ExtremeRavens Posted 10 hours ago Posted 10 hours ago Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Sunday’s Week 11 game between the Ravens and Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland: Brian Wacker, reporter Ravens 23, Browns 16: Baltimore has lost three of its past four trips to Cleveland, hasn’t swept the Browns since 2020, and divisional opponents, no matter how much they’re struggling, almost always seem to be a problem. Still, the Ravens have enough firepower on offense between Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely to give the Browns’ stout defense too much to eventually handle. Baltimore’s defense is also ascending with eight turnovers over the past four games and that’s a bad sign for Dillion Gabriel, who should the feel the wrath of a team that knows how to mess with rookie quarterbacks. No doubt Cleveland will try to lean on its defense and rookie running back Quinshon Judkins, but even without receiver Rashod Bateman and cornerback Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore has enough juice to put this one away. Sam Cohn, reporter Ravens 28, Browns 20: These games are always weird. Neither side has swept the season series since 2020 and “it’s never really a blowout,” fullback Patrick Ricard said. The weather is almost certain to play a factor. But based on the antiparallel trend of both teams — Baltimore on a three-game heater and Cleveland unraveling behind a putrid rookie quarterback with the fewest yards per attempt in the NFL (5.0) — expect the Ravens to buck the trend in a close one. Jackson can still pick apart their secondary (in short-to-intermediate throws if the weather negates the long ball), like he did in Week 2. And Baltimore’s defense has turned a corner in forcing turnovers. Playing without Marlon Humphrey or Rashod Bateman hurts, but won’t decide the outcome. If this wasn’t a road divisional matchup, Sunday might have been a field day for the Ravens. They’ll still eke out a win and get to .500. Mike Preston, columnist Ravens 24, Browns 6: The Browns have the No. 31 ranked offense in the NFL and are averaging only 168 passing yards per game. Cleveland will start rookie Dillon Gabriel at quarterback and the Ravens will confuse him with different looks and approaches and threaten him with an assortment of blitzes. This will be the second straight week in which the Ravens face an inexperienced quarterback, and he will struggle. This game will follow the usual script: The Browns will play outstanding defense for a half and then they will wither away from being frustrated by their offense, which can do absolutely nothing. The only way this game is close is because the teams compete in the AFC North and they know each other well. The Ravens, though, have a sense of urgency and the Browns have no sense at all, which is why they struggle from the front office down to the field. Josh Tolentino, columnist Ravens 31, Browns 24: This game has all the makings of another gusty, grind-it-out AFC North battle. After a short stint of clean health, Baltimore’s injury list is growing again. It’s not as overwhelming as it was earlier in the season, but a key absence like veteran cornerback Marlon Humphrey is bound to test the team’s depth again. The formula for extending Baltimore’s three-game winning streak starts with the defense, which has produced seven takeaways during this turnaround stretch. That surge must continue against a Dillon Gabriel-led offense prone to mistakes. Offensively, the Ravens need to find a groove early and avoid asking Lamar Jackson to shoulder everything against Cleveland’s pressure-heavy defense headlined by star Myles Garrett. Tailback Derrick Henry finished with his season-low rushing total against Cleveland in Week 2. Establishing the run and staying out of long critical downs will be paramount for the visitors. The Ravens might be heavily favored, but the final leg of their three straight road games could be a slugfest. With Jackson returning to practice, Baltimore should have just enough to deliver the necessary knockout blows. C.J. Doon, editor Ravens 20, Browns 13: This feels like one of those AFC North games the Ravens have inexplicably lost in recent years, but the level of focus shouldn’t be in question this time. Baltimore has almost no margin for error, and a division loss could be crushing if the race against Pittsburgh comes down to the wire. All signs point to the Ravens taking care of business behind a rejuvenated defense, but their offense will be worth watching. Lamar Jackson says that he feels good, but we’ll see how that knee holds up against Myles Garrett. If Derrick Henry can’t get going and the Browns’ secondary blankets Zay Flowers, all of the sudden there’s a lot of pressure on Jackson to work his magic. He can win this game by himself, but for the Ravens’ sake, hopefully he doesn’t have to. Bennett Conlin, editor Ravens 30, Browns 10: The Ravens should be 6-5 going into their prime-time Thanksgiving game vs. Cincinnati. The Browns and Jets are two of the NFL’s worst, and Baltimore beat Cleveland, 41-17, in Week 2. Dillon Gabriel has struggled as a rookie quarterback — count me in the group of people curious to watch Shedeur Sanders instead — and the Ravens’ defense has forced three turnovers in consecutive games. Even with Lamar Jackson banged up, it’s hard to see this one coming down to the wire. Tim Schwartz, editor Ravens 21, Browns 10: Lamar Jackson had an injury scare this week, missing practice Wednesday because of knee soreness, but he appears to be good to go. And he better be against a Browns team that still can play some defense. Offensively? Yikes. This could be a field day for Baltimore’s defense, which is hitting its stride but will be without Marlon Humphrey. Fortunately for the Ravens, the Browns don’t have anybody to throw the ball to. Baltimore should be back to .500 Sunday night, and with the Jets looming the following week, they should take a five-game winning streak into a Thanksgiving showdown with a potentially healthy Joe Burrow and the Bengals looming. A fun final stretch awaits. Patrice Sanders, FOX45 Morning News anchor Ravens 31, Browns 17: The Ravens are looking better and better each week. They’ve won three straight games, and I think they can keep that streak going into this week. Division games are always a challenge, but the Browns just lost to the Jets, and they can’t seem to get out of quarterback turmoil, so I’m counting on Baltimore to get the best of them. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. View the full article Quote
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