ExtremeRavens

The Indianapolis Colts are benching Anthony Richardson to start Joe Flacco at quarterback on Sunday night at Minnesota, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the team had not announced the change. Coach Shane Steichen said Monday he was “evaluating” whether Richardson would remain the starter — the first hint that a move might be coming for the 4-4 Colts. Richardson, the fourth pick in the 2023 NFL draft, was 10 of 32 passing and got sacked five times in a 23-20 loss to Houston over the weekend. He also drew outside criticism for taking himself out of the game for a play because he said he was tired. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ trade for Panthers WR Diontae Johnson Baltimore Ravens | Ravens trade for Panthers WR Diontae Johnson Baltimore Ravens | This Ravens fan set out to kick a field goal in every Division I college football stadium Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 8: ‘The Ravens’ biggest opponent is the Ravens’ Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coach John Harbaugh will ‘turn over every stone’ to fix defensive issues Flacco came in relief earlier this season and started the next two games when Richardson was out with a right hip injury. The 39-year-old former Ravens star completed 71 of 108 passes for 716 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception, and Indianapolis went 2-1. The Colts are 2-3 in games Richardson has started and finished. The University of Florida product is 59 of 133 for 958 yards, four touchdowns and seven picks. Richardson joins Carolina’s Bryce Young as quarterbacks drafted in the top five last year who were benched for performance-related reasons. Young started for the Panthers in their most recent game after journeyman Andy Dalton was involved in a car crash, and the 2023 top pick threw for 224 yards in a 28-24 loss to Denver. This article will be updated. View the full article

Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ trade for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson on Tuesday ahead of next week’s deadline: Brian Wacker, reporter: On one hand, this is a shrewd move. Johnson is a solid wide receiver who is one of the league’s best separators and gives quarterback Lamar Jackson and an already high-powered offense yet another player defenses have to worry about as their greatest strength gets even stronger. It also cost the Ravens very, very little, especially since they’ll have a compensatory fifth-round draft pick to replace the fifth-rounder they sent the Panthers. On the other, it doesn’t (at least not yet) address their defensive woes, and there’s the issue of there being only one football to spread amongst many offensive weapons. Still, there’s little not to like about this deal and there should be only upside to it. Childs Walker, reporter: This wasn’t the move we expected from a team that already leads the league in passing efficiency. The Ravens need players who can break up deep balls more than they need another guy who can catch them. That said, Johnson has been a durable, productive receiver throughout his six-year career, and he’ll give Lamar Jackson another target who can punish blitzes and make plays in the red zone. The Ravens didn’t give up much to get him and better yet, they kept Johnson away from AFC rivals that might immediately plug him in as a starter. Jackson will have a lot of hands to feed, and this could lead to renewed questions about the size of Rashod Bateman’s role. But it’s a low-downside addition. Sam Cohn, reporter: That’s a good deal considering the Ravens gave up next to nothing to add a former Pro Bowl receiver and the Panthers are paying most of his salary. He’s 28 years old and has caught 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns in seven games this season. Johnson only adds to what this team continually refers to as a “pick your poison” offense. That being said, the trade deadline is still a week away and it’s hard to imagine this being Baltimore’s lone move considering its floundering defense. Bennett Conlin, editor: Can Johnson play defensive back? If not, the trade isn’t a major needle-mover for Baltimore’s biggest need, but it does add to a high-powered offense. On a 1-10 scale considering only entertainment value, this hits close to a 10, though. The Ravens lead the NFL in passing efficiency, and now they’ve added a receiver to complement Zay Flowers and tight end Mark Andrews. This should only make Baltimore’s exhilarating offense even more enjoyable for fans. The move could mean fewer targets for Rashod Bateman, who dropped a pass off his face mask in Sunday’s loss to the Browns but has otherwise been solid this season. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Colts benching Anthony Richardson to start Joe Flacco at quarterback Baltimore Ravens | Ravens trade for Panthers WR Diontae Johnson Baltimore Ravens | This Ravens fan set out to kick a field goal in every Division I college football stadium Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 8: ‘The Ravens’ biggest opponent is the Ravens’ Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coach John Harbaugh will ‘turn over every stone’ to fix defensive issues C.J. Doon, editor: If you ranked the Ravens’ needs entering this trade deadline, wide receiver would have been behind pass rusher, cornerback and safety. There are already enough mouths to feed with Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely on the field, and the Ravens’ passing offense hasn’t exactly been struggling with Lamar Jackson enjoying another MVP-level season. But, man, adding Diontae Johnson