After decades of bad breaks, Cleveland (finally) has a team that’s performing well. But there’s a glitch amid the glitter. The Browns have trouble beating elite teams, and the Ravens fall into that category. Besides, Baltimore has fared well historically when playing on Lake Erie’s short (15-6). Bottom line? Monday’s game will be the springboard to a Ravens’ eventual second-place North division finish and a Wild Card playoff spot.
WHAT: Week 14, Game 13 at Cleveland Browns
WHEN: 8:15 p.m. (EST); Monday, December 14
WHERE: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland (67,431)
RECORDS: Ravens, 7-5; Browns, 9-3
LIFETIME SERIES (regular season): Ravens lead, 32-11, and have won three of the last five meetings overall. In Cleveland, the Ravens are 15-6 and have won in five of their last six visits to the Lake Erie shores and ten of the last 12 meetings with the Browns there.
TV and LOCAL RADIO: ESPN and WIYY-FM, 97.9
REFEREE: Bill Vinovich
About the Browns
(all statistics and rankings through December 6)
—Along with the Baltimore Colts and San Francisco 49ers, the Browns franchise was born as part of the All-America Football Conference in 1946. Cleveland won all four of that league’s championships, going on to advance to the NFL title game in its first six years after that, a run of ten straight championship-game appearances. Since joining the NFL alongside the Colts and 49ers after a 1950 merger, the Browns have won 18 division titles and earned 24 total playoff berths (tied with Washington for the league’s ninth-most) in 70 full NFL seasons. Still, the Browns’ recent history has not been nearly as spectacular.
–The Browns are one of four franchises that have never appeared in a Super Bowl (Houston, Jacksonville, and Detroit). Cleveland last won an NFL championship in 1964–two seasons before the Super Bowl was born. Until this year, Cleveland had not had a record of .500 or better since going 10-6 in 2007, a year when it still missed the playoffs. The team hasn’t been to the postseason since 2002, their only playoff berth since returning to the league as an expansion team in 1999.
–The Browns are 0-3 in the modern-day AFC Championship Game, losing to Denver in 1986 (“The Drive”), 1987 (“The Fumble”), and 1989 (“The Blowout”). Since returning to the league as a 1999 expansion team, Cleveland has no AFC North titles – the only team in the division to have never won it since it was formed after the 2002 realignment – and has made just one playoff appearance (2002) with only two winning seasons (2002, 2007). The Browns had finished last in the North for seven straight years before 2018, last avoiding the cellar before that by going 5-11 in 2010.
–When the Baltimore Colts were part of the NFL, they met the Browns on 15 occasions, winning only five of those games and losing their last five straight match-ups with Cleveland before moving to Indianapolis. The teams met three times in the postseason play with the Browns winning the 1964 NFL title game at home, 27-0 (the franchise’s last title of any kind), the Colts returning the favor four years later, 34-0, a result that put them into Super Bowl 3, and Baltimore winning a 1971 Divisional round game on the road, 20-3, before getting shut out at Miami, 21-0, in the AFC title game.
—With this division match-up being played in Cleveland, it will continue a trend that will see the return match (second game) being played in Cleveland in four of the past six years. Despite that, the Ravens have swept this head-to-head series 12 times, while the Browns have recorded only two sweeps (2001, 2007). There have been seven splits, the most recent occurring in 2015 and again in each of the last two seasons.
–The Ravens’ 32 regular-season wins over Cleveland represent their highest number over any opponent in the league in team history, quite a feat when the Browns did not even exist during the Ravens’ first three seasons in the league. Naturally, the other two AFC North opponents rank second and third, with Baltimore having defeated Cincinnati 26 times and Pittsburgh on 23 occasions.
—As with the rest of the AFC North, Cleveland has played what could be perceived as one of the league’s easiest schedules, with home games in three of the first five weeks before consecutive division road games at Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. The Browns also are in the midst of four road games in a five-week stretch in November and December, but the last two road games in that span are consecutive trips to New Jersey to play the Giants and Jets, a schedule quirk the Ravens experienced in 2016.
