The Ravens won in convincing fashion against their hated rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers to move to 4-4 and retake 1st place in the AFC North. The defense was once again dominant, but the offense  still had major struggles. The Ravens will look to ride the momentum of this win coming off the bye and win two in a row against the winless Cleveland Browns on Thursday night football. Baltimore already defeated the Browns in a close come from behind win in week 2. This time around the Ravens will be at home, so will they be able to improve to 5-4 with another win over the Browns?

 (You can discuss the upcoming game on our message boards and follow along in our game thread Thursday night)

The Browns woes have been well documented this season. The QB position has been in flux all season for the Browns, with rookie Cody Kessler looking to be the defacto starter. He has actually played reasonably well for the Browns although it is also reasonable to question if he has played many meaningful snaps as the Browns have not been a very competitive team. RB Isaiah Crowell has been an unheralded success story as he touts an impressive 4.7 YPC average and 5 TDs for the Browns and WR Tyrelle Pryor has also had a breakout season. Many Ravens fans will remember Crowell’s 85 yard TD in week 2, and it will be imperative for the Ravens defense led by LB C.J. Mosley to stop the Browns rushing attack Thursday night. Jimmy Smith will also have his work cut out for him if he is asked to track the 6’4” Pryor. Dean Pees tends to have a conservative game-plan, counting on the back 7 to cover for a lackluster pass-rush. So far this approach has largely worked for the Ravens defense, and it will be interesting to see if Pees decides to stick with what has worked or if he decides to dial up more pressure against a rookie QB on the road.

The Ravens offense had moments of awakening versus the Steelers in week 9, but for the most part struggled to put together drives. Penalties once again reared their ugly head and until the offensive line cleans up their mistakes, the overall product will probably still be ugly. The good news for the Ravens is that the Browns defense has holes across the board. Marty Mornhinweg showed a new-found commitment to the running game this past week and he should continue to do so versus the woeful Browns who are 2nd worst in the league both versus the run and in total defense. The Ravens should look to pound the rock and put the offense in favorable down and distance against this porous defense. The Ravens receiving corps is also relatively healthy and performing at a high level. Steve Smith Sr. has proven to be a reliable 3rd down option and Mike Wallace has injected a play-making element the team has been missing. This Thursday night match-up against a bad defense is as good a chance as the Ravens will get the rest of the season to get the offense back on track.

Thursday night football will give the Ravens a chance to build upon their success versus the Steelers and maintain their position atop the AFC North. The Ravens are not playing great football right now, but the defense is stout and the offense will have a chance to get back on track. This is a game the Ravens should win, and I think they will do so without much issue. 

Ravens 23- Browns 13

Gabe Ferguson
Gabe Ferguson

Ravens Analyst

Gabe is an avid fan of the NFL and Ravens football. He grew up in Westminster, MD, and attended college at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Biology. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and now works as a R&D Scientist developing Transplant Diagnostics assays. Gabe has appeared as a guest on 105.7 The Fan.

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