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Ravens coach John Harbaugh called struggling starting safety Marcus Williams’ benching for Sunday’s game against the Browns in Cleveland a “personnel decision” and more quizzically “an internal” one. A day after the 28-year-old veteran never so much as reached for his helmet much less made his way onto the field in the Browns’ stunning 29-24 upset, the coach declined to elaborate. “I don’t really have anything else to say about that,” Harbaugh said when asked Monday to clarify what he meant about calling it an internal matter. “There’s a lot of things going on all the time. A lot of it’s kind of our business. It kind of belongs in-house. “It’s between us and it’s not something that we need to tell everybody everything about. I don’t think you’re telling everybody about your family business. … There’s some things we could choose to keep to ourselves and that’s gonna be one of them. I never get up here and talk about why we put guys up and put guys down. I never have. I’m probably not going to start doing that now.” What role Williams, whom the Ravens signed to a five-year, $70 million contract in 2022 that made him the fourth-highest paid safety in the NFL, will play going forward also remains a mystery. Asked if his benching was limited to just the Browns game and if he would be on the field this week against the Denver Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium, Harbaugh declined to say. He also declined to explain why he simply wasn’t inactive if he had no plans to play him, which had been the case all week. This, less than two weeks removed from what defensive coordinator Zach Orr said was Williams’ best week of practice all season going into Baltimore’s Week 7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yet, six days later, he never left the sideline. When Williams has played, he has struggled mightily. He ranks 76th out of 85 qualifying safeties, according to Pro Football Focus, with an overall grade of 48.9 and a coverage grade of 46.8. He has also allowed a passer rating of 143.9 and surrendered 16.3 yards per catch. But even with Williams riding the pine, the Ravens’ floundering secondary — which was also without starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey and rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins because of injury — was no less leaky than it had been all season. Asked if safety Marcus Williams’ benching was limited to just the Browns game and if he would be on the field this week against the Denver Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium, Ravens coach John Harbaugh declined to say. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) With a safety trio of Kyle Hamilton, Eddie Jackson and Ar’Darius Washington, along with Brandon Stephens and Jalyn Armour-Davis at cornerback, Cleveland quarterback Jameis Winston completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns. That included a 38-yard bomb to a wide-open Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds remaining for the game-winner after he inexplicably got behind Jackson on a cover zero blitz. It didn’t help, either, that Ravens defensive backs dropped at least three would-be interceptions, including two by Jackson and one by Hamilton one play before the completion to Tillman. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coach John Harbaugh will ‘turn over every stone’ to fix defensive issues Baltimore Ravens | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 29-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens’ poor secondary could derail Super Bowl dreams | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Browns QB Jameis Winston quotes Eminem after leading stunning win over Ravens Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s report card: Position-by-position grades for Ravens’ 29-24 loss to Browns | COMMENTARY “That’s where you could make a huge difference in your play — how many fewer plays you have to play, how many fewer scoring opportunities they have, the difference in points; it’s massive,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll make those plays. … We’ve got guys with good hands. They could catch the ball. I’m very confident that we’re going to do it going forward, but I’d like to see it happen real soon.” Whether Williams will be back on the field soon, however, remains a mystery for now, though Harbaugh continues to be resolute. “I’ll just reiterate what I said before; Marcus is a heck of a player,” he said. “I have the utmost confidence in him as a player, as a person, as a pro. … I anticipate him playing great football for us all season and very soon.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The Ravens’ defense could not come up with a clutch stop, and Lamar Jackson’s offense could not bail them out this time around in a 29-24 loss to the woeful Browns in Cleveland. Here are five things we learned from the game: The Ravens’ defense is a five-alarm fire Kyle Hamilton was the one defender on the field a Ravens fan might have trusted to catch a falling baby. With his raggedy unit falling apart in its effort to protect a 24-23 lead, Hamilton saw Jameis Winston’s pass float tantalizingly toward his hands. An interception would likely mean sweet relief, an escape from ignominious defeat against a Browns team that was going nowhere. Instead, the ball squiggled out of Hamilton’s grasp. On the very next play, Cleveland’s top receiver, Cedric Tillman, raced past safety Eddie Jackson like he was a stationary cone, pulling in Winston’s 38-yard strike to give the Browns a lead they would not relinquish. A blown opportunity setting up blown coverage. That about sums up where the Ravens’ defense stands after eight weeks under first-year coordinator Zach Orr. It brings no one pleasure to criticize Orr, a bright, charismatic figure going back to his days as a Ravens linebacker. But his defense isn’t working, and Sunday’s disaster, against an offense that came in as the league’s least efficient, offered the most damning evidence yet. Did any fan watching have faith the Ravens would protect that narrow lead with more than two minutes left for Winston to work? With the ball in Lamar Jackson’s hands, the Ravens are a whirlwind — a team we can envision playing for the Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans on the second Sunday in February. Right now, Orr’s defense isn’t nearly good enough for us to believe the Super Bowl is their destiny. The Browns’ final touchdown is the one that will linger in the memory, but another score late in the third quarter offered just as potent an illustration of the Ravens’ failings. Baltimore defenders pointed at one another as they scrambled to line up on third-and-5. Amid all the confusion, Tillman somehow burst unchecked through the heart of the secondary to catch a 22-yard touchdown pass from Winston. The Ravens did not seem to know what they were trying to accomplish and could not check the most basic box by covering the opponent’s most dangerous pass catcher. That’s on the coaches and on defensive leaders such as Hamilton and Roquan Smith. The Ravens, going in shorthanded without cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins, tried to shake up their secondary. They benched safety Marcus Williams, who was off to the worst start of his career, in what coach John Harbaugh described as a “personnel” decision. But that just meant more snaps for Eddie Jackson, who also has not played well. Winston had plenty of time to throw when the Ravens rushed four. He had open receivers to target between the hashmarks. When he did take an inexplicable risk, the Ravens failed to turn it into an interception. We’ve seen this formula for failure again and again from a team that defended the pass better than any other in 2023. “There’s no big theory behind it,” said Eddie Jackson, who also failed to catch a pair of would-be interceptions. “We’re just in a funk right now that we have to get out of because a lot of those are big game-changing plays if we make those.” The Ravens know there’s a problem. They showed as much by bringing in former coordinator Dean Pees as another set of eyes to help Orr. They did not play Williams, who had been on the field for 98% of their defensive snaps going into the Browns game. They’re grasping, but the solutions are eluding them. This time, the offense was too sloppy to bail them out Over five straight victories, the Ravens had rightly come to believe their offense could blow past almost any setback. Send extra rushers? Jackson would coolly slice you up. Slow Derrick Henry for a half? Fine, but he’d break you by the end. From ahead or behind, they unleashed equal devastation. The Browns didn’t exactly derail this machine. The Ravens averaged 6.2 yards per play and drove 91 yards for a touchdown to give themselves a chance to win. But this was not the offense that had executed so ruthlessly in the red zone and on third down. Receivers dropped passes at key moments. Jackson took risks that could easily have led to interceptions. Coordinator Todd Monken called odd short-yardage plays that did not work. They never built their usual crushing advantage on the ground and had to go away from Henry as they played from behind in the fourth quarter. The Ravens wasted a 77-yard opening drive when they inexplicably called a direct snap to Henry on fourth-and-1, taking the threat of Jackson out of the equation. They blew another red zone chance on their next drive when Jackson sailed a pass well beyond the reach of a wide-open Zay Flowers. They made error after error on third down, converting just two of 10 after they came in with a 50% success rate, second best in the league. “It honestly goes back to execution. Whatever the play, somehow, someway, no matter what it [was], we beat ourselves,” wide receiver Rashod Bateman said. “I don’t know what [better] position [we] could have been in. It could have been the receivers, it could have been [the] O-line; you never know. But we are a team, and I just feel like we all failed when we should excel.” Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers reacts after an incomplete pass in the end zone with no time remaining in Sunday’s loss against the Browns. (David Richard/AP) With the Ravens in Cleveland territory on their first drive of the second half and needing to answer a Browns touchdown, Nelson Agholor dropped a strike from Jackson. Early in the fourth quarter, it was Bateman who dropped Jackson’s on-target throw, setting up Justin Tucker to miss short and left from 50 yards. On the Ravens’ next drive, Bateman lost his footing, then lost the ball in the sun, squandering a potential 40-yard gain that would have put them in scoring position. The performance was a setback for the 2021 first-round draft pick coming off the best three-game stretch of his career. We covered the direct snap to Henry. In the third quarter, tight end Charlie Kolar lined up to take a direct snap on third-and-1 and instead set the Ravens back with a false start. Again, why the overthought gimmicks in short yardage when Jackson or Henry could have carried the ball? Jackson rendered that one moot by slipping away from pressure to find Isaiah Likely for a first down. He threw a strike to Mark Andrews for a touchdown two plays later. But even on a successful drive, the Ravens made their lives unnecessarily difficult. They nearly rallied anyway against one of the tougher defenses on their schedule. There’s no reason to doubt the Ravens will roll up yards and points in the weeks to come. They just came up with too few too late on this frustrating afternoon. They weren’t first to blame, but this was also a rough day for the Ravens’ offensive line They have been the happiest surprise on the team — the unit that evolved from supposed Achilles heel to rock-solid foundation for the Ravens’ offensive brilliance. That happy narrative took a turn against Cleveland’s talented defensive front. Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett finished with just one quarterback hit, but his modest statistical line belied the pressure he imposed. In part because of Garrett’s presence, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who had played at a Pro Bowl level through seven games, set the Ravens back with a holding penalty and a false start. Former Raven Za’Darius Smith, the subject of rampant trade rumors, had his way with rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten, piling up a sack, two tackles for loss and 10 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus’ initial charting. Center Tyler Linderbaum wiped out a 22-yard Lamar Jackson scramble with a holding penalty in the second quarter. Cleveland finished with three sacks, seven quarterback hits and seven tackles for loss, and the damage could have been worse if not for Jackson’s wondrous scrambling. Kyle Hamilton was oh so close to playing savior If Hamilton had pulled in that final interception, the day would have belonged to him. He had saved the Ravens’ bacon with two huge plays in the first half and had perhaps been the team’s best run defender and pass rusher. The final twist — a ball Hamilton would probably catch nine out of 10 times — was cruel. So it goes at times, even for the sharpest and most gifted among us. Hamilton was gone from the postgame locker room by the time reporters arrived, so we’ll have to wait to hear his thoughts on the matter. Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton can’t come up with an interception that would have sealed the victory Sunday. The Browns scored the game-winning touchdown on the next play. (Nick Cammett/Getty) Prudent quarterbacks don’t throw screens to Hamilton’s side of the field. Winston had driven the Browns 91 yards on their opening possession when he called an audible in the red zone, dumping the ball to Tillman to counter a Baltimore blitz. Hamilton read the chess board and raced upfield to destroy the play before Tillman could take a step. His bold move saved four points. With Cleveland up 6-3 and facing third-and-15 in the two-minute drill, Hamilton came swooping in from Winston’s blind side to strip the ball. Trenton Simpson recovered it, and two plays later, Jackson threw an 11-yard dart to Agholor to give the Ravens a halftime lead they probably did not deserve. Hamilton was the reason for it on a day when so many of his defensive comrades could not suit up because of injury or illness. Sometimes, a team has to fall back on its superstars in tense moments, and if we needed a reminder that Hamilton is one of the three or four most important Ravens on the roster, he provided it. It’s still true, even with that final drop overshadowing everything else he did in Cleveland. This loss doesn’t have to mean much in the long run It’s striking that the Ravens have now fallen to two of the NFL’s worst teams because of their own head-smacking errors. It’s tempting to say a real contender would never crumble against the likes of the Browns and the Las Vegas Raiders. But of course that’s not true. Real contenders lose to inferior opponents in head-scratching ways every season. The Ravens did it last season when they dropped every pass under the sun in Pittsburgh. The eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Raiders on Christmas, scoring just 14 points in their Yuletide misery. The eventual runner-up San Francisco 49ers lost three straight last October. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens’ poor secondary could derail Super Bowl dreams | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Browns QB Jameis Winston quotes Eminem after leading stunning win over Ravens Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s report card: Position-by-position grades for Ravens’ 29-24 loss to Browns | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ defense collapses in 29-24 loss to Browns, ending 5-game winning streak Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 29-24 loss to Cleveland Browns It happens. The Ravens still feature the reigning Most Valuable Player at the head of the scariest offense they’ve ever fielded. They’re still in very good position to win the AFC North. They’re a few twists from being 7-1 or even 8-0. Their defense has reached a legitimately concerning state, but even on that side of the ball, they’ll likely be healthier next Sunday with Humphrey, Wiggins and defensive tackle Travis Jones (active but hampered by an ankle injury in Cleveland) recuperating. They’ll be favored at home against the offensively challenged Denver Broncos and again four days later against a Cincinnati Bengals team that was just hammered by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Ravens left Cleveland embarrassed by the mess they made, but this loss wasn’t the end of anything. “Any given Sunday, a team can wake up, and it could be their day,” Lamar Jackson said. “We just have to play better all around, that’s all.” Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. Week 9 Broncos at Ravens Sunday, 1 p.m. TV: CBS Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Ravens by 9 1/2 View the full article

