Mapping a out a blueprint to success in this AFC North showdown.
The Baltimore Ravens will stay on the road in Week 8, where they will take on the Cleveland Browns for the first of their two 2024 matchups. Coming off a primetime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7, the Ravens will be looking to extend their winning streak to six games while handing the Browns their sixth straight loss. A win will bring them to 6-2 and keep them in atop the division.
Here are five keys integral to the Ravens’ coming out on top in Week 8.
Run defense needs to bounce back
The Ravens didn’t allow more than 81 rushing yards in a single game until Week 7, when the Buccaneers broke free for 125 yards on the ground. Their 4.2 yards per carry was a significant increase on the Ravens’ 3.0 yards per carry allowed through six games. Bouncing back from that poor performance will be imperative to making Cleveland’s offense one-dimensional with a new quarterback under center and a new play-caller dialing up plays.
The Browns have fielded one of the NFL’s worst rushing offenses, ranking near the bottom of the league in rushing yards (660), touchdowns (three) and yards per game (94.3). However, Sunday will mark the second game back for star running back Nick Chubb. The four-time Pro Bowler made his long-awaited return last week from a catastrophic knee injury that ended his 2023 season, but rushed for just 22 yards on 11 carries plus a touchdown. With their offensive line getting healthier and their starting quarterback out for the year, the Browns might try to slow things down in this game and lean heavily on the ground game now that they have Chubb back in the fold.
Avoid self-inflicted wounds
The Ravens are coming into this matchup as massive favorites to prevail on the road over their division rivals. One of the best ways to prevent a potential upset by falling victim to a potential trap game is to be disciplined on both sides of the ball. Offensively, taking care of the ball will be paramount because the Browns defense will try to force turnovers to give their offense short fields to work with. As a unit, the Ravens’ offense has done a great job of not turning the ball over as their six turnovers are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the fifth-fewest in the league. Defensively, the Ravens must avoid surrendering unearned first downs and touchdowns as a result of bad technique or miscommunication that leads to blown coverages.
The Ravens have been one of the most penalized teams in the league through the first seven weeks with the second-most penalties called against them (56) and the second-most penalty yardage accrued (496). Even though it hasn’t cost them in the past five games, it has threatened to derail several drives on offense and given second chances to opposing offenses. Both sides of the ball need to clean it up and give the Ravens some consistency.
Keep targeting Mark Andrews in the passing game
The three-time Pro Bowl tight end got off to a slow start to the season from a receiving standpoint, but has begun to heat up over the last three games. Andrews has historically feasted against the Browns’ defense during his career, especially on the road. In his last five games in Cleveland, Andrews has caught 38 of his 38 targets for 397 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 13.2 yards per catch and 79.4 yards per game. With 11 catches on 13 targets for 162 receiving yards and scored three touchdowns, he could be hitting his stride at the perfect time for a visit to Cleveland.
Mark Andrews snatching Jordan Whitehead’s ankles in the end zone is pic.twitter.com/l2v2mrFpNj
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) October 22, 2024
Don’t let Myles Garrett wreck the game
While the Browns’ defense ranks in the middle of the pack for most metrics, they are still loaded with talent at all three levels. Chief among them is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who is capable of single-handedly derailing a drive or even taking over a game with his blazing speed and strong repertoire of pass-rush moves off the edge.
The entire pass-blocking unit – including tight ends and running backs – will be responsible for keeping Garrett at bay. Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is lines up his five-time Pro-Bowler all over the defensive line to to work matchup advantages or execute stunts and twists. All four of Garrett’s sacks have come in the last four weeks, and he’s still disruptive when he can’t finish the play. Garrett is tied with Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs for the fastest time to pressure in the league with a mark of 2.15 seconds according to FTN Data.
Capitalize on turnover opportunities
With Deshaun Watson out for the remainder of the season after rupturing his Achilles in Week 7, the Browns are turning to former No. 1 overall pick and 10-year veteran, Jameis Winston, as their starting signal-caller moving forward. Many fans and pundits were clamoring for Winston (or even second-year pro Dorian Thompson-Robinson) to start over Watson before he got hurt, but they might not like the immediate results from their new QB’s first start. Even though Winston is a seasoned pro with a Pro Bowl pedigree and 80 career starts under his belt, he is prone to taking risks and being careless with the ball when trying to make a play.
This Sunday will mark his first start since Week 3 of the 2022 season when he was with the New Orleans Saints after spending the first five years of his career with the Buccaneers. While his time in the Big Easy showed a player who made more of a concerted effort to avoid turnovers, Winston still has 142 touchdowns to 99 interceptions, an interception percentage of 3.4 and 55 fumbles lost in his career.
The Ravens’ defense led the NFL in takeaways as a part of their historic triple crown achievement in 2023, but they’ve only forced seven this year. That’s due to a string of high-quality opposing quarterbacks to start the year, as well as several Ravens defenders letting prime interception opportunities slip through their hands or bounce off their chests. If Winston puts the ball in harm’s way in this game, the Ravens defense will need to make him pay for doing so. Otherwise, they could wind up playing in a much closer game than expected because he can still sling the ball downfield and deliver big plays in the passing game, an area in which Baltimore’s has been weak this season.