ExtremeRavens Posted 6 hours ago Posted 6 hours ago After the Ravens escaped Cleveland with a 23-16 win and improved to 5-5, Baltimore’s famed former linebacker Terrell Suggs posted what everyone was thinking. “In traditional Ravens fashion,” he wrote on X, Sunday’s win gave fans “multiple heart attacks.” Here are five things we learned: The Ravens (barely) exorcised their demons in Cleveland For some reason, Cleveland — no matter how unimpressive the home football team — becomes the Bermuda Triangle when the Ravens are in town. Or the island in “Lost,” where mysterious anomalies are the norm. Weird stuff happens when the Ravens go play the Browns in Ohio (remember last year when Jameis Winston snapped a five-game win streak?). Much of Sunday was an ugly, comedy of errors on both sides. Lamar Jackson threw a pair of interceptions — one ricocheted off Keaton Mitchell’s hands for a pick-6 and the other, which doinked off an offensive lineman’s helmet, came one play after a Nate Wiggins interception. Myles Garrett sacked Jackson four times. There was a Ravens special teams muffed punt and an offsides infraction on punt team. One Browns rookie quarterback earned boos, completed the longest pass of his young career (26 yards) and later exited early for a concussion. His replacement was the highly anticipated Shedeur Sanders, who was met by cheers, sacked on his first drive and threw an interception on his second. Field goals in heavy wind and a trick play ultimately settled the score. “You need games like this during the season,” running back Derrick Henry said. “This is kind of like a playoff-style game.” Playoff style in the way that postseason games can be unpredictable, decided by one unexpected call or a gusty defensive stand. If nothing else, it tested the Ravens’ resolve. They found a way to win and swept the season series for the first time since 2020. Last year’s loss in Cleveland is a landmark reference point for the type of game the Ravens tend to let slip at least once per season. These Ravens dug themselves too deep of a hole to allow those issues to fester. Two bad-luck picks and special teams mistakes couldn’t fully weigh them down against the overmatched Browns. Nor could a delay-of-game penalty against Kyle Hamilton for kicking the ball in frustration after dropping an easy interception. Even he couldn’t help but remember the last time the Ravens played in Cleveland and he let slip the potential game-winner, joking, “I can’t seem to catch a pick in Cleveland for some reason.” Todd Monken is having fun with “tush push” variations The list of people wearing the Ravens logo on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays who have taken heat for their 1-5 start and some of the shaky football that has persisted along this four-game win streak is long. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s name is right there near the top of any list. His group, which was historically dominant in 2023 and 2024, entered Sunday ranked 27th both in fourth-down conversions (42.86%) and red-zone scoring (50%). In seven games, Jackson has been sacked 23 times, which is how many times he was brought down all of last year. Harbaugh has been openly critical of their shortcomings. Monken, too, knows those metrics are “unacceptable.” Sunday evening, CBS cameras found him up in the booth at Huntington Bank Field. Monken, having just watched Mark Andrews break off the decisive 35-yard touchdown run from a trick play, casually sipped his water. Nobody would have blamed him if he swapped it out for whiskey and a cigar. “Hurricane” was the fourth-and-1 call. Harbaugh said there was talk on the headset of the faux tush push if they needed a short-yardage conversion. Jackson said they liked the way it looked in practice earlier in the week. Henry wouldn’t reveal much other than it “got repped to perfection.” Andrews, whose heroics overshadowed his own franchise record-breaking afternoon, lined up under center like he was preparing for a teammate to shove his derrière. Then he spun out to his right. A block from fullback Patrick Ricard opened the lane to a first down. “I trust Pat with my life,” Andrews said later. And tight end Charlie Kolar chipped Cleveland’s Carson Schwesinger enough to create a lane for Andrews to barrel through an opening and accelerate to 20.09 miles per hours. Kolar applauded his coaches for the play call after seeing the way Cleveland bunched up near the interior. “It was a great play,” he said. Monken didn’t so much as crack a grin. He sipped his water watching the Ravens — who finished 5-for-13 on third downs — convert the one play they really needed to. He pulled out the stops with some similar trickery in Minnesota. This one saved the day in Cleveland, even if there are lingering questions about the afternoon’s broader body of work. Defensive stands mask special teams mistakes At one point Sunday afternoon, Harbaugh doubled over. Hands on his knees. Head buried into his own chest. The longtime coach who got his start in special teams meeting rooms and has made the game’s third phase a priority in Baltimore had just watched two gaffes nearly cost them. Harbaugh looked like he wanted to vomit. LaJohntay Wester, the rookie returner with blazing wheels for feet, muffed a punt inside the 10-yard line. That handed Cleveland a free pass six yards from pay dirt. Three plays later, the Browns were right where they started thanks to an impressive goal line stand from the Ravens defense which seems to have become the norm lately. A field goal gave the Browns a 6-3 lead when they should have held a 10-3 advantage. The Browns were gifted a shot at redemption later in that same wacky second quarter. On fourth-and-4, lined up to punt the ball downfield, Jake Hummel goofed. It was another uncharacteristic move from another special teamer who has been a pleasant surprise for these confounding Ravens. Hummel jumped offsides, awarding the Browns a first down near midfield. The home team was in field goal range two plays later. Baltimore again walled up, part of what Hamilton called a “complete product” from the defense, and held the Browns to three points rather than seven. Another instance where the Ravens went down a manageable 16-10 rather than 21-10, on the verge of collapse. “We got thrown into some sticky