CLEVELAND — The Ravens brought Dean Pees back as an adviser to help young defensive coordinator Zach Orr. Here’s a suggestion: At this point, coach John Harbaugh should invite some of the previous defensive coordinators to return, such as Greg Mattison, Rex Ryan, Don “Wink” Martindale and Chuck Pagano. Shoot, fly in former Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis if he can get out of his contract with Las Vegas as the Raiders’ assistant head coach. These are desperate times for Baltimore. The Ravens got beat, 29-24, Sunday by Cleveland and were lit up by quarterback Jameis Winston, who completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards with three touchdowns and finished with a passer rating of 115.3. Yes, that Winston. The last time Winston was a full-time starter, he threw for 5,109 yards with 33 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions for Tampa Bay in 2019. Worse yet, he was filling in for the injured Deshaun Watson, who ruptured his Achilles tendon last week, so Winston was making his first start of the season. There has been a cloud hovering over Cleveland this week after fans booed Watson while he lay on the field injured, and there were recent reports about fans being angry with the threat of team owners possibly moving the team from downtown Huntington Bank Field to a new domed arena in the suburbs. So, either the Ravens were going to get a reborn Browns team or one in a pitiful mental state. They got Winston, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft by Tampa Bay who spent four seasons in New Orleans before coming to the Browns at the start of this season, and they shouldn’t lose to him. He can still play, but let’s not get carried away. The 30-year-old journeyman is on the tail end of a 10-year career, but he carved the Ravens into near submission. This was embarrassing. Where do I begin? I’m not worried about that, as it’s the ending that is more of a concern. “It’s frustrating, for sure,” Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike said. “We’re the Ravens. We pride ourselves on defense, and obviously, everybody is referring to how great we were last year and just comparing it to this year, it’s just not the same. … But hey, we’re just going to go back to practice [and] just fix those little things. That’s where it starts, and that’s where it can transfer to the game [from] so we can win these games. “This is a game we should have won, and we didn’t, so it’s very frustrating. And I know a lot of guys feel the same way I feel. But, we have an opponent coming into our house [next week], and that’s the next thing we’re going to focus on.” The Ravens simply can’t cover in the secondary. They aren’t even close. It’s not a physical problem because the Ravens aren’t just getting beat in one-on-one situations. They aren’t even in the vicinity, especially in the middle of the field. Receiver Elijah Moore had eight catches for 85 yards while fellow wideout Cedric Tillman finished with seven receptions for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Jerry Jeudy and tight end David Njoku combined for 10 catches for 140 yards and a score. This was just plain ugly. Safety Kyle Hamilton’s dropped interception in the fourth quarter was just one of several from the Ravens on Sunday. (Nick Cammett/Getty) The worst part was Tillman’s 38-yard touchdown pass over the middle from Winston with 59 seconds remaining to win the game as he ran by safety Eddie Jackson. The Ravens blitzed to no avail. Nearly three years ago, Harbaugh didn’t offer Martindale a contract because he said the Ravens were too predictable blitzing and leaving the team vulnerable in “zero coverage.” There were no excuses Sunday because the Ravens have too many holes. Cornerback Brandon Stephens can’t cover one-on-one and can’t find the ball — a reason more teams are starting to pick on him. The only real press corner the Ravens have is rookie Nate Wiggins, and he missed Sunday’s game because of a shoulder injury and illness. The rest of this crew are just fill-ins, but they still should only be a step or two behind receivers, not lightyears. They can’t catch either. Safety Eddie Jackson had three passes in his hands Sunday and couldn’t make an interception. Winston overthrew Moore with 1:08 remaining, which should have sealed the win for the Ravens if safety Kyle Hamilton had held onto the ball. But Hamilton bobbled it and it fell to the turf. The next play, Tillman scored. “ just have to come down with it. just have to continue to work on it [and] see the ball through,” Jackson said. “It’s like a funk right now. Like I said, there’s no big theory behind it, just have to catch the ball. It sounds crazy, but I just have to come up with them.” Ravens safety Eddie Jackson struggled against the Browns, losing track of receivers and dropping potential interceptions. (Sue Ogrocki/AP) I’ve tried to be quiet for the last couple of weeks watching Orr and this secondary. In fact, I’ve advised patience. But now, bring all the former coordinators back. Heck, throw a party and have a reunion. But let’s not focus just on the secondary. Winston sat in the pocket and delivered quick, short passes both inside and outside. The Ravens had virtually no pass rush and Winston was sacked only twice. He was hurried just seven times. The Ravens got little pressure from inside, especially Madubuike, and even less from outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, who combined for five tackles and no sacks. “We weren’t able to do that in this game,” Harbaugh said of the lack of pass rush. “We’ll definitely break it all down. We’ll break every aspect of it down. When we sit there and watch the film, everybody will look at everything that they can do better and everything we did, and we’ll try to continue to keep improving. I mean, there’s a lot of football left to be played. You’re not going to win every game.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Browns QB Jameis Winston quotes Eminem after leading stunning win over Ravens Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s report card: Position-by-position grades for Ravens’ 29-24 loss to Browns | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ defense collapses in 29-24 loss to Browns, ending 5-game winning streak Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 29-24 loss to Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens | Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah carted off field after collision with Ravens RB Derrick Henry Middle linebacker Roquan Smith finished with eight tackles but hasn’t made an impactful play since the season opener against Kansas City. It’s great the Ravens have this wonderful and top-ranked offense, but on Sunday there was a glimpse of what might happen if quarterback Lamar Jackson doesn’t bring his A-game. “It was a tough situation coming in here,” Harbaugh said. “I think our guys handled all of that pretty well — we operated pretty well. We didn’t do enough; we didn’t make the plays; we didn’t make the calls that we need to make to win the game, and that’s really what it boils down to.” The Ravens had no running game, even with Derrick Henry, who had 11 carries for 73 yards. His long run of 39 yards came in the first half. Without the play-action passing game and run-pass options, the Ravens struggle to be effective. Jackson tried to bring the Ravens back with late-game heroics, but that wasn’t enough. Not even he could overcome the Ravens’ problems in the secondary. Right now, it’s the difference between being a possible Super Bowl contender to one that needs its quarterback to put on a Superman cape every week. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

It was a big day for Jameis Winston and his “unwavering faith.” Thrust into the starting lineup for the first time since 2022 after Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon last week, the journeyman quarterback led the Browns to a dramatic 29-24 win over the Ravens on Sunday in Cleveland. Though he was the beneficiary of four dropped interceptions by the Ravens’ secondary — including one by safety Kyle Hamilton that could have sealed the win for Baltimore — Winston finished 27 of 41 for 334 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winning 38-yard pass to Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds left. When asked to describe the win, just Cleveland’s second of the season after a five-game losing streak, Winston cited his faith during his postgame interview with CBS’ Amanda Balionis. “Unwavering faith,” he said. “Ultimate belief. Depending on the Lord, and depending on the Lord should have been first. He gets all the glory. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for this win.” He then shouted out a “white boy from Detroit,” rapper Eminem, and quoted some of the 15-time Grammy Award-winning artist’s most famous lyrics. “He said, ‘You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity lasts once in a lifetime.’ … I’m just grateful. I’m grateful that the Lord provided me with this opportunity, I’m grateful for my teammates, my coaches and these amazing fans.” In his postgame comments with reporters in Cleveland, Winston said it was “by the grace of God” that Hamilton dropped his overthrown pass just one play before he hit Tillman deep down the middle of the field for the go-ahead touchdown. “When situations like that happen, you always sit back and you’re like, ‘Man, I still got stuff to work on.’ Because it could have been a matter of whatever,” he said. “Who knows how we would feel right now if that [interception] would have happened? But I’m so grateful that was an ‘if.’ And ifs and woulds and shoulda-couldas don’t mean nothing in this game.” Have a news tip? Contact C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

Here’s how the Ravens (5-3) graded out at every position after a 29-24 loss to the host Cleveland Browns (2-6) on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field. Quarterback If the Browns’ defensive players could catch, Lamar Jackson would have been intercepted four times in the first half alone. Jackson had an off day and made some poor decisions while rolling to his right and throwing back across the middle of the field. That’s a major no-no in the NFL. The Ravens had several drops that would have padded Jackson’s stats, but he also missed a wide-open Zay Flowers on a deep pass near the end zone early in the second quarter and tight end Isaiah Likely wide-open in the middle of the field early in the fourth. Rashod Bateman also dropped what should have easily been a big gain on third-and-14 in the fourth quarter. Jackson completed 23 of 38 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns and finished with a passer rating of 101.8. He led the Ravens on a 91-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, but he couldn’t deliver the game-winning score in the final minute. Grade: C+ Running backs If the Ravens have a strong running game, it opens up the play-action passing game and creates scoring opportunities. The Browns kept running back Derrick Henry under control for most of the game as he rushed 11 times for 73 yards, but one of those attempts netted him 39 yards. Backup Justice Hill wasn’t much of a factor as either a runner or a receiver. Henry had 47 yards on five carries in the first half but wasn’t a factor in the second. Jackson tried to carry the Ravens, but his heroics were too little, too late. To succeed, the Ravens’ running game has to complement the passing game. Grade: C Offensive line The Ravens had trouble with the Browns’ pass rush, particularly defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo, who could play inside or outside. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley, as expected, had problems with end Myles Garrett, one of the better and more complete players in the NFL. But the Ravens also struggled inside, especially center Tyler Linderbaum trying to handle nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. Tomlinson got penetration against Linderbaum several times to ruin plays up the middle, especially the toss to Henry, who tried to cut back up the middle. The false start or illegal formation penalties are getting old. The Browns had three sacks. Grade: C- Receivers The Ravens had success at times, but not enough to carry the offense, especially without a strong running game. They dropped too many passes, from Nelson Agholor to Bateman. The Ravens averaged 12.4 yards per catch, including 16.4 by Flowers, who had seven catches for 115 yards. Mark Andrews had five catches for 36 yards and a touchdown and fellow tight end Likely had four for 47 yards, but the Ravens weren’t consistent enough downfield as Jackson was hit 10 times and flushed from the pocket on many occasions. The Ravens like to get Hill involved in the passing game, but he only had one reception for 14 yards. Grade: C Defensive line The Ravens were fairly successful in slowing Cleveland’s running game as the Browns had 80 yards on 23 carries, but halfback Nick Chubb rushed 16 times for 52 yards and had some punishing runs. There were times when he refused to go down. The Browns also did a nice job of having quarterback Jameis Winston throw short and quick, and the Ravens never adjusted. Baltimore had two sacks, but never got consistent pressure. Nnamdi Madubuike finished with two tackles and reserve end Brent Urban (who left with a concussion) had one, but the rest of this group didn’t have a tackle. Michael Pierce also exited with a calf injury. For the Ravens to be successful, this group has to get more pressure from the middle of the line. They were solid, but not dominant. Even if these guys just get their hands up to block passing lanes, it would be helpful. Grade: C Linebackers Middle linebacker Roquan Smith led the group with eight tackles but he didn’t dominate in the middle. In fact, he hasn’t played exceptionally well all season. Weakside linebacker Trenton Simpson finished with four tackles, including one for a loss, but he wasn’t much of a factor, and the same can be said of outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh and Malik Harrison. Oweh and Van Noy combined for five tackles and zero sacks. Regardless of how badly the secondary performed, it makes it even worse when a team can’t get pressure. Grade: C- Secondary Does any player occupy the middle of the field for the Ravens? The Browns were open over the middle all afternoon, from intermediate to deep routes. The Ravens tried to play zone and man-to-man coverage, but nothing worked. The only time the Ravens had success or got consistent pressure on Winston was when safety Kyle Hamilton blitzed off the edge. Hamilton finished with 10 tackles and safety Eddie Jackson also had 10. Safety Marcus Williams was benched. Cornerback Brandon Stephens had trouble with several of the Browns’ receivers, and the Ravens also gave Cleveland too much cushion on the outside. The Ravens’ defensive backs dropped four interceptions, including a drop by Hamilton that could have sealed the win late in the fourth quarter. The Ravens need some more direction, and this poor showing was not because cornerback Marlon Humphrey was out because of a knee injury. Grade: D- Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ defense collapses in 29-24 loss to Browns, ending 5-game winning streak Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 29-24 loss to Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens | Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah carted off field after collision with Ravens RB Derrick Henry Baltimore Ravens | Ravens safety Ar’Darius Washington starts in place of Marcus Williams vs. Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns, October 27, 2024 | PHOTOS Special teams Justin Tucker made a 49-yard field goal attempt in the first half, but his 50-yard try sailed wide left with 13:03 remaining in the game. There will be questions about his leg strength again. Cleveland must have noticed something about the Ravens’ return game because their kickoffs were short and the Ravens averaged just 22.3 yards on six returns, including a long of 24 yards. Jordan Stout averaged 52.3 yards on four punts, including a long of 64 yards. He also put one inside the Browns’ 20-yard line. Grade: C Coaching This became a vintage Ravens performance in which they come in and play down to the caliber of their competition. Offensively, the Ravens did well enough to win but made some boneheaded decisions early in the game by going for it on fourth-and-1 with 8:48 left in the first quarter instead of attempting a field goal. They also put Henry in the Wildcat to take a direct snap, which makes no sense. Why not have Henry and Jackson in the same backfield, which puts more pressure on a defense? The Ravens also tried a quarterback sneak with backup tight end Charlie Kolar, which led to a false start, and then attempted a shovel pass to Likely on first-and-goal in the second half. They tried to get too cute. As for the defense, this group is downright ugly. With or without adviser Dean Pees, this secondary can’t get out of its own way except to disappear quickly for postgame interviews. Grade: C- Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