to the mix gives the Ravens’ offense yet another playmaker defenses need to account for in this “pick-your-poison” attack. Nelson Agholor has been a productive and valuable veteran on this team for two seasons, but he simply doesn’t have the same juice running routes and picking up yards after the catch as Johnson, who is an elite separator down the field as measured by ESPN’s Open Score. I doubt general manager Eric DeCosta is done looking for help before next Tuesday’s deadline given the state of the defense. But perhaps the best defense this season is a great offense. It’s hard to envision many teams — even the Chiefs, Bills and Texans, who just lost Stefon Diggs for the season with a torn ACL — being able to outscore the Ravens in the postseason when they’re firing on all cylinders. Keeping Johnson from going to one of those teams is also a huge benefit for Baltimore. And when you consider the cost — just a fifth-round pick while also getting what should be an early sixth-round pick from lowly Carolina — this was a no-brainer. Well done. View the full article

The Ravens are loading up on offense. Baltimore is trading for Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday. In exchange, Carolina will get a fifth-round draft pick in 2025, while sending its sixth-round pick to the Ravens in a pick swap. Johnson, a 2021 Pro Bowl selection who spent his first five years in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has 30 catches for 357 yards and three touchdowns this season. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

When Josh Pokrywka and his friends — all die-hard Ravens fans and road-trip junkies — drove to New Orleans for Super Bowl 47, they made a pitstop in Knoxville, Tennessee, drawn by curiosity to one of college football’s most historic stadiums. It was after dusk but the lights were still on and a door unlocked, so they moseyed right in. Pokrywka tossed around a football at midfield. He felt the orange checkered end zones under his toes. And as his eyes surveyed around the 100,000 seats of Neyland Stadium, an idea was born. “How easy it was to just kind of get on there and get to live out some of our childhood dreams of being on fields like that because, unfortunately, we’re not [Division I] athletes,” Pokrywka said. “I wanted to kind of see if others were the same.” Then in 2021, on a road trip helping a friend move across the country, he added a new layer of difficulty: make a field goal. And now, Pokrywka, 31 and living in Baltimore, is setting out to (legally) sneak into every Division I college football stadium in the country and kick one through the uprights. Pokrywka will take a Friday off from his day job as a loan advisor and plan a long weekend road trip. Usually, there’s a major sporting event he’s working around — like in December when he hit 11 stadiums en route to Jacksonville for a Ravens vs. Jaguars game on “Sunday Night Football.” His wanderlust leads him to as many stadiums as possible in a short window. “I try to build in an hour for each stadium,” said Pokrywka, who has over 150,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok as @bigggjenk. “You never know how easy it’s gonna be to get into some of these places but, especially the bigger ones, I want to enjoy the stadium for its uniqueness and beauty.” Football and kicking tee in hand, Pokrywka starts circling the perimeter looking for an open gate. There’s always one. He wears sneakers so as not to damage the grass and defaults to a 40-yard field goal — 30 if he’s pressed for time. “I’ll take a 30-second stretch and just rip it,” Pokrywka said. The Owings Mills native and University of Maryland alumnus who hasn’t missed a home Ravens game since 2006 has successfully maneuvered onto, and made a field goal at, 120 DI football fields, split between 66 Football Bowl Subdivision and 54 Football Championship Subdivision schools. Each comes with its own harrowing tale. LSU was a fortress that required two full laps before finding an unlocked entry point. In the two years since he started this hobby religiously, South Carolina’s William-Brice Stadium was the only field he surrendered after hours of searching for a way in. Pokrywka nearly got stuck overnight at Southern Mississippi, set his personal record (52 yards) at Kansas, made a kick on a dirt field in Alaska while wearing a Ray Lewis jersey and took a side quest on an engagement trip only to be escorted out of a Gaelic football stadium in Ireland. Josh Pokrywka hasn’t missed a home Ravens game since 2006. His dad, Greg, has season tickets dating back to the 1990s. Their love of football and travel has been a foundational part of their relationship, making at least one road trip for a game each year. (Courtesy of Josh Pokrywka) Perhaps the craziest run-in was at the University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium. “That was the scariest for me,” Josh’s mom, Helene, said. Because of the heat and the long walk, she opted to wait outside while her son ventured onto the field. He got in fairly quickly and sank the kick. Then security noticed. If he ever came back, they said, they’d arrest him. Josh complied, got back to the car and realized his keys were not in his pocket. They were still on the field and the only way to get them back would be if Helene went in. But Josh couldn’t remember where exactly they were. “I’m just ready to have a panic attack,” Helene said. