ExtremeRavens Posted January 5 Posted January 5 Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns in Saturday’s Week 18 game at M&T Bank Stadium: Brian Wacker, reporter: This one was over long before rookie cornerback and first-round draft pick Nate Wiggins took his first interception to the house for a 26-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. The Ravens (12-5), even playing far from their best on Saturday, are infinitely superior to a Browns team whose biggest goal was protecting its draft position and potentially gaining the No. 1 slot in April. The Ravens’ objective, of course, was playing well enough to avoid a colossal upset as well as dodging injury en route to another AFC North title. Losing Zay Flowers to a knee injury in the second quarter, however, will be problematic if he misses significant time. Otherwise, Baltimore outclassed Cleveland (3-14) in about every way possible. Quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson had little chance against the league’s best defense since Week 11. Lamar Jackson along with tight end Mark Andrews and receiver Rashod Bateman, while not putting up monster numbers, did more than enough to make Swiss cheese out of the Browns’ defense. Childs Walker, reporter: The Ravens won the AFC North but watched their best receiver, Zay Flowers, limp off with a knee injury a week before the playoffs. Not a great trade. They started with one of their ugliest offensive halves of the season, failing to convert on a pair of fourth downs, committing presnap penalties and giving Derrick Henry no room to run. They went to halftime with a 14-3 lead because Cleveland could not move the ball on their defense and Nate Wiggins returned an interception for a touchdown. A ragged half doesn’t matter much in the big picture. We’ve seen enough great offense from this team to know its ceiling. What could matter a great deal is the potential absence of Flowers, who left in the first half. Flowers is Jackson’s most dynamic target, and if he’s missing from a playoff game, the Ravens would have to recalibrate everything. Baltimore put the game out of reach with a touchdown drive to start the second half highlighted by an exquisite touch pass from a scrambling Jackson to Mark Andrews. The Ravens then went right back to struggling against a Cleveland front seven that came to play. Whatever, they won the game. Now, the real season begins. Ravens vs. Browns, Jan. 4, 2025 | Photos Mike Preston, columnist: The expectation was that the Ravens would come out and smash the Browns early, and Cleveland would eventually quit, sometime in the second half. That didn’t happen, and the game showed some of the Ravens’ weaknesses. They have and continue to struggle against teams with a dominant front four, and that causes problems because it takes away from the play-action passing game. With that said, quarterback Lamar Jackson sometimes struggles because opposing defenses can drop six or seven players into coverage, especially zone. Defensively, the Ravens played well, but the Browns don’t have an established quarterback or a threatening offense. Overall, the Ravens did what they needed to do. They won the game and the AFC North title and clinched a wild-card playoff game at home. But for a team with serious playoff ambitions, the Ravens didn’t dominate. More was expected from a team that has struggled at times in the postseason in recent years. Sam Cohn, reporter: The goal of this game was simple: win the hats and T-shirts that accompany an AFC North title and finish out the regular season healthy. One out of two. The Ravens needed longer than any half-conscious NFL viewer might have expected to get their starters off the field. And their offense largely wasn’t the pretty spectacle it was over their recent three-game stretch in 11 days. It was, however, enough to get past the understaffed Browns, who maintain the worst record in the NFL. Nice. But their health will be an interesting point to monitor this week. Most notably, Zay Flowers left early with a knee injury that ended his day. Rashod Bateman took a hard hit over the middle but seemed to return without issue, having scored a touchdown. Kyle Hamilton had a turn in the blue medical tent in the second half but was back out there a possession later. Even Lamar Jackson invited a few too many unnecessary hits. The Ravens got out of Dodge, nonetheless. Back here in a week. C.J. Doon, editor: There was plenty to like and plenty to dislike from this performance, as is often the case with these Ravens. Let’s start with the bad news. The offense struggled to finish drives, turning the ball over on downs three times. Todd Monken’s play-calling was questionable at points, with Derrick Henry surprisingly not getting the ball in a handful of a short-yardage situations (and only 13 carries entering the fourth quarter). Lamar Jackson can paper over a lot of mistakes, but he missed some open throws and took some big hits both in the pocket and at the end of his carries. The penalties — some of them questionable, to be fair — again piled up, including an illegal formation flag that wiped out a chance to kick a field goal late in the first half. The fourth-down delay of game that led to a punt near midfield in the third quarter was a head-scratcher, too. That’s not something you want to see from a Super Bowl contender in a tune-up game for the postseason. But we saw flashes of why the Ravens could be win it all. Jackson wasn’t sharp, but he put a bow on his magnificent, MVP-worthy season with some stunning runs and a Steph Curry-like premature celebration of a touchdown pass that had yet to land in the hands of Rashod Bateman in the end zone. It’s hard to put a finger on that kind of flair, but Jackson plays with a joyfulness and confidence that few other players do. Whether that should matter in MVP discussions is up for debate, but you can’t ignore it, either. The biggest takeaway of all, however, is the health of wide receiver Zay Flowers, who exited with a knee injury and did not return. It looked like he might have avoided serious injury when he walked off under his own power, but any limitation or lack of availability heading into the playoffs is bad news for an offense that needs his speed and play-making ability. Bateman, Mark Andrews and Henry can certainly carry the load, but Flowers was a Pro Bowl selection for a reason. The Ravens need him to click on all cylinders and outscore the Chiefs or Bills (or, heck, maybe even the Chargers?) and make a deep run. Tim Schwartz, editor: That went about as we all expected, though the Ravens looked like they were simply going through the motions for much of Saturday’s game. Against a team as bad as Cleveland, it didn’t really matter. What we’ll probably remember is Zay Flowers exiting in the second quarter after writhing in pain and holding his right knee. The postseason begins in a week. If he’s even slightly injured, Baltimore could be in big trouble. Flowers, Baltimore’s leading receiver, is by far their most dynamic playmaker in the passing game, and the trickle-down effect could be significant. In the grand scheme of things, I would guess few people pictured the Ravens winning the AFC North after they dropped to 7-4 with a loss to a then-8-2 Steelers squad in Week 12, but here we are. Credit where credit is due. Lamar Jackson put together his best season to date (he should win his third NFL Most Valuable Player Award, in my opinion). Flowers and Rashod Bateman stepped up into bigger roles. Derrick Henry was even better than advertised. The offensive line figured it out. And Zach Orr’s defense turned a midseason corner few thought would be possible. Just another exciting season in Baltimore. But the truth is, none of it matters. What they do over the next month is the only thing that counts. They can’t lay another egg this time. Bennett Conlin, editor: That was expectedly easy, as the Super Bowl contender was never threatened by the three-win foe with a backup quarterback at the helm. Despite some missed chances offensively, Baltimore took care of business Saturday, turning an 0-2 start into a 12-5 regular season and a division title. The Ravens will be at home again next week as a result, hosting a playoff game. With four consecutive wins under their belt, the Ravens look as dangerous as any AFC contender. Lamar Jackson is playing the best football of his career, leading perhaps the best offense in the NFL, and Baltimore’s defense continues to improve each week. This team has what it takes to win it all, but getting through the Bills and Chiefs to win the AFC isn’t remotely similar to beating Bailey Zappe and the Browns. Outside of Zay Flowers leaving with injury, Saturday’s accomplishment was meaningful for fans and players, but the outcome doesn’t tell us much of anything about the Ravens’ playoff potential. John Harbaugh’s team deserves credit for rebounding from a shaky start to win the division, but the real season starts next weekend. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article Quote
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