CLEVELAND — The Ravens came roaring into Sunday’s AFC North showdown against the floundering and wounded Browns riding a five-game winning streak and the strength of the NFL’s best offense. They limped out of it shaking their heads over mistakes and missed opportunities while looking nothing like the Super Bowl contender they seemed shaping up to be. Browns quarterback Jameis Winston, making his first start since 2022, completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns, including a 38-yarder to a wide-open Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lift the Browns to a shocking 29-24 upset. The loss dropped the Ravens to 5-3 while the Browns improved to 2-6. Baltimore had its opportunities, right until the end. As good as Winston looked against a beleaguered Ravens secondary that has struggled all year and was without two starting cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (knee) and Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness), Ravens quarterback and Most Valuable Player candidate Lamar Jackson wasn’t as sharp as usual, posting a season-worst completion percentage of 60.5% and taking a season-high three sacks. Still, he drove Baltimore to the Browns’ 24-yard line in the final seconds and had a chance to be the hero before his final heave into the end zone fell incomplete. Jackson finished 23 of 38 passing for 289 yards with two touchdowns while running eight times for 46 yards. He led a six-play, 91-yard scoring drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry with 2:36 remaining. But the bigger story was what the Ravens didn’t do and the wilting of their defense. Baltimore safety Eddie Jackson, starting in place of the struggling Marcus Williams, dropped at least two would-be interceptions. Fellow safety Kyle Hamilton dropped another on the Browns’ final possession before Winston and Tillman connected on the next play. The Ravens’ vaunted running attack never got going, either, as Henry finished with 73 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Worse yet was the Ravens’ defense, which surrendered 400 total yards, including over 300 yards passing. Even kicker Justin Tucker, who righted his season after missing several kicks early in the year, came up short on a 50-yard attempt that would’ve tied the game at 20 early in the fourth quarter. For the first 30 minutes, it looked like this one might come down to the end. The Ravens managed 149 yards, including only 84 yards passing, in the first half. They were unsuccessful on four third-down attempts and one fourth-down try. Jackson had just 95 yards on 9 of 14 passing, while Henry managed 47 yards on five carries, with 39 coming on one run. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 29-24 loss to Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens | Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah carted off field after collision with Ravens RB Derrick Henry Baltimore Ravens | Ravens safety Ar’Darius Washington starts in place of Marcus Williams vs. Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns, October 27, 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns live updates: Postgame reaction and analysis from Baltimore’s 29-24 loss There were also several curious decisions: A failed direct snap to Henry on fourth down, a false start on tight end Charlie Kolar after he lined up under center, an awkward shuffle pass to tight end Isaiah Likely, among others. Baltimore was coming off a season-high 41 points and 508 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night but looked nothing like that team six days later. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Week 9 Broncos at Ravens Sunday, 1 p.m. TV: CBS Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Ravens by 9 1/2 Browns tight end David Njoku, left, scores a touchdown after a catch over Ravens safety Eddie Jackson in the third quarter Sunday in Cleveland. (Sue Ogrocki/AP) View the full article

Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 29-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Sunday’s Week 8 game at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland. Brian Wacker, reporter: The story of this game was missed opportunities, defensive mistakes and curious coaching decisions. Put another way, issues that have plagued the Ravens all season. On defense, the secondary continues to give up wide-open catches and not generate a pass rush. On offense, the Ravens never got the running game going and Lamar Jackson never got in a rhythm. Baltimore also committed drive-killing penalties and had too many self-inflicted wounds to overcome. Childs Walker, reporter: We’re seeing too much confusion and not enough playmaking from a Ravens’ defense that allowed the league’s least efficient offense to move freely on Sunday afternoon in Cleveland. There’s no reason to have faith they’ll come up with clutch stops. Their best defender, Kyle Hamilton, dropped the easiest interception possible. Eddie Jackson was dusted for a go-ahead touchdown pass on the next play. That about sums up where they stand eight games into the season. Could Lamar Jackson’s offense pick up the slack as it had over the previous five games? They came up with too little, too late this time. The Ravens dropped too many passes (Nelson Agholor one and Rashod Bateman two) on third down, squandered too many points with poor execution and strange plays calls in the red zone. They wasted a 77-yard opening drive when they inexplicably called a direct snap to Derrick Henry on fourth-and-1, taking the threat of Jackson out of the equation. The Ravens reached the red zone again on their second drive, but Jackson overshot a wide-open Zay Flowers streaking toward the goal line. They gave the hapless Browns an opening to build a lead and build confidence. The Ravens started the day without cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins, and injuries to Brent Urban and Michael Pierce quickly thinned out their defensive line. We saw the flaws that have haunted them all season — no pressure from the four-man rush, too many receivers open between the hash marks, a failure to convert interception chances. The worst offense in the league moved the ball up and down the field on them. Hamilton saved the Ravens’ bacon early, blowing up a screen in the red zone to force a field goal in the first quarter and stripping Jameis Winston to set up Jackson’s touchdown strike to Agholor just before halftime. But Winston had their number in the second half. Mike Preston, columnist: There were two things that were going to happen in this game. Because the Browns were starting a new quarterback in Jameis Winston, the Ravens were either going to get a great effort from Cleveland or a pitiful performance from a team that had been demoralized and had recently been threatened by its owner to move its stadium to the suburbs outside the city. Well, Cleveland gave a strong effort. The Ravens have a lot of holes on defense, particularly with coverage in the middle of the field. Lamar Jackson had an average day and at times tried too hard to be a too much of a hero, but he was good enough to rally the Ravens with one fourth-quarter scoring drive. In the end, he couldn’t lead another, as his final pass fell incomplete in the end zone. But this game wasn’t about the success of the Ravens’ offense, rather their glaring weaknesses on defense. Sam Cohn, reporter: Missed chance after missed chance after missed chance to potentially close out a sixth consecutive win. The Ravens’ secondary had three clear drops, most consequentially from All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton that would have iced the game. Jameis Winston uncorked a 38-yard long ball for a go-ahead touchdown on the next play that put him over 300 yards — that said it all. Baltimore has one of the NFL’s best offenses, and the past four weeks it’s masked how troubling the defense has been. In fairness, this Ravens defense was depleted, but it shows how near-perfect the offense needs to be if they’re going to make a playoff run. Lamar Jackson kept plays alive and threw for nearly 300 yards with two touchdowns but was left spiking his helmet after the final play. C.J. Doon, editor: Stunning. Despite all the mistakes and dropped passes on both offense and defense, it didn’t feel like the Ravens would lose until the clock finally expired. That 38-yard touchdown pass from Jameis Winston to Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds left was reminiscent of that Tyler Boyd catch that ended the Ravens’ playoff hopes at the end of the 2017 season. Just an unbelievable turn of events for a defense that couldn’t get out of its own way all afternoon. Lamar Jackson played heroically, carrying the Ravens with his usual flair and uncanny elusiveness. Without him, this game is not even close, and yet they had a shot to win on the final play. But you can tell by Jackson’s reaction at the end of the game, slamming his helmet to the turf in frustration, that this is not a game the Ravens should ever lose. After such a promising five-game winning streak, old fears about a disappointing defense, untrustworthy receivers and a lack of commitment to the running game (11 carries for Derrick Henry?) reared their ugly heads. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah carted off field after collision with Ravens RB Derrick Henry Baltimore Ravens | Ravens safety Ar’Darius Washington starts in place of Marcus Williams vs. Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns, October 27, 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns live updates: Postgame reaction and analysis from Baltimore’s 29-24 loss Baltimore Ravens | Ravens shuffle banged-up secondary with CB Nate Wiggins ruled out vs. Browns Tim Schwartz, editor: After five straight wins, the Ravens were due to lay an egg. It’s simply become a twisted routine for one of the best teams in the NFL to lose to one of the worst. Lamar Jackson led a masterful six-play, 91-yard go-ahead drive late in the fourth quarter only for the defense to miss yet another opportunity to change the game by allowing Jameis Winston to lead a late scoring drive. Kyle Hamilton will have nightmares about dropping that would-be game-ending interception on the play before Winston’s game-winning touchdown pass. All of Baltimore’s early-season woes shined in this one, but the four dropped picks by the secondary was the difference for me. Winston tried his best to give this one away and the Ravens politely declined. Awful, awful loss to a lowly division foe that could come back to haunt them. Or maybe they will win five in a row again. It’s truly anybody’s guess which Ravens team shows up each week. Bennett Conlin, editor: There aren’t words that do this loss justice. I can’t remember seeing an NFL team drop so many catchable passes and interceptions. Kyle Hamilton and Eddie Jackson had their hands on game-changing interceptions, only to let them fall through their hands. Rashod Bateman dropped a chunk play, with the ball bouncing off his facemask. That’s an ugly and avoidable loss for Baltimore, with just about every season-long concern about the team showing back up. Justin Tucker looked shaky on longer kicks, the defense struggled to contain a backup quarterback, the offensive line let up too much pressure and the receivers dropped catchable passes. Baltimore somehow dropped several easy interceptions, any of which could’ve been the difference. Even Lamar Jackson missed a few throws that would’ve led to chunk plays, putting a dent in his MVP candidacy. It was not a clean performance from the Ravens, who had looked much sharper the last five weeks. The Ravens have no need to panic sitting at 5-3 overall, but losing to previously 1-6 Cleveland could’ve been avoided and will sting. There were so many missed opportunities by the Ravens, and losing to both Las Vegas and Cleveland will damage playoff seeding — should Baltimore stay on track and make the postseason. If the Ravens want to win the AFC North and make a deep postseason push, they need to fix their weaknesses in a hurry. Improved defensive health would be a good start. Baltimore played without cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins. Defensive tackles Michael Pierce and Brent Urban left with injuries, too. Baltimore’s defense, which is questionable when fully healthy, can’t afford to be without so many of its top players. The Ravens should’ve won Sunday, though, and injuries can’t be an excuse for losing to a bad Cleveland team. View the full article

Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was carted off the field after suffering a neck injury in a collision with Ravens running back Derrick Henry in the third quarter of Sunday’s AFC North matchup. Owusu-Koramoah, who wears a soft Guardian Cap to help absorb such contact, was quickly tended to before being placed on a backboard and carted off the field. He was later ruled out with a neck injury and taken to a local hospital but does have movement in all of his extremities. The 6-foot-2, 247-pound Henry was not hurt on the play. Fans in Huntington Bank Stadium in Cleveland let out “JOK” chants as their 24-year-old defensive leader went back to the locker room holding a hand up to the crowd. He had a team-high seven tackles with three tackles for loss before the injury. Between Owusu-Koramoah and cornerback Denzel Ward, who was ruled out with a head injury in the first half, Cleveland is without two of its best defensive players. Ward has already suffered five concussions in his career, most recently during training camp this summer. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

