NFL
By: Joey MacDonald
Week 5 saw the Baltimore Ravens need an extra quarter to knock off the Atlanta Falcons 30-23 in Overtime. The Ravens went down to Atlanta and were able to do so without QB Lamar Jackson, who had an ankle injury. Tyler Huntley, who started in place, had a mistake-free night, serving as a game manager and not turning the ball over. Now, the Baltimore Ravens left the ATL with their 4th win of the season and 1st place in the AFC North. And now the Baltimore Ravens are geared up for their 1st division game of the season against the Cleveland Browns.
The Ravens’ first of their 6 division games of the season starts this Sunday against a surprising 3-2 Cleveland Browns. A question mark for the Ravens this week is whether Lamar Jackson will return from injury against the Cleveland Browns. Even if Lamar Jackson doesn’t suit up on Sunday, the Ravens have a lot of horsepower on the offensive side. The offense can still be trusted with running back Derrick Henry and Wide Reciever Zay Flowers, along with the other pass catchers. With or without Lamar Jackson, the offense can put up the yards and the points for the Baltimore Ravens.
Another story for the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday will be the offensive line and its starters around the line. Rookie OL Vega Ioane continues to be flawless as he allowed 0 pressures at Center against Atlanta last week. In Week 5, Ioane had a PFF of 76.0 and 71.9 PFF on Run Blocking, which is solid. Last week, the Ravens traded for Center Cam Jurgens, which will make Vega Ioane move back over to Guard, his natural position. Now, with the offensive line upgrade, the running game could be much more dangerous with its upgrades on the ground.
The defense for the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5 had its best game under new head coach Jesse Minter. And this week is no different; the Ravens defense could be in for another challenging day against Deshaun Watson and company. The Browns offense has been struggling, ranked 28th in total offense, which could be a field day for the Ravens defense. Plus, the pass rush could get its sacks, with the Browns being the most sacked in the NFL.
The secondary will be in for a much better day without having to go against a top wide receiver. But the Browns have a solid rookie core of wide receivers, with both KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston on the offense.
Also, the Browns have a very good running attack in Quinshon Judkins, who is a very good runner with the ball. Through 5 games, he has 221 rushing yards, and the Ravens will need to stop him on Sunday. The run defense did an excellent job against Bjian Robinson, holding him to only 86 yards of rushing on the ground. And the Ravens’ run defense is ranked 12th by holding opponents to a total of 102 yards per game.
The Cleveland Browns are a football team that has some very exciting young talent on this team on both sides. Being 3-2 is surprising for a lot of people, including myself, and their future looks good, to say the least. This Sunday will be a true test for this very young Cleveland Browns team for head coach Todd Monken and staff.
With it being a divisional game, every divisional game will always be a battle down to the very end. This Cleveland Browns team has a bright future, but with a very good Baltimore Ravens team coming in, it will be demanding.
The Baltimore Ravens under new head coach Jesse Minter have been exceeding expectations through 5 games in the AFC North.
And, this game being the Ravens’ 1st division game of the season, it will be a battle in Cleveland. It will come down to which defense will make the turnovers and sacks in this game. And I believe it will be the Ravens’ D who will make those plays in Week 6.
Prediction:
Ravens 31, Browns 21