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 8: ‘The Ravens’ biggest opponent is the Ravens’ Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coach John Harbaugh will ‘turn over every stone’ to fix defensive issues Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coach John Harbaugh mum on benched safety Marcus Williams’ future role 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 She got inside and went down the steps toward the field. The whole time she’s sobbing, thinking, “If I don’t find these keys, we’re screwed.” It only took about 10 minutes of searching before she found them and escaped in one piece. That story is immortalized with Josh’s video titled, “How did my mom end up in Georgia’s end zone by herself?” He’s become a kicking enthusiast over the past few years — dropping everything and calling for his fiancee to come see any critical kick on TV. Naturally, Ravens veteran Justin Tucker is Josh’s favorite. He also admires Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys and thinks he could be the first to connect from 70 yards. Josh’s affinity for road trips stems from his upbringing. He grew up in a close-knit family that was always on the go — camping, visiting family and seeing other parts of the country. There’s at least one Ravens away game every year. “We’re no fair-weather fans,” Josh’s dad, Greg, said, having faithfully sat through snow and rain. This passion project is a perfect amalgamation of Josh’s love for football and travel, taking him all over the map and putting him on grass (or turf) beyond his wildest childhood dreams. “It’s really amazing to think I’m just there by myself when other people have been here in these 100,000-person raucous environments,” Josh said. “It’s almost therapeutic when you’re able to sit there and just be by yourself in the silence of a giant stadium.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will recap the best and worst from around the league. Here are our winners and losers from Week 8: Loser: Ravens Bill Belichick was right. Speaking on the “The Pat McAfee Show” earlier this month — and later reiterating those comments on the “ManningCast” for Ravens vs. Buccaneers — the seven-time Super Bowl champion coach said “the Ravens’ biggest opponent is the Ravens.” “They just can’t let themselves beat themselves,” Belichick said. “When they’re hitting on all cylinders and they’ve got it going right, it really looks good. They’ve just got to find that consistency and eliminate some of the things that they’ve done that put themselves in a hole more than what the opponent has done to them.” Well, the Ravens beat themselves again Sunday in a 29-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Whether it was dropped interceptions, dropped passes, a failure to pressure quarterback Jameis Winston or poor coverage in the secondary, the Ravens couldn’t secure what should have been an easy win over a team that failed to score 20 points in each of its seven games. This was a Cleveland offense with a new starting quarterback in Winston and new play-caller in Ken Dorsey, and the Ravens were playing without injured cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins. That said, Cedric Tillman should not have been as open as he was for the game-winning 38-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds left, and Winston should not have had as much time to throw as he did with the Ravens rushing seven players. In his first start since 2022, the 30-year-old journeyman threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns and was sacked just twice. So far, attempts to fix the defense haven’t worked. The Ravens (5-3) brought in free agent pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue, hired former defensive coordinator Dean Pees as an adviser and benched safety Marcus Williams on Sunday in favor of Ar’Darius Washington and Eddie Jackson, yet they still rank among the league’s worst in terms of defending the pass and pressuring the quarterback. It’s a complete failure for a unit that is running out of excuses under new coordinator Zach Orr. “We’re going to continue to turn over every stone with our defense and with every other part of our team, too, to get as good as we can get it over the course of a long season,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. The defense isn’t the only problem. The Ravens rank second in the league in penalties (63) and penalty yards (549), and the special teams have taken a dramatic step back from their usual spot near the top of the league. Harbaugh was critical of some mistakes there Sunday, including three penalties on kickoff returns and a fair catch at the 6-yard line by Tylan Wallace on a fourth-quarter punt. Justin Tucker is now a bad bet on 50-plus-yard kicks. One loss to Cleveland, as bad as it was, won’t derail this season. But if the defense can’t solve its biggest issues before the postseason, the Ravens could be in for another disappointing finish. Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown, right, celebrates his game-winning touchdown reception on a Hail Mary against the Bears with Terry McLaurin on Sunday in Landover. (Scott Taetsch/Getty) Winner: Washington Commanders The legend of Jayden Daniels keeps growing. The rookie quarterback launched a Hail Mary as time expired Sunday that bounced off a crowd of players at the goal line and landed perfectly in the hands of Noah Brown for a 52-yard touchdown, completing a stunning 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears and setting off a wild celebration in Landover. “That’s kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Daniels, who has led Washington to a 6-2 start and first place in the NFC East. The buzzer-beating finish overshadowed what was a mediocre day on offense for the Commanders and their young star, who played through a rib injury he