A depleted Ravens secondary that ranks last in the NFL defending the pass has even more personnel intrigue: Ar’Darius Washington started at safety in place of Marcus Williams on Sunday. Williams had started all seven games at safety, ranking sixth on the Ravens in tackles (25) with two pass deflections and a fumble recovery. But he’s struggled this year along with the secondary, ranking 76th among safeties with a 46.8 grade in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. The 28-year-old Williams, who signed a five-year, $70 million free agent deal in 2022, had played 98% of the defensive snaps to begin the season but remained on the sideline without a helmet during each of the Cleveland Browns’ first few offensive drives. Washington, a 2021 undrafted free agent, has been a limited contributor, playing 31% of the defensive snaps entering Sunday. He had a pass deflection against the Kansas City Chiefs and a season-high six tackles against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. He’s starting next to Kyle Hamilton as the Ravens chase a sixth straight win. Baltimore’s defense is already without Marlon Humphrey (knee) and Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) at cornerback. The secondary has been a contentious area for a defense trying to live up to its league-leading group from a year ago. In Cleveland, the Ravens are facing a quarterback in Jameis Winston making his first start since 2022 with play-calling duties having been handed off from coach Kevin Stefanski to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey this week. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns, October 27, 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns live updates: Score tied 3-3 in second quarter Baltimore Ravens | Ravens shuffle banged-up secondary with CB Nate Wiggins ruled out vs. Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey doubtful vs. Browns; WR Zay Flowers returns to practice Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith fined for hip-drop tackle; Bucs WR Chris Godwin reacts on Instagram “We’re kind of looking at it as a blessing in disguise, because what we’ve trying to preach the last couple weeks is we obviously have got to know our opponent, know the personnel to have the best plan to defeat them, but it’s really about us and our rules and our fundamentals and playing that,” first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “So, obviously, they’ve got a quarterback who you don’t have much film on this year, with these type of players, in this system, and you’ve got a new play caller, who hasn’t called plays with this personnel, so it’s definitely going to be a little bit of unknown, but that just makes us focus on our job even more.” Ravens defensive lineman Brent Urban was also ruled out with a concussion in the second quarter. The decade-long veteran has played in five games this season, lining up for 26% of the defensive snaps. Defensive tackle Michael Pierce also exited in the second quarter with a calf injury. He walked off the field with trainers but was later ruled out for the game. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh runs on to the field before the start of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/David Richard) Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) warms up prior to the start of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Kirk Irwin) Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker (9) warms up prior to the start of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Kirk Irwin) Baltimore Ravens defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, left, and cornerback Brandon Stephens (21) warm up before the start of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) View the full article

The Ravens (5-2) take on the Cleveland Browns (1-6) on Sunday at 1 p.m. in a Week 8 clash between AFC North rivals. Baltimore is riding a five-game winning streak, while Cleveland has lost five in a row. Follow along here for live coverage and analysis. View the full article

The Ravens’ banged-up secondary is getting some reinforcements. On Saturday, Baltimore activated cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis from injured reserve and elevated undrafted rookie cornerback Ryan “Bump” Cooper Jr. from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the host Cleveland Browns. The Ravens (5-2) also placed rookie cornerback T.J. Tampa (ankle) on injured reserve, meaning the fourth-round draft pick will miss at least four games. Rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) did not travel with the team to Cleveland, but his playing status for Sunday remains questionable. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey doubtful vs. Browns; WR Zay Flowers returns to practice Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith fined for hip-drop tackle; Bucs WR Chris Godwin reacts on Instagram Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: How Ravens and Todd Monken evolved and built the league’s best offense | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Former Ravens TE Todd Heap reacts to Mark Andrews breaking his TD record Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley, healthy again, is elite once more Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (knee), who leads the team with four interceptions, is doubtful to play Sunday after being injured in Monday night’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But Arthur Maulet will make his season debut, joining Brandon Stephens, Ar’Darius Washington, Armour-Davis and Cooper as healthy cornerbacks against a Browns offense now led by quarterback Jameis Winston and new play-caller Ken Dorsey. The Ravens’ pass defense is the worst in the NFL, allowing 287.1 yards per game. Last season, Maulet recorded 37 tackles, a pair of sacks and an interception in 14 games. The 31-year-old had an impressive training camp but tweaked his hamstring in his first practice back from arthroscopic knee surgery and missed seven games. Armour-Davis, who started the season opener in Kansas City, has not played since a Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys because of a hamstring injury. The 2022 fourth-round pick has played just 15 snaps on defense this season, lining up mostly on special teams. Wiggins, a first-round pick, has started three games, recording 13 tackles, seven pass breakups and a forced fumble. View the full article

The Ravens are likely to be without their top cornerback for Sunday’s AFC North showdown against the Browns in Cleveland. Marlon Humphrey, who did not practice for a third straight day Friday because of a knee injury, was listed as doubtful for the game. He suffered the injury late in the second quarter of Baltimore’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night and did not return. Humphrey leads the Ravens (5-2) with a career-high four interceptions this season and is coming off having two last week. Baltimore will be without rookie running back Rasheen Ali (ankle) and rookie cornerback T.J. Tampa (ankle), neither of whom practiced Friday and were ruled out. Several other players, meanwhile, were listed as questionable, including wide receiver Zay Flowers (ankle), who returned to practice after being absent the past two days. The 2023 first-round draft pick suffered the injury Monday night, though he finished the game. Flowers leads the Ravens in catches (34) and receiving yards (412) and has one touchdown. Also questionable for Baltimore are cornerback Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) and defensive tackle Travis Jones (ankle). Both were limited at Friday’s practice. Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring) was limited as well and likewise listed as questionable. Defensive back Arthur Maulet, who missed the first seven games after arthroscopic knee surgery and a subsequent hamstring injury, will make his season debut. As for the Browns, they’ll be without running back Jerome Ford (hamstring), safety Ronnie Hickman (ankle), linebacker Jordan Hicks (elbow/triceps) and left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee). Guard Wyatt Teller (knee) is questionable. With Wills sidelined, the Browns (1-6) will again have to shuffle the offensive line and coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed one option is sliding right tackle Dawand Jones to the left side. Jones started the first five games at right tackle as Jack Conklin worked his way back from reconstructive knee surgery. Conklin, a two-time All-Pro, was hurt in last year’s season opener and returned to the lineup two weeks ago. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith fined for hip-drop tackle; Bucs WR Chris Godwin reacts on Instagram Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: How Ravens and Todd Monken evolved and built the league’s best offense | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Former Ravens TE Todd Heap reacts to Mark Andrews breaking his TD record Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley, healthy again, is elite once more Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns staff picks: Who will win Sunday’s game in Cleveland? The Browns are expected to get back Teller, who missed the past four games with a knee injury. One of the league’s best run blockers, Teller was designated to return from injured reserve and practiced all week. That’s good news for Cleveland’s league-worst offense and quarterback Jameis Winston, who will make his first start this week after Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury last week. Watson is scheduled to have surgery Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Stefanski said second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson will back up Winston against the Ravens. Thompson-Robinson came in after Watson got hurt and injured the middle finger on his throwing hand on a sack. The Browns signed QB Bailey Zappe earlier this week off Kansas City’s practice squad. The Associated Press contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith was fined for an alleged hip-drop tackle on Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin on Monday night, a source with direct knowledge confirmed to The Baltimore Sun on Friday. The play resulted in a grizzly and likely season-ending ankle injury for the Pro Bowl receiver. Smith has up to three days to appeal the $16,833 fine after receiving a notification from the NFL. Once that happens, a hearing is scheduled and the case is assigned to one of the league’s current appeals officers: Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, Kevin Mawae or Jordy Nelson, each of whom were jointly appointed and paid by the NFL and the NFL Players Association. Ravens coach John Harbaugh was noncommittal about whether he thought it was a hip-drop tackle. “You could parse all that,” he said Friday. “It becomes really fine. It’s fine-tuning to determine those things. I’m sure there will be continued conversation on that. “As far as Ro goes, Ro’s fighting to go make a tackle there, we’re trying to get off the field, we’re trying to get out of the game with a victory. He would never do anything to hurt anyone and he would never do anything that’s outside the rules. … He tries to do it according to the rules, as all our guys do.” In March, teams unanimously voted to ban the hip-drop tackle, which is when a defender wraps up a ball carrier, swivels his hips, unweights himself and drops onto the ball carrier’s legs. Though no player has been flagged for the penalty this season, Smith is at least the eighth player to have been hit with a fine. The Washington Post reported at last week’s fall owners’ meeting that 22 plays had been reviewed for a hip-drop tackle this season. “You never wanna see anybody go down with any type of injury, but we play a very physical game and it demands a lot,” Smith said Thursday. “Bullets are playing pretty fast, but I never go into any game meaning to injure any player.” Godwin, who suffered a dislocated ankle on Smith’s tackle in the final minute of Baltimore’s 41-31 victory at Raymond James Stadium, underwent surgery Thursday. “It’s tough to put into words the range of emotions over the last few days,” Godwin said in an Instagram post Friday morning, his first comments since the injury. “We don’t always get to know ‘why,’ but that rarely matters anyway. Adversity reveals our true character and I look forward to the opportunity to display mine throughout this process.” After the game, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles defended his decision of keeping Godwin in when Tampa Bay had little chance of winning by then. “He’s a player. We’re trying to win the ballgame. We were still down 10, we’re trying to get extra points and kick another onside kick,” Bowles said. “It just happened. With Mike [Evans] going down, we didn’t have that many receivers left as it was, so we play what we got.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: How Ravens and Todd Monken evolved and built the league’s best offense | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Former Ravens TE Todd Heap reacts to Mark Andrews breaking his TD record Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley, healthy again, is elite once more Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns staff picks: Who will win Sunday’s game in Cleveland? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith mum on possible fine over alleged hip-drop tackle Smith was previously fined this season for unnecessary roughness after a horse collar tackle on Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco, though he won his appeal. The Ravens are also familiar with the hip-drop tackle after they lost tight end Mark Andrews for the final six games and a divisional round playoff game last season after his ankle was injured while being dragged down by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson last November. “I don’t wanna say it’s part of the game, but I don’t think Roquan had any malicious intent with it,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said Thursday. “I think he’s just really trying to tackle him. “I thought he grabbed him and kind of dove at him. I don’t think he hip-dropped him or anything like that. Unfortunately, his leg got stuck under Roquan’s.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The new identity of the Ravens’ offense was changed shortly into the offseason. According to second-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Ravens coach John Harbaugh had a series of meetings to determine what the Ravens were going to look like in 2024. It was a time for clarity. It wasn’t an identity crisis, but putting the pieces together. “People throw around the word identity, which is a little bit strong, but it was more like who are we, what do we want to look like, how do we present it in a manner that we can execute,” Monken told The Baltimore Sun. “He pointed out this is where we want to go moving forward and how we want to do it. “I guess it is like knowing all the words to a song when it comes on the radio, if that makes sense, where you’re not having to guess the words. But how do we get to that point? How do we redirect but maximize all the talent to determine this is what we want to look like? In my 35 years of coaching, it was the best offseason I’ve ever had.” It worked. This season, the Ravens (5-2) are No. 1 in total offense (461.4), rushing offense (210.9), red zone offense (75.9% touchdown rate) and tied for first in points per game (31.1). They are also No. 2 in third down efficiency (50%) and No. 4 in fourth down at 80%. It’s ridiculous to get into the offensive packages because, to some degree, all NFL teams run some variations. What’s important is that the Ravens have learned from previous playoff and regular-season losses, including January’s 17-10 AFC championship game defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs here in Baltimore. In that game, the Ravens were down 17-7 at the half after Harrison Butker kicked a 52-yard field goal with four seconds left. The Ravens panicked. Quarterback Lamar Jackson got more involved in his passing duel with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes instead of running the ball. There seemed to be some communication problems between Monken and Jackson as far as the run-pass ratio in the second half. The Ravens faced a similar situation with Tampa Bay on Monday night, trailing 10-0 with two seconds left in the first quarter. This time, there was no panic. The Ravens stayed within the basic concepts of their offense with a run-first mentality. “We did a lot of really good things last year,” said Monken, who scripts his first 12 plays. “Obviously a lot of things you wish you did differently, but the rest of it was pretty good. We were on our way at times, but it didn’t end well. So, there is a bad taste. We had to live with that the whole offseason. That drives you, that motivates you in a lot of ways. “When that situation comes up again, how do you have better control? Then there are some things that have nothing to do with anyone else but me. The players have been great this year, but they were great last year, too. We have a tremendous staff and everybody wants and loves working together to do as much as possible this season while we’re all here.” Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, right, speaks to quarterback Lamar Jackson during practice. Jackson, in his seventh season, has the right to text Monken during the game with suggestions. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) The calls, though, have been excellent, the best since Gary Kubiak was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator in 2014. Ever since Harbaugh arrived in Baltimore in 2008, the Ravens haven not been able to run screens. In fact, it was just downright ugly because the timing was off and the offensive linemen couldn’t get downfield. But against the Buccaneers, running back Justice Hill scored on a 18-yard screen pass in the second quarter. The Ravens had four offensive linemen out in front, and it was a thing of beauty because they were so close to each other that they could have held hands and sang “Kumbaya.” The Bucs were caught so off guard that center Tyler Linderbaum didn’t need to block anyone and was running down the left sideline cheering with one of his teammates who wasn’t even on the field as Hill scored. “After the second game, we just talked about detailing it out, being creative in how we get the ball to people and our landmarks,” Monken said. “The more success you have, the more you tend to go to it situationally, or at least are talking about it.” But there have been other notable differences. Against Tampa Bay, Monken had two receivers split out far to the left. They both ran downfield to clear out for tight end Mark Andrews, who started out on the right before dragging across the middle for a 20-yard reception. The Ravens had run a similar play the week before against Washington, but this time Andrews started out on the same side as the receivers and then ran a “banana” route to avoid becoming too predictable. That earns Monken more bonus points. In the first four weeks of the season, Andrews was targeted only nine times and caught six passes. In back-to-back weeks against Dallas and Buffalo, he didn’t have a catch. Now, he has 17 catches for 227 yards and three touchdowns, setting the all-time franchise record. An invisible player has become visible again, without complaining publicly. “I don’t blame the skilled players,” said Monken, who also has to spread the ball around to receivers Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Isaiah Likely as well as running backs Derrick Henry, Hill and recently returned speedster Keaton Mitchell. “A lot of their self-worth, their salary comes from being able to showcase their talent, their ability. We do have a lot of good skilled players that deserve to touch the football. I am happy for Mark over the last few games because we’ve gotten him in the end zone and that helps motivate guys in the practice, and being involved. We do try to make a conscientious effort. “But it’s really no different than a baseball player wanting more at-bats or a basketball player wanting to shoot. Skilled players are going to want to touch the ball. Also, remember, winning helps. That’s a big help.” After an 0-2 start, the Ravens have won five straight. While TV cameras often show Monken dialing up plays in the press box, he is always in dialogue with other offensive assistants. Players, though, can offer suggestions to Monken in preparing for a game. Some veterans, such as Nelson Agholor or Andrews, might offer a route change or suggest a spacing issue. Others, especially younger players, are more prone to follow the exact game plan until they gain more experience. Jackson, in his seventh season, has the right to text Monken during the game with suggestions. But there is never a lack of communication as far as Jackson being able to set the blocking assignments with Linderbaum. Jackson has completed 135 of 198 passes for 1,810 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. He has also rushed 73 times for 455 yards and two scores, making him the early betting favorite to win a third NFL Most Valuable Player Award. “I’ve said to a lot of people, I thought we did a great job of streamlining who we wanted to be,” Monken said. “It’s Lamar’s second year in the system, I think he’s more comfortable with the verbiage. I think we’re doing a better job of presenting things to him systemically, so, it’s a lot of everything. He’s always had the keys to what we do, it’s just a matter of us doing it better as a staff, doing better as a team, and then him feeling comfortable about whatever he’s getting us into. “A play, a call, a protection, whatever that might be. To me, that’s just an evolution of playing, being together, and a comfort level of just doing it more consistently.” The offensive line has also improved since the first two games. In those contests, the group played against two of the better defensive lines in the NFL in Kansas City and Las Vegas. Monken can’t say enough about the coaching job of George Warhop, who replaced offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris after the 70-year-old longtime assistant died in late August. According to Monken, both he and Warhop had coached together during their time in Tampa Bay. The offensive line, a problem area at the beginning of the season, has performed well lately led by left tackle Ronnie Stanley and Linderbaum. The group has also been helped by the team’s run-pass ratio as the Ravens have 239 rushing attempts compared with 199 passing attempts. Pass protection is not this group’s forte. “Those guys are very conscientious of doing things right and being consistent in communicating,” Monken said. “The more you can run the football, the more you help yourself out. The more you hand the ball off, it takes a lot of pressure off these guys.” It’s all gone well for the Ravens. If the offense continues to flourish, there might be some head coaching opportunities for Monken at the end of the year. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Former Ravens TE Todd Heap reacts to Mark Andrews breaking his TD record Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley, healthy again, is elite once more Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns staff picks: Who will win Sunday’s game in Cleveland? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith mum on possible fine over alleged hip-drop tackle Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers, CB Marlon Humphrey miss practice again Monken, though, might be the odd man out. He is 58 years old in a league in which owners are going for young coaches. Seattle’s Mike Macdonald is 37 and there are several other thirty somethings like New England’s Jerod Mayo, the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay, Houston’s DeMeco Ryans, Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell and Indianapolis’ Shane Steichen. But Monken might be able to dazzle a lot of NFL owners with coachspeak. He has that raspy, gravel tone voice. He’s been in the NFL circles before with Cleveland and Tampa Bay and won back-to-back national championships as Georgia’s offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022. Plus, he is charismatic and has a wonderful sense of humor. “I don’t worry about things that I don’t control, and I don’t control anything other than here right now,” Monken said. “Someone told me a long time ago that the path to the penthouse and the outhouse is the same distance. “My goal is to get us better every week.” Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

