Ravens Insider: Instant analysis from Ravens’ 23-16 win over Browns in Week 11

[ExtremeRavens]

Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 23-16 win over the Browns in Week 11 of the NFL season on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland.

Brian Wacker, reporter

This felt like a game the Ravens were going to lose. Between Myles Garrett and the Browns’ pass rush terrorizing Lamar Jackson and a series of blundering errors by Baltimore, this had the makings of a disaster. But the Browns couldn’t muster much offense behind their two rookie quarterbacks and the Ravens have too many weapons to be held completely out of the end zone. Rookie kicker Tyler Loop also handled the swirling winds well and continued his strong first season.

But the real pièce de résistance was the touchdown by Mark Andrews and the creativity behind it for what had become an often predictable offense. That will perhaps go a long way toward sparking a revival for what has been at best an inconsistent group.

Mike Preston, columnist

The Ravens didn’t earn any style points for this game and they didn’t deserve any. They pretty much played the Browns to a stalemate while playing against two rookie quarterbacks in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Once Sanders replaced Gabriel to start the second half, it was only a matter of time before the Ravens pulled out  a victory.

Despite the Ravens trying to give the game away in the first half, if a team can’t score, it probably won’t win. It is just so logical, and the Ravens were fortunate to be playing one of the worst offenses in the NFL. It will get even worse when the Ravens play the New York Jets next Sunday followed by the Bengals on Thanksgiving  Day.

The Ravens got a nice block from fullback Patrick Ricard to spring tight end Mark Andrews of the team’s fake tush push play, but the Ravens have a lot of work to do. Also, Sanders is not the answer in Cleveland, not yet anyway. He needs some work.

Josh Tolentino, columnist

For much of Sunday afternoon, the Ravens beat themselves up in puzzling fashion. Cleveland’s defense posed a legitimate threat, but Baltimore’s offense sputtered time and time again, often flaming out in the red zone, a critical part of the field that has proven to be an immense challenge. Since the bye week, the Ravens have converted just half (9 for 18) of their red zone opportunities, including just 1 of 4 against Cleveland. If Baltimore is going to make a deep run, it’ll need to figure out the lingering blunders that continue to pop up inside the 20.

Ultimately, the Ravens overcame a pair of interceptions from Lamar Jackson and several special teams gaffes to escape their house of horrors with their fourth-straight victory. In consecutive weeks, the Ravens have executed nifty trick plays off their Mark Andrews tush push call. On Sunday, it was Andrews who served as the hero as he took a handoff late in the fourth quarter, rolled out to his right and rumbled 35 yards to give the Ravens the go-ahead score.

Sam Cohn, reporter

If the Ravens were playing a competent football team, they would’ve been boat raced. They turned the ball over twice, Lamar Jackson failed to throw a touchdown and was sacked five times, special teams mistakes were costly, and the red zone offense was dismal. Tyler Loop’s boot and a stout defense against one of the worst offenses in the NFL seemed Baltimore’s only hope to reach .500. But shoutout Todd Monken, who has taken a lot of heat this season. It was warranted for most of Sunday’s win. But that third-down fake tush push call to Mark Andrews helps set all that aside for a moment. It was enough to win a weird game. The Ravens didn’t play like a playoff contender, but they made enough plays to keep their playoff window in view.

C.J. Doon, editor

CBS play-by-play announcer Andrew Catalon coined it the “Baltimore Breakout.” After all is said and done, that fake tush push by Mark Andrews will ultimately be how we remember this game.

What a relief it must have been for offensive coordinator Todd Monken to see Andrews cross the goal line after the Ravens kept knocking on the door all afternoon but were forced to settle for field goals — and in one instance, no points at all after an uncharacteristic interception from Lamar Jackson. The Ravens’ continued struggles in the red zone are as head-scratching as they are frustrating for an offense that boasts this much talent.

And until that heart-stopping final drive — which included an outstanding pass breakup by unheralded Chidobe Awuzie on what looked to be a potential game-winning touchdown pass from Shedeur Sanders — the Ravens’ defense kept Cleveland’s offense at a comfortable arm’s length.

Baltimore is back to .500 after a 1-5 start. This one was ugly, but it still counts in the win column. That’s huge on a day the Steelers won (but lost Aaron Rodgers) to stay ahead in the AFC North race.

Bennett Conlin, editor

That’s a flush-the-tape game. The Ravens were disgusting Sunday, turning the ball over and struggling mightily on special teams. It was perhaps Baltimore’s sloppiest game of the season, and it nearly gave the game away to an inferior team. It doesn’t really matter, though.

The Ravens won the game with a gritty finish, beating a division rival on the road. They’re 5-5 after a 1-5 start, and they play at home in their next three games. Baltimore shouldn’t spend much time on this performance, which felt uncharacteristic. Flush the tape and focus on beating the snot out of the Jets in a week. A win is a win, no matter how ugly.

Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. 

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