suffered last week that cast doubt on his availability right up until game time. Washington went 0-for-3 in the red zone and 5-for-15 on third down and settled for four field goals from Austin Seibert, an uncharacteristically poor performance for the league’s top scoring offense. “I’m happy that we won, but at the end of the day I know there’s a lot that we left out there, a lot that we could continue to get better from,” said Daniels, who still finished 21 of 38 for 326 yards while rushing eight times for 52 yards. “We’ve got to clean some stuff up on the offensive side. We’ve got to clean up some stuff — penalties, communication. We won the game, so it’s always better on a win.” He left quite an impression on his teammates as well. Perhaps forgotten in the euphoria of the victory are the 11-yard pass to Zach Ertz and the 13-yard completion to Terry McLaurin in the final seconds that put Washington in position to try the Hail Mary. “We’re blessed to have ‘5’ leading this team: The things he can do is special,” Brown said. “I wouldn’t want to play with any other quarterback.” Loser: Chicago Bears The Commanders’ miracle win included plenty of help from the Bears, including on that final play. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson had his back turned when Washington snapped the ball because he was focused on interacting with fans in the crowd. He eventually sprinted over after Daniels scrambled for 13 seconds and released the ball from his own 35-yard line, joining the mob of players at the goal line as the ball arrived. Coach Matt Eberflus said Stevenson was supposed to block out Brown, who ended up being uncovered when he caught the tipped pass in the end zone. Stevenson later apologized to his teammates and addressed the team during a meeting Monday. “I let the moment get too big and it’s something that can never happen again and won’t ever happen again,” he said. But that wasn’t the only mistake the Bears (4-3) made Sunday. Facing third-and-goal from the 1-yard line earlier in the fourth quarter, Chicago inexplicably handed the ball to offensive lineman Doug Kramer, an occasional blocking fullback in goal-line situations who had never carried the ball in the NFL. Kramer predictably muffed the handoff from rookie Caleb Williams, and the Commanders recovered the fumble to preserve a 12-7 lead. The Bears forced a quick punt and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 25 seconds left — handing the ball to running back Roschon Johnson at the goal line this time — but the damage had been done. Perhaps the Hail Mary was karmic justice for a team with the hubris to hand the ball to an offensive lineman with the game on the line, a truly unprecedented blunder. According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, there are no examples of a player who weighs at least 300 pounds scoring a rushing touchdown in a situation when his team was trailing. The Lions at least had the good sense to wait until they had put away the Cowboys earlier this season before trying to get one of their offensive linemen to score. Leave the fun plays to Detroit, Chicago. The return of Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, left, helped quarterback Matt Stafford have his best game of the season. (Ryan Sun/AP) Winner: Los Angeles Rams Things were not looking good for the Rams entering Thursday night. Los Angeles was 2-4 and facing calls for wide receiver Cooper Kupp and perhaps even quarterback Matthew Stafford to get traded before next Tuesday’s deadline. Fellow receiver Puka Nacua had been out since getting injured in Week 1, and Kupp hadn’t played since Week 2. Only a thrilling comeback against the 49ers and a win over the lowly Raiders had kept the Rams afloat. Then both star receivers returned, and Los Angeles looked like a team that could contend for a playoff spot and potentially a division title in a 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Nacua caught seven passes for 106 yards, looking every bit the dynamic player who set the NFL rookie receiving record with 1,486 yards last season. Kupp had five catches for 51 yards and a score, and Stafford finished with 279 yards and four touchdowns after throwing just three touchdown passes in the first six games combined. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coach John Harbaugh will ‘turn over every stone’ to fix defensive issues Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coach John Harbaugh mum on benched safety Marcus Williams’ future role 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 “They brought a lot of energy to our team, and a ton of confidence,” Stafford said. “It’s not only just the offense. I know the defense feels it too when those guys are out there making plays.” The defense did benefit from a missed facemask call against Byron Young on his sack of Sam Darnold in the end zone for a safety that effectively ended the game, but it was unlikely that Minnesota would have been able to drive for a touchdown and a game-tying 2-point conversion with 1:46 left and no timeouts. The Rams sacked Darnold three times and limited the Vikings’ explosive offense to just two field goals in the final three quarters. Now, Los Angeles (3-4) sits just one game behind the 49ers, Cardinals and Seahawks in a crowded NFC West race that could go down to the wire. Aaron Donald might be gone, but seeing Stafford, Kupp and Nacua all healthy and playing well with a chance to compete for another Super Bowl title under coach Sean McVay is a treat. “I believe in this group,” McVay said. “I saw resolve. I didn’t see a flinch. … We’ve done a good job of getting ourselves back to where we wanted to be.” Have a news tip? Contact C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