Todd Heap couldn’t remember off-hand the touchdown when he set the Ravens’ franchise record. It was on Nov. 28, 2010. The Ravens were hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Heap, a tight end in his final season with Baltimore after the better part of a decade, exploded off the line of scrimmage and caught a floater from Joe Flacco in stride. The Bucs’ blown coverage left Heap with an open runway, and he outran three defenders on his way to a 65-yard score. Fourteen years later against the same team, the current tight end who grew up 20 minutes from Heap outside of Phoenix broke the Ravens’ all-time record in career receiving touchdowns, now up to 43. Mark Andrews is four touchdowns from tying Jamal Lewis’ overall franchise record (47). “We all know records were only made to be broken,” said Heap, who’s in Baltimore’s Ring of Honor. “It’s a great accomplishment. Anytime you score a touchdown in the NFL it’s an accomplishment and he’s had his fair share but those ones you remember a little bit because of the circumstances.” Heap, 44, watched from home as Andrews, 29, broke his 14-year-old record. He sent a congratulatory text as the current team boarded the plane out of Tampa Bay and got a quick response back. Andrews gave a nod to his predecessor postgame saying, “You got to look back at the guys like Todd Heap, and the guys that have done it before you and just be grateful that I’m in this situation and blessed.” Andrews tied Heap’s 41 touchdown catches earlier this month in a win over the Commanders. He screamed to the high heavens, dripping in relief after high-pointing an 18-yard strike from quarterback Lamar Jackson. Presumably Heap’s record was not front of mind. The emotional release was because before that, Andrews had been a minimal contributor to Baltimore’s passing game despite Pro Football Focus grading him out as the best blocking tight end in football. “He’s such a well-rounded tight end. He can do it at the line of scrimmage, he can do it down the field,” Heap said. “He runs routes that guys his size shouldn’t be able to run. That gives you such an advantage. He’s just kind of a mismatch out there for most defenses. That’s the nature of what you want in a tight end. You want a guy that can do it all. There hasn’t been that many tight ends in history that have done it that well.” Against Tampa Bay, Andrews took sole possession of the record on a curl route, which Heap pointed out how he found a pocket in the defense at the goal line. Then Andrews cashed in on a fourth-and-3 gamble because of a “fantastic route,” Heap said. For the first four weeks of the season, there weren’t many defenses keying in on Andrews. He was targeted only nine times over that stretch. He caught six passes and went back-to-back games without a reception against Dallas and Buffalo — a far cry from the days where he was Jackson’s top receiving target. Ravens tight end Todd Heap, top, celebrates on Nov. 28, 2010, after recording his 41st career touchdown reception, a franchise record that stood until Mark Andrews recently broke it. (Baltimore Sun file)After tying Heap’s record, Andrews talked about the challenges of learning to be patient while playing in one of the league’s most dynamic offenses. “It’s easier to be patient when you have so much talent around you,” Heap said. “It’s tough when you’ve got goals set for yourself [and] you’re not attaining or on track to attain those goals. But personal things go out the window, especially when you’re winning games.” Even if Heap didn’t quite remember his own 14-year-old, record-setting 65-yarder off the top of his head, there were plenty of other memorable moments from his 41 Ravens touchdowns that flooded back to memory while watching Andrews etch his name into the record books. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: How Ravens and Todd Monken evolved and built the league’s best offense | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley, healthy again, is elite once more Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns staff picks: Who will win Sunday’s game in Cleveland? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith mum on possible fine over alleged hip-drop tackle Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers, CB Marlon Humphrey miss practice again Like his game-winner against the Chargers in 2006. He was lined up outside, essentially as a decoy — maybe Steve McNair’s fourth option. Heap caught a high pass and barreled through linebacker Shawne Merriman at the goal line with 34 seconds left. Those moments are behind him now and Heap has great admiration for the current group. He called Jackson one of the most exciting players in football. He watches Derrick Henry and recalls blocking for Jamal Lewis when he ran for 2,000 yards in 2003. Above all, he’s proud to see the continued lineage of successful tight ends in Baltimore, thinking back to Shannon Sharpe before him with Andrews and now Isaiah Likely in succession. “From the offensive line to the running backs to the receivers to the tight ends,” Heap said, “you can see how much fun they’re having out on the field. … As far as being a retired former player, you just see how much fun they’re having stacking wins and having a lot of success.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