situations,” Hamilton said. “It doesn’t matter what the situation is in the game, if there’s a blade of grass to defend, we’re going to defend it.” That they did. The Browns finished with 187 yards of total offense. They had 14 third-down tries and converted only two. The Ravens hit Cleveland’s quarterbacks 10 times and brought them to the ground thrice. There were nine pass deflections, six tackles for loss and Wiggins’ third interception of the year. “Didn’t give Shedeur Sanders a chance to breathe really at all,” Harbaugh said. Even when the Browns were forced to switch quarterbacks to the rookie making his NFL debut, linebacker Roquan Smith gathered his teammates to manage emotions. “You want to go out there and just kill,” he told them, according to pass rusher Dre’Mont Jones. They’ve come a long way from the immature group of earlier this year. Browns wide receiver Gage Larvadain and Ravens cornerback Chidobe Awuzie reach for a pass during the second half of Baltimore's narrow win. The Ravens limited the Browns' two rookie quarterbacks to 11-for-26 passing in the victory. (David Richard/AP) Chidobe Awuzie was the cornerback signing the Ravens needed The Ravens brought in two cornerbacks this offseason in an effort to fortify their secondary. One flew under the radar and one made headlines any time he did anything. They quietly signed veteran Chidobe Awuzie in March — meaning there wasn’t much fanfare for a veteran who missed a chunk of last season because of injury and didn’t bring a recognizable name from Tennessee. He was rugged and reliable without a Pro Bowl selection. Then in June, the Ravens loudly signed Jaire Alexander. Jackson had sway in that move, publicly admitting he told general manager Eric DeCosta to “go get” his former college teammate. Alexander was once one of the NFL’s premiere cornerbacks when healthy. The former first-round pick brought two Pro Bowl nods and an infectious energy that left a noticeable imprint on the dog days of training camp. Awuzie and Alexander were inextricably tied together. But Orr downplayed there being competition between the two, explaining that he believed both would play starting reps. And in August, the overwhelming majority saw the job as Alexander’s to lose. Three months later, one has unfortunately stepped away from football to focus on his health after a midseason trade swept him out of Baltimore. The other made a game-saving play in the end zone to hang onto an ugly win in Cleveland and maintain the Ravens’ credibility as a postseason candidate. “How about ‘Chido’s play?” Harbaugh asked proudly. On third-and-5, Sanders eyed the end zone to potentially tie the game in its final two minutes. The ball landed in Gage Larvadain’s hands. For a moment, it felt like every other blown lead setting up a disappointing loss that leaves Ravens fans reeling on social media and in group chats. This one would’ve been particularly gutting if it was one of the NFL’s worst offenses delivering the death knell to Baltimore’s win streak. Awuzie ripped it loose with the back of his forearm, one of three pass deflections. The ball fell to the ground and the game was over a play later. He won’t get the flowers that Andrews does. But in the same way he arrived in Baltimore, Awuzie’s contributions have been quietly overshadowed. Ravens cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, shown before Sunday's win over the Browns, has been one of the NFL's best in coverage this season when healthy. (Kirk Irwin/AP) Since returning from a hamstring injury that sidelined him in Week 4 through the bye week, Awuzie has been Baltimore’s best defensive back in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. He grades out as the NFL’s fourth best cornerback in coverage among qualified players. “I’ve been real pleased with him,” Orr said last week. “When we first got him way back in the spring, you could see on film, he was a very smart football player, but when you get in a classroom with him, when you get in these walkthroughs with him, and you get on the practice field with him, he understands route concepts. He understands leverages. “What he’s done is he’s helped teach the young corners understand spacing and route concepts and how they can play certain routes. He’s been doing a great job for us this whole year.” Nowhere has that been more clear than the front corner of the end zone Sunday afternoon in Cleveland. Ravens’ heads are ‘just above water’ No matter how ugly the win, the Ravens reached a crucial benchmark. They crawled all the way back to .500. The 1-5 Ravens are behind them. They’re now 5-5, maintaining pace with the Steelers in an arms race for the AFC North staring down a schedule loaded up on crucial divisional games. How does it feel to have made it this far? “It’s better than 1-5, I’ll tell you that,” Henry said. Jackson was asked about the level of belief maintained in the locker room over the past four weeks. Was there always this much confidence? Did doubt ever creep in about the long road ahead? The quarterback offered this season’s overused platitude: “We were trying to be 2-5 at the time, or 3-5.” It worked, now perfect since the bye week. Having beat the Browns improves Baltimore’s playoff odds to 79%, according to The New York Times’ Playoff Simulator. A win next week against the Jets would lift them to B- range. Like any playoff race, they’ll need a hand from another team. In this case, anyone else on Pittsburgh’s schedule. The Bengals fells short Sunday. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is reportedly believed to have a “slight break” in his non-throwing wrist. The Steelers come to town in early December. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is plotting his return. They’re not out of it if he can play. These are all things to consider in the long term. But as Jackson affirmed, they’re not thinking that way. “We’re 5-5,” Harbaugh said. “Our heads are just above water. We’re breathing. We’re not even out of the water.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers, right. attempts to escape the grasp of Browns cornerback Denzel Ward in the first half of Baltimore's 23-16 victory. Flowers led the Ravens with 78 receiving yards. (Sue Ogrocki/AP) View the full article Quote
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