The Ravens have signed a free agent pass rusher, hired a defensive-minded consultant with a game-day role and benched a highly paid safety. Their defense is still performing among the league’s worst. Coach John Harbaugh did not sidestep the notion of further changes. “Depends what kind of changes are available to us,” he said. “We’re going to continue to turn over every stone on defense. … We’ll do whatever we can do.” Through eight weeks, the Ravens (5-3) have given up the most total air yards on completions (1,177) and are tied for first in passing touchdowns allowed (17). They’ve given up the most completed passes (207) on the most attempts (308) for the most first downs (123). And they’re 21st in takeaways, all under first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr. That’s a pretty stark contrast from a team that only a year ago became the first to lead the NFL in points allowed, sacks and takeaways in a single season. And it’s a poor complement to perhaps the league’s top offense. In their 29-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the Ravens dropped three interceptions, according to Pro Football Focus. Two slipped through Eddie Jackson’s fingers and a third — the most consequential that would have iced a sixth straight Ravens win — pinballed between Kyle Hamilton’s arms and legs before tumbling to the turf. It was an agonizing end to an otherwise sound day from Hamilton, who starred among a depleted defense against a bottom-of-the-barrel Browns offense. Hamilton’s drop came just outside the game’s final minute. The next play, Browns receiver Cedric Tillman dusted Jackson and caught a 38-yard pass from Jameis Winston for the eventual game-winning touchdown. When asked about how his defensive backs can translate catching on the JUGS machine to in-game interceptions, Harbaugh sounded as if he, too, was struggling to come to grips with the glaring issue. “There are probably a lot of factors that are pretty hard to measure on that,” he said, “but we lead the league in drops. It’s no secret.” According to Fantasy Football analyst Ian Hartitz, there has been only one other instance of an NFL team dropping three potential picks this season. It was Baltimore in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens defense has eight total drops on the season, while no other team has more than five. “Man, those are huge opportunities,” Harbaugh said. “That’s low-hanging fruit.” Ravens safety Eddie Jackson, left, dropped two interceptions Sunday against the Browns. (Jason Miller/Getty) Baltimore’s secondary was playing without its takeaways leader Marlon Humphrey (knee) and rookie Nate Wiggins, who Harbaugh said did not travel because of an illness. Safety Marcus Williams was benched for Ar’Darius Washington but the veteran coach declined to offer further details. Tillman’s earlier touchdown — his first of two, part of the best outing of his young career — came on the heels of another Ravens defensive blunder. There was miscommunication at the line of scrimmage that left Odafe Oweh sprinting to the opposite end as Winston snapped the ball. Tillman caught a quick slant over the middle, shed a Jackson tackle and scurried into the end zone to give Cleveland the lead back late in the third quarter. “We’ve had a few of those this year,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve got to do a much better job of that. … It’s what defenses face nowadays in the NFL. There’s a lot of moving parts to the offenses and we’re trying to match personnel and match formations. You got to be on point and we’re not on point with that play.” How and when the Ravens blitz was another point Harbaugh said they’ll take a good long look at. He said he’s been happy with the pass rush — which is top five in the league in sacks with 24. And to the Ravens’ credit, their bottom-10 blitz percentage (18.6%) is somewhat a byproduct of playing a murderer’s row of mobile quarterbacks. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coach John Harbaugh mum on benched safety Marcus Williams’ future role 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 was not the case Sunday against Winston, who was making his first start since September 2022. Baltimore also played most of Sunday’s loss without nose tackle Michael Pierce and defensive end Brent Urban. Pierce exited in the first half with a calf injury. Urban suffered a concussion on his lone snap of the day. And Travis Jones played only 15 defensive snaps while still dealing with an ankle injury. Even behind an undermanned front, Harbaugh lamented the frequency with which Winston was able to hold onto the ball and make a play. They weren’t containing the run against Cleveland, which opened the door for Winston to make chunk throws. “Maybe that’s somewhere where we have to do more blitzing — on first and second down,” Harbaugh said. “We did some. Zach called a couple edge blitzes that got there. We’ll be looking real hard at that. … It’s a big part of our defense, and the execution part of it, for the most part, has been good, but there have been plenty of times where it hasn’t been good. I do think it’s part of the learning curve.” On Monday, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovksy made note of Orr calling all-out blitzes on six straight plays to end the game. Orlovsky might agree with the need to turn over a few more stones, having called Baltimore’s defense “predictable.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

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