He was, in a way, the central plank to the mystery. Would the Ravens’ offensive line function in 2024? Not if Ronnie Stanley could not be A) present and B) a decent approximation of the guy who protected the blind side as well as anyone in the world in 2019 and 2020. Stanley will be the first to tell you he was not himself a year ago after he injured his knee in the season opener and re-injured it in November. Try as he might, the former All-Pro left tackle could not comfortably flex his body for movements he had taken for granted as a young man. He’d already lost the better part of two seasons to a terrible ankle injury, and he began to wonder if he would ever catch a break. Even under the best circumstances, an NFL veteran’s health becomes a cloudier issue after he turns 30, as Stanley did in March. Would he ever feel good enough to tap fully into skills he knew he had not lost? The Ravens needed the answer to be yes after they waved goodbye to veteran stalwarts Kevin Zeitler and Morgan Moses in the offseason. Their line, without which Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry could not soar, would be remade, with Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum as the only carryover pieces. No one else on the roster could touch Stanley’s resume. They needed him to be that guy. Through seven games, he has been, playing all but two of the team’s offensive snaps and grading as the league’s third best pass blocker at tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. In 245 pass blocking snaps, he has allowed nine pressures and no sacks. He ranks 10th among tackles in ESPN’s pass block win rate. “I think he’s right back to that level he was at,” Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness said. “He’s just not allowing guys to beat him. And his run blocking grade is not quite back to where it was in 2019, but he’s on track for the second highest of his career. … I didn’t think he’d ever be back at this level, so it’s been really cool to see.” Jackson watched his chief protector and locker room neighbor make that long climb back from the 2020 ankle injury that left him writhing on the field and led to multiple surgeries. He knew how much it would mean to his game to play behind a vintage Stanley. “That was the only thing with Ronnie, just the injuries,” Jackson said. “He was just trying to get back to where he was, and I feel like he’s feeling pretty good now, and he’s just the same Ronnie I knew ever since I entered the league. … I get to go through my progressions, get the ball out and just have successful plays.” Stanley spoke candidly last season of feeling haunted by the knee injury that would not allow him to be himself. In 245 pass blocking snaps, Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley, left, has allowed nine pressures and no sacks. (Terrance Williams/AP) “It definitely messes with you, your confidence and stuff,” he said Thursday, reflecting on that time. “Your mind wants to do one thing, but your body can’t do it. And when you’re out there, you can’t really think too much about it. You just have to react.” So it has been a tremendous relief for him to move freely again, confident that his legs will provide a solid anchor and keep him in front of world-class pass rushers such as Myles Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year he will face Sunday in Cleveland. “I just feel like I can kind of let my subconscious take over,” he said. “I feel like I’m thinking less and just playing with more confidence and belief in myself.” Beyond his exceptional play, Stanley has emerged as a galvanizing senior voice for a unit that’s not only young but experienced the death of its longtime coach, Joe D’Alessandris, and the abrupt transition to a new guide in George Warhop. Through a chaotic and emotionally rending three months, Stanley has appeared on the practice field every day, often staying after to give sparring lessons to younger peers such as rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten. Rosengarten was a freshman in high school when he first studied Stanley as a model of how to play tackle. “My parents, I’m always going to take advice from them. The same thing goes when it comes to Ronnie,” Rosengarten said. “He’s such an experienced player. Anything he tells me, I take it fully and put it into my game. You have the technique stuff, but the biggest thing is he tells me that I belong right where I am. He just gives me the utmost confidence in myself.” Stanley might not expect comparisons to a teammate’s mom and dad. “Never really thought about that,” he said, grinning. But he does get a kick out of his role as the elder statesman for a group that has greatly exceeded expectations. He’s charmed by the notion that he might imprint on Rosengarten or Daniel Faalele in ways that help them become quality NFL starters. “They all listen,” he said. “They’re all hard workers. They’re tough.” “My parents, I’m always going to take advice from them. The same thing goes when it comes to Ronnie,” Ravens rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten, left, said. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Beyond his importance to the Ravens’ Super Bowl ambitions, this is a pivotal year for Stanley individually. He’s coming to the end of the five-year, $98.75 million deal he signed at the peak of his powers. He took a $7.5 million pay cut going into this season and will be a free agent when it’s over. If he continues on his current trajectory, he could set himself up for a substantial third contract in a league starved for standout offensive linemen. He reiterated Thursday that his goal is to play 15 NFL seasons, a prospect that seemed further from reach during his injury hiatuses. Stanley has impressed everyone with his response to this crossroads moment. For his friends on the team, it’s a joy to watch him play this way again after so many years defined by pain and frustration. “He’s playing great,” said Patrick Mekari, the second-longest tenured Ravens lineman behind Stanley. “The small details that maybe you guys don’t realize — he makes everything work. Like I’ve seen him block two guys in pass [protection], which sounds good on paper but it’s really difficult to achieve. The balance in his stance, the timing of his hands — it’s all just really good. You see him putting it all on the line.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: How Ravens and Todd Monken evolved and built the league’s best offense | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Former Ravens TE Todd Heap reacts to Mark Andrews breaking his TD record Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns staff picks: Who will win Sunday’s game in Cleveland? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith mum on possible fine over alleged hip-drop tackle Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers, CB Marlon Humphrey miss practice again Mekari kept coming back to the effort he’s seeing from his longtime teammate after so many dispiriting injuries. No one ever questioned Stanley’s innate smoothness gliding sideways and back to cut off an edge rusher. “But a lot of people are naturally talented,” Mekari said. “That doesn’t make you an All-Pro. That doesn’t make you the best in the league. He’s had to work through a lot.” Peak Stanley spoke to the souls of those who grade and study offensive line play. He was 6-foot-6, 310 pounds, yes, but he glided through all the movements so naturally. He lost some of that elegance to the injuries, but those who watch him closely see it again, much to their surprise and delight. “He was still playing pretty well when he was on the field the last two seasons, but it looked way more awkward, like it took more effort to do everything,” McGuinness said. “I remember in 2019 thinking he’s not quite on that level, but he makes pass blocking look effortless, like Jonathan Ogden did. He looks smoother again, like he was back in 2019.” Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Sunday’s Week 8 game between the Ravens (5-2) and Cleveland Browns (1-6) at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio: Brian Wacker, reporter Ravens 27, Browns 14: The Browns still have one of the better defenses in the league, especially against the pass, and divisional familiarity almost always makes these games closer than they feel like they should be. But the Ravens are operating at an elite level with a dominant rushing attack that sets up the passing game and vice versa, so there should be little trouble racking up yards and points. Browns quarterback Jameis Winston should actually be an improvement over the injured Deshaun Watson, and I expect he’ll make some plays against a secondary that remains leaky. But the Browns simply don’t have enough to keep up. Childs Walker, reporter Ravens 31, Browns 17: This matchup, pitting the league’s best offense against its worst, doesn’t feel complicated. Perhaps there’s some fear Cleveland will discover a spark with Jameis Winston in place of Deshaun Watson at quarterback and Nick Chubb in the backfield. The Browns still have notable defensive talent and seem unlikely to roll over against the Ravens, even if their season is lost. But no one has discovered a counter to the Lamar Jackson-Derrick Henry machine, and it’s hard to imagine a Cleveland offense that averages 4 yards per play keeping up. Mike Preston, columnist Ravens 31, Browns 14: The Browns are in a sad state. There was speculation during the offseason that the coaching staff wanted Joe Flacco to return and challenge Deshaun Watson for the starting quarterback role. It didn’t happen, and it was a decision made by the Haslam family, owners of the Browns. Regardless of what people say, the NFL is a business, and Watson signed a five-year, $230 million contract in 2022 with Cleveland. Despite his struggles, it made no sense for some fans to boo him last week when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. It’s way too early in the season for the Browns to quit playing. Once we get 12 to 13 games into the season, then it might happen. Cleveland plays good enough defense to hang around in this game, but not even the Ravens’ defense can give up another 31 points to this offense. C.J. Doon, editor Ravens 27, Browns 23: There’s no way the Ravens lose this one … right? The Browns are the only team in both the NFL and major college football that has failed to score 20 points in a game this season, but now Jameis Winston will be playing quarterback and Ken Dorsey will be calling the plays. That should give some life to a moribund unit that still has running back Nick Chubb and tight end David Njoku, who have historically been tough assignments for the Ravens. For all his faults, Winston won’t be afraid to attack a Baltimore secondary that is still struggling to figure things out and is now dealing with injuries. Jim Schwartz’s defense also has plenty of talent and could make things difficult for Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, especially if Zay Flowers’ ankle is not 100%. This could be a lot closer than expected, but it would take a small miracle for both the Browns’ offense and defense to step up and knock off their AFC North rivals. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: How Ravens and Todd Monken evolved and built the league’s best offense | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Former Ravens TE Todd Heap reacts to Mark Andrews breaking his TD record Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley, healthy again, is elite once more Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith mum on possible fine over alleged hip-drop tackle Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers, CB Marlon Humphrey miss practice again Tim Schwartz, editor Ravens 35, Browns 17: Jameis Winston is probably an upgrade from Deshaun Watson, but that’s not saying much. The Browns are not a good team, and their defense — which was right there with Baltimore’s as the best in the NFL last year — has also regressed. The Ravens’ offense is playing at a different level right now with Lamar Jackson pulling away in the Most Valuable Player race (yes, it’s early), and it’s hard to fathom Cleveland being his kryptonite. But, as we all know, the Ravens are notorious for laying eggs in games they should win. I’m just not buying this being a trap game. Baltimore should roll out of Cleveland on Sunday afternoon with their sixth straight win, and anything less would feel like a disaster. Bennett Conlin, editor Ravens 34, Browns 14: Jameis Winston could spark life into Cleveland’s subpar offense and the Browns’ defense could stand tall against Baltimore’s elite attack led by Jackson. On the flipside, the Browns could just be destined for a disastrous season with Sunday’s game another disappointing chapter in a long year. Last week, six teams beat their opponent by at least 20 points as the cream rises to the top midway through the year. As entertaining as it would be to see Winston make Cleveland respectable the rest of the season, it’s hard to imagine the Browns putting up a serious fight against a red-hot Ravens squad. If Baltimore’s defense plays better than usual, which feels quite possible against a backup quarterback with limited weapons, this game could get ugly quickly. View the full article

Whether Roquan Smith was fined for an alleged hip-drop tackle on Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin on Monday night that led to a gruesome and likely season-ending ankle injury, the Ravens inside linebacker wouldn’t say. “That’s not really something to discuss at the moment,” he said Thursday in Owings Mills. NFL fines are announced every Saturday during the season. First and foremost, the All-Pro linebacker said, is the health of Godwin, the 2019 Pro Bowl selection and Delaware native. “You never wanna see anybody go down with any type of injury, but we play a very physical game and it demands a lot,” Smith said. “Bullets are playing pretty fast, but I never go into any game meaning to injure any player.” Godwin, who suffered a dislocated ankle on Smith’s tackle in the final minute of Baltimore’s 41-31 victory at Raymond James Stadium, underwent surgery Thursday. Though Smith was not flagged on the play, it was being reviewed this week by the NFL to see if it met the grounds for a fine. In March, teams unanimously voted to ban the hip-drop tackle, which is when a defender wraps up a ball carrier, swivels his hips, unweights himself and drops onto the ball carrier’s legs. The NFL cited an injury rate 20 times higher than a normal tackle, leading to the ban. After Smith’s tackle on Monday, Godwin’s left leg was put in an aircast and he was carted off the field. It was a crushing blow for the Buccaneers, who also lost wide receiver Mike Evans to a hamstring injury earlier in the game, and to Godwin, who had an NFL-leading 50 catches for 576 yards and five touchdowns before being injured. Afterward, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles defended his decision of keeping Godwin in a game Tampa Bay had little chance of winning at that point. “He’s a player. We’re trying to win the ballgame. We were still down 10, we’re trying to get extra points and kick another onside kick,” Bowles said. “It just happened. With Mike [Evans] going down, we didn’t have that many receivers left as it was, so we play what we got.” The Washington Post reported at the league’s fall owners’ meeting last week that there were 22 plays up for review of a hip-drop tackle this season. No flags have been thrown, though seven players have been fined. Smith was also previously fined once this season for unnecessary roughness after a horse collar tackle on Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco, but he won his appeal of that fine. The Ravens are also familiar with the hip-drop tackle after they lost tight end Mark Andrews for the final two months of the season last year after his ankle was injured while being dragged down by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson last November. Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, who was nearby Smith’s tackle and had a visceral reaction to the injury as he saw it unfold, told The Baltimore Sun that he did not think it was a hip-drop tackle. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers, CB Marlon Humphrey miss practice again Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns Week 8 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | Here’s how fans have graded the Ravens through Week 7 | READERS RESPOND Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Trade talk, Derrick Henry usage and Zach Orr patience | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns scouting report for Week 8: Who has the edge? “I don’t wanna say it’s part of the game, but I don’t think Roquan had any malicious intent with it,” Hamilton told The Sun. “I think he’s just really trying to tackle him. “I thought he grabbed him and kind of dove at him. I don’t think he hip-dropped him or anything like that. Unfortunately, his leg got stuck under Roquan’s.” Hamilton also echoed the same sentiments as Smith when it came to the injury. “At the end of the day, the fine, the ruling is the least of anybody’s worries,” he told The Sun. “He’s been a great receiver, a great pro in the league for a while and his season’s over, so it sucks. “We’re always competing, but at the same time everybody here has lives, we’re real people and trying to provide for everybody we know and obviously your body is important.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The Ravens could be in danger of not having two key starters for Sunday’s showdown against the AFC North rival Browns in Cleveland. Wide receiver Zay Flowers (ankle) and cornerback Marlon Humphrey (knee) did not practice for a second straight day Thursday in Owings Mills. Flowers is the Ravens’ leading receiver with 34 catches for 412 yards and a touchdown, while Humphrey’s four interceptions lead the team and are a career high. Both were injured during Baltimore’s 41-31 win Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are hardly the only concerns Baltimore is dealing with. Also absent for a second straight day were reserve rookie running back Rasheen Ali (ankle) and rookie cornerback T.J. Tampa (ankle). If Humphrey, Ali and Tampa can’t play, that would likely mean activating cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring), who began practicing earlier this week after being on injured reserve and was a full participant Thursday after being limited a day earlier. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Travis Jones was limited after not practicing Wednesday, but he was wearing a substantial wrap/brace on his injured left ankle and was struggling to move around during the open portion of practice. Three others — linebacker Malik Harrison (groin), defensive tackle Broderick Washington (knee) and cornerback Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) — were all full participants after being limited or not practicing a day earlier. Cornerback Arthur Maulet (hamstring) also fully practiced for the first time and is eager to return to the field to help what has been a beleaguered secondary. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith mum on possible fine over alleged hip-drop tackle Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns Week 8 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | Here’s how fans have graded the Ravens through Week 7 | READERS RESPOND Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Trade talk, Derrick Henry usage and Zach Orr patience | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns scouting report for Week 8: Who has the edge? “Feels good,” Maulet said. “I’m ready to play. “It was tough obviously because I know I can help the guys. I’m big on communicating … helping guys get aligned and confirming formations and all those type of things. It’s nothing major that they have to work on. It’s just communication. We’ll be fine.” For the Browns, center Ethan Pocic (knee) and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson (personal) both returned, though Pocic was limited. Also limited were right guard Wyatt Teller (knee), right tackle Jack Conklin (knee) and backup cornerback Tony Brown (ankle). Running back Jerome Ford (hamstring), safety Ronnie Hickman (ankle), linebacker Jordan Hicks (elbow/triceps) and left tackle Jedrick Wills (knee) all did not practice for the second day in a row. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

