Ravens take home their sixth victory in a row
The Browns will still compete, no doubt about it. They’ll be relying on blitzes and their overall physicality to try and throw Lamar Jackson off. But Jackson is just on another level right now. Criticized by many as of late, the quarterback looks like he’s on a mission to prove the doubters wrong. He’s already got 15 passing touchdowns after seven games. Against the Buccanneers, the reigning MVP completed five passes to his targets in the endzone. He currently leads all NFL signal callers with a 118.0 passer rating.
There’s a chance that Jameis Winston and Cleveland’s receivers might cause trouble, especially with how the Ravens are still finding answers to their sub-par pass coverage. Winston isn’t one to shy away from throwing risky passes, and he’ll theoretically keep trying to connect with Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku on Sunday. Nevertheless, the Ravens have do-it-all Kyle Hamilton as an answer to Njoku. As for Jeudy, his recent admission about being frustrated due to a lack of targets is something that Cleveland still has to address.
This is the Ravens’ game to take. The Browns just have too many issues while the boys in purple are showing why they’re top contenders once again.