ExtremeRavens Posted 21 hours ago Posted 21 hours ago The Ravens breathed a sigh of relief Sunday. They won their first game of the 2025 season, smashing the woeful Cleveland Browns, 41-17, before an announced 70,487 at M&T Bank Stadium. That’s a good thing. Actually, it’s a great thing. Players spend all summer working out and going through difficult practices, so it’s good to release the tension that has been bottled up during the entire offseason. The Ravens couldn’t do that last week, losing 41-40 to the Buffalo Bills in a stunning collapse and failing to get revenge for last season’s AFC divisional round defeat. After Sunday’s win, the Ravens were in a celebratory mood, and it certainly beat the disaster left on the field in Buffalo to open the season. But the bottom line is that the Ravens are still a tough team to figure out, and very little could be determined from their beating of the Browns (0-2). The Ravens are expected to be one of the best teams this season, but the Browns are pathetic and have the worst offense in that city’s history since returning to the NFL in 1999. That in itself is a statement because there are only eight to 10 good teams in the league right now, and the rest aren’t very good. Yes, we can start with the Browns. Poor Joe Flacco, Cleveland’s starting quarterback. At age 40, the former Ravens star still has that smooth throwing motion but little else. A calendar is needed when he gets flushed out of the pocket. He was sacked twice Sunday and hurried on nine other occasions. Without star running back Nick Chubb, who now plays in Houston, the Browns don’t have an X-factor on offense. Shoot, they don’t even have a receiver who can catch the ball consistently. The Browns talked a lot of trash during the week leading up to Sunday’s game, but it just amounted to mostly hot air. The Ravens got some much-needed defensive confidence. A week ago, they allowed quarterback Josh Allen to run free and torture them for nearly 400 passing yards. On Sunday, things were different because they decided to attack. Ravens vs. Browns, September 14, 2025 | PHOTOS They blitzed a lot. They brought a lot of pressure, which we saw in training camp. They power rushed and shoved around Cleveland right tackle Cornelius Lucas, who has no business being a starter in the NFL. Absolutely none. And the Ravens forced turnovers, including a blocked punt by linebacker Jake Hummel that was recovered by safety Sanoussi Kane and turned into a 15-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson early in the second quarter. There was also a 61-yard interception return by cornerback Nate Wiggins that led to a 2-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Devontez Walker early in the third. Those were great confidence builders. The Ravens now have a foundation to build on after being upset by the Bills last week. The only problem was that Cleveland’s offense was so inept. Vanilla might be a derogatory term. Flacco was a statue, and he had either two choices: Throw quickly or run for his life. That’s it. Ravens tight end Mark Andrews drops the ball after Browns safety Grant Delpit punches it out in the end zone during Sunday's game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) It appeared as if the Ravens blew Cleveland out, but let’s look at the scoring drives. One was two plays for 24 yards and resulted in a touchdown. Another was four plays for 5 yards and another touchdown. One was three plays for 25 yards and another score and the other was a legitimate 10-play, 81-yard march that produced a touchdown. That’s it. Another high-octane effort was expected, but the Ravens didn’t need one. They just needed to show up, eliminate turnovers, and win. But there was some intriguing stuff. Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushed only 11 times for 23 yards. The Ravens ended the game with 47 yards on 21 carries, and they never got that running or play-action passing game going. The Browns play great defense, but they aren’t that good. The Ravens were only 3-for-12 on third down. Worse yet, after Wiggins returned his interception down to the Cleveland 5-yard line, Henry, all 252 pounds of him, didn’t touch the ball on three straight plays. That’s ridiculous. Even worse, the Ravens brought in No. 2 guard Ben Cleveland and Henry still didn’t have a carry. It was a strange game, and to not get Henry involved in some form was even stranger. Let’s call the Ravens opportunistic. They did get the offense together in the second half, but it was an ugly game. Yet, when a team wins its first game of the season, it eliminates a lot of pressure. That is basically what the Ravens achieved Sunday. Now, it’s time to move on to Detroit. But before then, time for some relief. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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