When the Ravens fell to 0-2 to begin the season, there were questions about Baltimore’s immediate future. Why can’t the Ravens close games? Is the offense using Derrick Henry correctly? Is Lamar Jackson finding his footing in Todd Monken’s offensive scheme? Five games later, Baltimore is 5-2 and betting odds suggest the Ravens have as good a chance of winning a Super Bowl title as just about any team in the NFL. Lamar Jackson is the NFL Most Valuable Player betting favorite, and Derrick Henry is on pace to rush for over 2,000 yards. The offense leads the NFL in yards and points per game, and Baltimore is tied for the AFC North lead. It’s safe to say there were overreactions after Week 2. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson isn’t listening to any of it, and he’s not listening to the positive reviews of the offense now. “It just goes in one ear and out the other,” Jackson said. While Jackson is tuning out the “outside noise,” it’s nearly impossible for fans and media to do the same. The Ravens have looked unstoppable offensively in recent weeks, and they’re averaging an astounding 461.4 yards per game. The 2013 Denver Broncos were the most recent NFL team to average more than 450 yards per game across an entire regular season, finishing with a mark of 457.3. Oddsmakers have noticed Baltimore’s surge. Only the Kansas City Chiefs (+430) hold shorter odds to win the Super Bowl than the Ravens (+550) on FanDuel. The Detroit Lions (+750) and San Francisco 49ers (+850) hold the shortest odds among NFC teams. Those four teams all made their respective conference championship games last season, with the Chiefs beating the 49ers in the Super Bowl. As for the AFC North, FanDuel lists Baltimore as a -370 favorite to win the division. The Steelers have the next shortest odds at +490. The Cleveland Browns, who the Ravens visit this Sunday at 1 p.m., are +24000 to win the division. At 1-6 this season, Cleveland needs a miracle. What are the odds? Given Cleveland’s subpar start to the season and the Ravens’ excellent play, Baltimore is a massive favorite Sunday. The Browns are also without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson (not that he was playing well), but they’ll turn to Jameis Winston at the position. He’s completed just 6 of his 12 passes this year. Here’s a look at the odds for Sunday’s matchup in Cleveland: Spread: Ravens -8.5 (FanDuel) Total: 44.5 points Moneyline: Ravens -450, Browns +350 The Ravens are 4-2-1 against the spread this season, covering the spread in all five of their wins this season. The Browns are 2-5 against the spread. Of Baltimore’s seven games, six have gone over the projected point total. Cleveland lands on the opposite end of the spectrum, with five of the Browns’ seven games going under the projected point total. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith mum on possible fine over alleged hip-drop tackle Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers, CB Marlon Humphrey miss practice again Baltimore Ravens | Here’s how fans have graded the Ravens through Week 7 | READERS RESPOND Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Trade talk, Derrick Henry usage and Zach Orr patience | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns scouting report for Week 8: Who has the edge? Trust the Ravens Trends don’t always foretell results, but they can help guide betting decisions. In Lamar Jackson’s four trips to Cleveland, the Ravens are a perfect 4-0 against the spread, according to Action Network data. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is just 8-17 against the spread against AFC North teams when leading Cleveland, and Winston is 34-42-5 against the spread in his career as a starting quarterback. Baltimore ranks first in the NFL in DVOA, while Cleveland ranks 31st. This is a matchup, on paper, between one of the best teams in the NFL and one of the worst. The trends suggest Baltimore should cruise Sunday. My eyes say the same. That can be tricky when it comes to betting, but I’ll gladly back the Ravens in this spot. Six teams won games by at least 20 points last week. Could the Ravens put up a blowout win Sunday? I’m betting on it. Best bet: Ravens -8.5 Have a news tip? Contact Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article

We asked readers how they would grade the Ravens (5-2) through the first seven weeks of the NFL season. Here are the results from our online poll, Instagram and X: A — 94 votes B — 199 votes C — 19 votes D — 10 votes F — 0 votes Here’s what some of the voters said (answers have been edited for clarity and grammar): The O-line has really come around as opposed to the first two weeks. That means offensive coordinator Todd Monken must run Derrick Henry 20 times a game. He will break one big run or more because opponents’ defense will let down a few times a game. Keep doing it as it is now. This will all go toward Lamar Jackson flourishing. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr should follow last year’s approach with aggressive pressure. His inexperienced play-calling is hurting his job. Follow a proven path and listen to adviser Dean Pees on strategy. John Harbaugh brought him back for a reason. I agree with others’ comments that defensive backs are sitting back in zone and waiting for an interception. They lack aggressive zone cover technique. This leads to late-game comebacks as the D-line and secondary tire as the game goes on into the fourth quarter. Harbaugh, as always, sets a good tone. Spend more time with Orr to help him. Overall, in the past five games I would grade a high B. Find and develop depth to cover for future predictable injuries. — Joe When there’s a 21-point swing around for the Bucs in the fourth quarter … that’s a concern. — Jeff Jones Our unbelievable offense has been covering up for many defensive lapses. The defense is not yet together and I blame the turnover in coaching staff for that problem. I hope defensive coordinator Zach Orr can get it together before the playoffs. — Art Stowe I give offense and defense 40% of the total score and special teams 20% of the score. The offense is playing at an A level. There are still too many penalties and slow starts to games, but I give them a 97, or 39 points toward the total score. The defense has frustrated me for years, aside from last year (I would never have let Mike Macdonald leave the building at any cost. Sorry, Harbaugh) in the way that they play in the secondary. They don’t contest the ball and are willing to concede receptions to the opposing offenses and far too frequently miss tackles. The pass rush is still not where it needs to be and we are giving up way too many yards to the tight ends and running backs. For this reason, I give the defense a 65, or 26 points to the total score. The special teams is probably the biggest surprise since this is allegedly Harbaugh’s best possibility to influence improvement on the team. The degree of difficulty of what they ask the special teams to do, particularly on kickoff scenarios, is low compared to others who are trying to pin other teams deeper in their territory. Kicking it out of the end zone shows no confidence in their ability to cover and puts a cap on the total score, a la an easy vault in the women’s gymnastics. You can’t get big scores if you don’t try big things. Giving up two onside kicks has to be brought up. Punter Jordan Stout has been average. For a team with two supposed experts on special teams on the staff, this seems to be underwhelming. I’d give them a 70, or 14 points toward the total. The defense and special teams are not contributing to a satisfactory level. The total score is 79 or close enough to a B letter grade. — David Wells Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith mum on possible fine over alleged hip-drop tackle Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers, CB Marlon Humphrey miss practice again Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns Week 8 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Trade talk, Derrick Henry usage and Zach Orr patience | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns scouting report for Week 8: Who has the edge? We must work on our defense and offensive line and mental mistakes leading to penalties. — Angela Coming into ’24, the questions were the O-line, the receivers and the defensive coaching. Two-thirds have been home runs. And not solo shots, but grand slams. The fact that the defense is a bit behind should surprise nobody. There’s time for improvement. “A” season so far. — Tim Hendren on X The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To see results from previous sports polls, go to baltimoresun.com/sportspoll View the full article

Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston will answer fans’ questions in the middle of each week throughout the Ravens season. After a 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Monday Night Football,” Baltimore (5-2) looks to continue its five-game winning streak in an AFC North matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Here’s Preston’s take on a handful of questions from readers: (Editor’s note: Questions have been edited for length and clarity.) Kudos to Marlon Humphrey, but should we trade for secondary help because we still give up way too many passes and touchdowns? — Dan Gainor on X Dan, the Ravens recently got healthy cornerbacks returning in Arthur Maulet and Jayln Armour-Davis, and both of those guys are decent. They aren’t great, but they can help, and they are familiar with the system as opposed to bringing in a new player who has to adjust, which could take a week or two. A better trade might be for the Ravens to work a deal with the Carolina Panthers for outside linebacker-defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who had 9 1/2 sacks for the Ravens last season. Baltimore’s pass rush needs an upgrade, so why not make the deal for Clowney? He is 31, but worth the gamble. Pass rush and coverage in the secondary go hand-in-hand. In your opinion, are the Ravens utilizing Derrick Henry properly this season? His yards per carry average is very good. Might we see his workload increase during the season? — Ed Helinski His workload will depend on the situation. If there are teams that have a weak run defense, then the Ravens will exploit them by using Henry more. If the opposition stacks the box or line of scrimmage like the last couple teams the Ravens have faced, then they will throw. I prefer the Ravens being balanced. Against Tampa Bay on Monday night, the Ravens threw the ball 22 times and ran it 30 times. That’s about as balanced as a team will get in a game. I also like having a “fresh” Henry coming off the bench to close out the game in the second half. Look at the Bucs. There were times when those safeties and cornerbacks wanted no part of Henry, especially in the fourth quarter. The Ravens have won five straight games using Henry properly. That will come in handy in the winter, when the weather turns cold, snow is on the ground and opposing teams might have problems throwing the ball. Then it’s time to go to “The King,” who has 873 yards on 136 carries. Do you think Zach Orr is the right person to run the defense, or should he defer to Dean Pees so he can learn from him? — Jim Lahman Jim, this reminds me of when the Ravens lost the first two games and fans wanted to run coach John Harbaugh out of town. I will give you the same advice I gave them: Chill. Orr is a young coordinator trying to find his voice. Will it come? I don’t know, but let’s be patient. I have questions about the schematics as well, but it’s hard to give up on a coordinator after seven games. I like the addition of Pees and his experience. I have received emails from fans questioning Pees and pointing out that his “prevent defenses” weren’t very good in Baltimore when he was the defensive coordinator from 2012 through 2017. I counter by saying that Pees was the coordinator when the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2012 and was New England’s linebackers coach when the Patriots won back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 2004 and 2005. He has worked for former Patriots coach Bill Belichick and later with Harbaugh. That’s a pretty good pedigree. I don’t expect Pees to come in and change things overnight, but he can be a great sounding board in offering advice to Orr. It’s only been two weeks since Pees joined the Ravens as an adviser. If he can help fix this defense, then the Ravens are even more impressive. If he can’t, then it’s not like the Ravens haven’t tried. I like the addition of Pees. The Ravens’ defense is clearly significantly worse than last year in pretty much every statistic that matters, including more yards per game, more points per game, and more penalties, but it seems like the communication on the field is also much worse and receivers are just being left completely wide-open. How much of the blame is on the players versus how much goes to the defensive coordinator who’s only 32 years old and has limited coaching experience? — Micah Kleid It’s a combination of problems. Against Tampa Bay, the Bucs ran two or three passes with running backs out in the flat and the Ravens couldn’t stop it. That was a problem in the season opener versus Kansas City. I fault the scheme for the Ravens trying to match up middle linebacker Roquan Smith with a running back or a receiver because he doesn’t have that kind of speed. Where is weakside linebacker Trenton Simpson, who does? I also question Smith. He got picked on one play out of the same formation, but he should have seen it coming the next time. He didn’t. That’s on him. I look in the secondary, and sometimes the Ravens don’t even have a cornerback or a safety in the same zip code as a receiver. It’s one thing to get beat physically, but when a defensive player isn’t in the vicinity, that’s confusion and/or a lack of communication. There are other problems as well, such as cornerback Brandon Stephens getting beat on the first move, trying to catch up and then not looking for the ball. Safety Marcus Williams and rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins have also struggled. The kid is going to be good, but he still likes to be physical near the line of scrimmage. That was great in college, but not so effective in the NFL. But as I mentioned in the last question, maybe this all can be worked out. As I look around the NFL, few teams play good, physical defense anymore, and that’s what commissioner Roger Goodell wants. Recent rule changes protecting quarterbacks, allowing offensive linemen to extend their arms, cracking down on hits across the middle of the field and preventing defenders from being able to “chuck” a receiver at the line of scrimmage have changed the way the game is being played. The Ravens and Chiefs have actually swapped roles. Baltimore is now an offensive team and the Chiefs are now a defensive team, even though Kansas City still has quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Who else plays great defense in the NFL? Minnesota? Even Cleveland isn’t what it used to be compared with a year ago. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns scouting report for Week 8: Who has the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Can Ravens RB Derrick Henry rush for 2,000 yards this season? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens QB Lamar Jackson had struggled vs. the blitz. Now he’s ‘locked in.’ Baltimore Ravens | Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell returns to practice; 2 cornerbacks also back Baltimore Ravens | Browns will have new QB and new play-caller against Ravens I think we need to give some credit to coach George Warhop. He inherited a difficult situation and has these guys playing pretty well on the offensive line. Seems like they are pretty set in who is playing, and it’s nice not seeing all of the rotations in and out like last year. What can they continue to improve on for the rest of the season? — Brian P from Ellicott City Brian, it will come down to pass blocking. They’ve improved, especially moving Patrick Mekari to left guard and inserting rookie Roger Rosengarten at right tackle to replace him. A lot of credit also has to be given to left tackle Ronnie Stanley. The Ravens asked him to redo his contract, and that hurt his personal pride in his performance the past couple of years. But Stanley has played extremely well so far. A year ago, he would get overpowered by pass rushers. As far as Warhop, there were some people around the league who said he would come in and make changes that wouldn’t be proper. Maybe he did, but so far those changes have worked. The combination blocks have been excellent, and the Ravens have run outside, especially late in games, with authority. So yes, no complaints here. It’s tough to come in and then try to fit in under unusual circumstances, but so far the line has improved, and that was the most suspect area heading into the season. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

The Ravens painted another offensive masterpiece to beat the Buccaneers, 41-31. The Browns fell to the Bengals, 21-14, and lost their starting quarterback for the season. Who will have the edge when these AFC North rivals meet Sunday afternoon in Cleveland? Ravens passing game vs. Browns pass defense As dominant as the Ravens are on the ground, it’s their remarkable passing efficiency that has them running away from the pack in offensive DVOA. Lamar Jackson was almost perfect on Monday night against Tampa Bay, completing 17 of 22 for 281 yards and five touchdowns. He’s headed for the best passing season of his career: completing 68.2%, on pace to throw for more than 4,000 yards and 36 touchdowns, leading the league in passer rating and second to the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen in ESPN’s QBR. Opponents have tried to crowd the box and rattle him with pressure over the last three weeks. Jackson has punished them with an improved screen game and by pinpointing downfield targets. His top target, Zay Flowers, hurt his ankle and had a quiet game against the Buccaneers. No matter. Jackson simply turned to wide receivers Rashod Bateman (12 catches on 16 targets for 250 yards over his last three games) and tight end Mark Andrews (three touchdowns over his last two games). Running back Justice Hill again proved to be a great threat on those aforementioned screens, scoring on one and taking another 18 yards to set up a field goal. Jackson’s pass protection was uneven against Tampa Bay’s frequent blitzes. Rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten allowed an early sack, but left tackle Ronnie Stanley played another superb game, allowing no pressures. He’ll be a key player again in Cleveland, where the Browns’ pass defense will always be dangerous with Myles Garrett (four sacks, nine quarterback hits) and Za’Darius Smith rushing from the edges in coordinator Jim Schwartz’s tried-and-true schemes. Garrett, playing through Achilles and thigh pain, hasn’t been as dominant as usual but still grades as the No. 4 edge defender in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. That said, the Browns aren’t what they were in 2023, when they ranked just behind the Ravens in DVOA against the pass. They have just one interception and have allowed 6.2 yards per attempt. Martin Emerson Jr. has graded as one of the worst starting cornerbacks in the league, and nickel back Greg Newsome II hasn’t been much better. Cleveland has blitzed on 35.7% of dropbacks, the third-highest rate in the league. Will Schwartz risk that against Jackson, who has been so deadly against extra rushers? EDGE: Ravens Browns passing game vs. Ravens pass defense Jameis Winston will get his chance to lift the Browns from the rubble after Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson injured his finger against the Bengals. Cleveland was a disaster under Watson, ranking last in pass DVOA by a wide margin. They rank 30th in yards per game and last in yards per attempt and already traded their No. 1 wide receiver, Amari Cooper, to Buffalo, seemingly signaling their acceptance of a lost season. Jerry Jeudy was supposed to give Cleveland a dynamic No. 2, but he’s been merely decent, catching 21 of the 41 balls thrown his way for 266 yards and one touchdown. Tight end David Njoku has given the Ravens problems, and he appeared healthy (he missed three games with an ankle injury) against the Bengals, catching 10 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. Winston is five years removed from his last full year as a starter, and he has always been interception-prone (he threw 30 in 2019). Watson was often his own worst enemy, but the league-high 33 sacks he took also show that the Browns’ offensive line isn’t the stellar unit it was a few years ago. Cleveland will look for a flicker of life against a Baltimore pass defense that’s still giving up far too many easy yards. The Ravens rank last in yards allowed, 28th in yards allowed per attempt and 18th in DVOA against the pass. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey was their saving grace against Tampa Bay, picking off Baker Mayfield twice to turn the tide, but he left before halftime with a knee injury. Humphrey has been the secondary’s top playmaker and coordinator Zach Orr’s top choice to cover slot receivers, so his absence — he did not practice Wednesday — would hurt. On the bright side, rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins played well against the Buccaneers coming off a pair of rough games, but he also did not practice Wednesday because of a shoulder injury. If Njoku is the greatest threat in a toothless attack, it will be interesting to see whether Orr checks him with linebacker Roquan Smith, who been uneven in coverage this year, or safety Kyle Hamilton. The Ravens are tied for fourth in sacks despite blitzing on just 18.9% of dropbacks. Perhaps Orr will be more aggressive this week against a backup quarterback without a wide selection of dangerous targets. Save for a stretch of the third quarter during which they dropped Mayfield twice, Baltimore’s pass rushers didn’t make much impact against Tampa Bay’s quick-throwing attack. EDGE: Ravens Ravens running game vs. Browns run defense Tampa Bay actually outgained the league’s top rushing attack in the first half. By the end of the game, the Ravens held their usual crushing advantage: 244 yards to 125. They’ve outrushed every opponent this year by at least 100 yards. We’re running out of ways to illustrate their dominance with Jackson at the controls and Derrick Henry serving as the team’s closer (11 carries, 146 yards after halftime against the Buccaneers). The Ravens are on pace to blow past the all-time rushing record they set in 2019, and their 6.2 yards per attempt is a full yard ahead of the next most efficient ground game. They’ll try to maintain their historic pace against a solid Cleveland run defense that ranks 16th in DVOA, allowing 4.4 yards per carry. Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (54 tackles, seven for loss) is an elite run defender. Defensive tackle Shelby Harris is solid on the interior, and Garrett still makes plays from the edge. Washington, with a top running quarterback in Jayden Daniels, rolled for 215 yards against the Browns, which could hint at the problems Jackson will pose. Cleveland held the Ravens’ ground game in check last year (237 yards in two games) but did not have Henry to worry about. EDGE: Ravens Browns running game vs. Ravens run defense Running back Nick Chubb’s return from the awful knee injury that ended his 2023 season provided a ray of hope for the Browns last weekend. The four-time Pro Bowl selection carried 11 times for 22 yards against Cincinnati, so he might still need several weeks to get up to speed. The Browns went with a backfield committee before Chubb’s return and rank 28th in rushing, 20th in yards per attempt. Again, this team’s blocking isn’t what it was a few years ago. The Ravens have allowed the fewest rushing yards per game and per attempt, but the Buccaneers went at them more than any previous opponent and found some success with 125 yards on 30 carries. Their interior wall of Travis Jones, Michael Pierce and Nnamdi Madubuike wasn’t as dominant as usual, so perhaps the Browns will feel empowered to establish Chubb early. When opposing backs have gotten past the line of scrimmage, the Ravens, led by Hamilton and Smith, have done a good job preventing chunk gains. Baltimore’s defensive line, including tackle Michael Pierce, helps the Ravens lead the NFL in rushing defense. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) EDGE: Ravens Ravens special teams vs. Browns special teams Justin Tucker drilled a 52-yard field goal dead-center in the win over Tampa Bay and has not missed in his last four games. He seems to have worked past whatever technique issue plagued him on long attempts early in the season. With Deonte Harty on injured reserve, Chris Collier and Hill averaged 36 yards on a pair of kickoff returns against the Buccaneers. But the Ravens made the fourth quarter more interesting than it needed to be when they failed to field an onside kick for the second time this season. No other team has botched even one. Cleveland’s troubles have extended to special teams. Kicker Dustin Hopkins has missed three field goals and two extra points. The Browns are averaging 23.4 yards per kickoff return and allowing 30.7. They’re also at a net negative on punt returns. EDGE: Ravens Ravens intangibles vs. Browns intangibles The Ravens have won five straight — three of those on the road — building supreme confidence that their offense will transcend defensive and special teams foibles. Jackson’s 7-4 record against the Browns falls below his career winning percentage, but he has played great games in Cleveland, including the memorable jog to the locker room and subsequent return in a 2020 victory. The Ravens, having played Monday night, will be at a rest disadvantage but will be motivated to move to 2-0 on the road in the AFC North. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Trade talk, Derrick Henry usage and Zach Orr patience | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Can Ravens RB Derrick Henry rush for 2,000 yards this season? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens QB Lamar Jackson had struggled vs. the blitz. Now he’s ‘locked in.’ Baltimore Ravens | Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell returns to practice; 2 cornerbacks also back Baltimore Ravens | Browns will have new QB and new play-caller against Ravens Cleveland is off to a nightmare start at 1-6, with reports swirling that several more starters could follow Cooper out the door in trades. The quarterback situation is a mess, the offense anemic. But Kevin Stefanski is a widely respected coach, and perhaps he will use Watson’s injury as a chance to reset. EDGE: Ravens Prediction This matchup, pitting the league’s best offense against its worst, doesn’t feel complicated. Perhaps there’s some fear Cleveland will discover a spark with Winston in place of Watson at quarterback and Chubb in the backfield. The Browns still have notable defensive talent and seem unlikely to roll over against the Ravens, even if their season is lost. But no one has discovered a counter to the Jackson-Henry machine, and it’s hard to imagine a Cleveland offense that averages four yards per play keeping up. Ravens 31, Browns 17 Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

Derrick Henry tramples over, through and in-between defenses at such an historic rate that his dodgy humbleness is borderline comedic. In 2020, after becoming the eighth running back to eclipse 2,000 yards in a single season, he lambasted his fumble when speaking to Tennessee Titans reporters. In a scrum with Ravens media after beating the Commanders this month, he used the word “humble” five times to answer three questions about their surging offense. After an 81-yard run against Tampa Bay, Henry called himself “slow” on social media for not scoring despite clocking his top speed since 2021. “To me,” coach John Harbaugh said, “that’s what greatness looks like.” His greatness thus far is looking like a bargain for Baltimore, which signed Henry for two years, $16 million in March. As it stands, he’s on pace to become the second Raven to eclipse 2,000 yards in a season and the first player to do it twice. At 873 yards through seven weeks, he’s hurtling toward 2,120 yards. That would edge Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old record of 2,105 yards and crown Henry the all-time single-season rushing leader. “I don’t really try to think about that too much,” Henry said. “I just try to focus on doing my job and being better and better every week. I don’t really try to get into the statistics of things.” There are eight players in NFL history who have rushed for over 2,000 yards in a single season. Here’s the venerable list: O.J Simpson (1973), Eric Dickerson (1984), Barry Sanders (1997), Terrell Davis (1998), Jamal Lewis (2003), Chris Johnson (2009), Adrian Peterson (2012) and Henry (2020). “He’s there,” quarterback Lamar Jackson said. “I feel like he has a great chance of achieving that. I think he can do it.” Much of Henry’s brilliance has been a result of him turning nothing into something. He handily leads the league in rushing yards over expected with 363, according to Next Gen Stats; Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles is next closest with 226. And Henry is only the third player to bounce multiple 80-plus yard runs through seven games, after Sanders (twice) and Johnson. On the flip side, Henry’s usage rate could oscillate as the season wears on. Harbaugh said at the start of the season that they didn’t bring in Henry to get 30 carries a game. Heading into a Week 8 matchup with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, he’s averaging 19.14 touches per game. “It’s not 30,” Harbaugh quipped on Wednesday. “30 is kind of a high number, I protected myself on that.” Ravens running back Derrick Henry is on pace to run for more than 2,000 yards. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) The league’s rushing yards leader has had one game with 25 carries (against Dallas) and a pair at 24. The rest have stayed under 19. His fewest — and least substantial outing — was Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, finishing with 46 yards on 13 carries. “I’m happy with [the 19.14 average] because it means we’ve had a lot of carries in the fourth quarter, which means that we have the lead,” Harbaugh said. “And that’s what you want. I also feel like over the course of the season it’s gonna be OK if it’s not 19 or 25. When it’s 10 or 12 that’s OK, too.” Added Henry: “I just think that speaks about the offense that we have, the dynamic players we have. … As far as touches, I don’t try to worry about that. If I get an opportunity, I try to make the best of it.” The backfield complement of Justice Hill and looming return of Keaton Mitchell, who tore his ACL last season and returned to practice Wednesday, could impact Henry’s volume — which could potentially keep him from the record books. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Trade talk, Derrick Henry usage and Zach Orr patience | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns scouting report for Week 8: Who has the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens QB Lamar Jackson had struggled vs. the blitz. Now he’s ‘locked in.’ Baltimore Ravens | Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell returns to practice; 2 cornerbacks also back Baltimore Ravens | Browns will have new QB and new play-caller against Ravens But Henry is doing more with less, like rushing for 169 yards on 15 carries against the Buccaneers or 199 on 24 versus the Bills. The back of his football card from his first 2,000-yard season shows 10 games with 100-plus yards on the ground. Two for over 200, which he’s already come close to once this year. Consider this: the 2020 Titans fed him 23.63 times per game — twice going above 30 carries and only four times falling into the teens. Every other 2,000-yard rusher has finished the season above 20 attempts per game. Sanders was the most efficient of the group with 2,053 yards on 20.94 attempts. He was also the closest to Henry in age at 29 years old. At this juncture, with 12 weeks of football left to be played, the 30-year-old Henry is running the ball at an unprecedented rate. “He’s named ‘King Henry’ for a reason,” fullback Pat Ricard said, “and it’s just a dream to have him here.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article