–The Browns’ home venue is a considerable upgrade from the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, which had stood for over a half-century before being knocked down after the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996. The team’s current stadium was completed in just over two years at the cost of just under $300 million. The playing surface is made up of Kentucky bluegrass with a sand-soil root zone, and an underground heating system made up of 40 miles of tubing. The venue covers 1.64 million square feet on a 31-acre site.
–Cleveland is off to a 9-3 start, its best since 1994. A win over Baltimore would give the Browns their best 13-game start since opening the 1969 season at 10-2-1. But the Browns are one of only two teams with a winning record and a negative point differential (Las Vegas is the other). Last week at Tennessee, Cleveland scored the most first-half points in team history, and it was the first time since 1951 that a Browns team scored on its first five possessions.
–The most successful quarter for Cleveland has been the second, where it has outscored its opponents, 134-74. Even though the team has only three losses – to Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Las Vegas – Cleveland has been outscored in those games, 92-19. The team’s wins have come by an average margin of 6.4 points. Six of the nine wins have come in one-score games, and the team’s 6-0 mark in such games is the NFL’s best.
–The Browns’ strong running game has translated into good run-pass balance, running the ball 388 times and attempting to pass it on 358 occasions (including 17 sacks allowed). Browns games are usually rather high-scoring, as the team has scored 36 touchdowns and allowed 39. There have been a total of 47 passing touchdowns between Cleveland and its opponents.
–Cleveland has tried to remake itself as a playmaking team on defense. Last week, the Browns forced three turnovers from a Tennessee team that had just committed a league-low five all season to that point. The Browns’ turnover ratio is a solid plus-7, tied with Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Miami for the league’s fourth-best figure. Cleveland has forced 21 fumbles and is one of only four teams to have recovered ten or more; the team also has ten interceptions on defense from eight different players. The fumble recoveries have also come from eight different sources.
—Even with its improved record, Cleveland remains a penalty-prone team. Its 76 infractions through 12 games rank as the league’s fifth-highest total, one that is four penalties more than Baltimore’s accumulation. The defense has jumped offsides seven times this year, but only four teams leaguewide have not been called for roughing the passer all year; Minnesota, Houston, and New England are the others. Individually, five Browns have committed five or more penalties, with rookie left tackle Jedrick Willis leading the team with nine (six false starts, three holds). Defensive ends Olivier Vernon and Myles Garrett have combined for five offsides penalties.
—Through the Sunday games in Week 13, the Browns rank tied for 15th in total offense (first rushing at 157.8 yards per game, 27th passing, 15th scoring at 25.5 points per game). The Browns have the league’s 12th-best third-down conversion rate and are scoring red-zone touchdowns 70 percent of the time, ranking seventh—the team’s possession-time average of 30:40 ranks 13th. On defense, Cleveland ranks 19th overall (seventh vs. rush, 23rd vs. pass, tied for 23rd scoring, allowing 26.8 points per game). The Browns are 14th in red-zone defense and 24th in preventing third-down conversions but ranks fourth in goal-to-go defense, preventing scores 67.8 percent of the time.
–Kevin Stefanski, a 38-year-old Philadelphia native, is the third-youngest active head coach in the league. He took the reins in 2020 as the Browns’ 12th full-time head coach its expansion-era franchise history (since 1999) and the 22nd overall. Stefanski was under consideration for hire by Cleveland a year ago before the team settled on Freddie Kitchens. Stefanski has spent the last 14 years working his way up the Minnesota Vikings’ coaching ladder, serving as offensive coordinator last year. Under his leadership, quarterback Kirk Cousins had a career-best passer rating of over 107 and set a franchise record for completions (425). Also, running back Dalvin Cook broke 1000 yards for the first time and was invited to his first Pro Bowl. As a player, Stefanski was a defensive back at the University of Pennsylvania.
–Third-year quarterback and 2018 top overall pick Baker Mayfield is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma. After an impressive rookie year, Mayfield regressed in 2019, completing only 59.9 percent of his passes for 22 touchdowns, 21 interceptions, and a mediocre 78.8 passer rating. He was also sacked 40 times. However, he is the first Browns quarterback since Bernie Kosar in 1986-87 to pass for over 3000 yards in consecutive years.
–Mayfield has thrown for less than 200 yards in six games this year and has surpassed 250 yards just three times. But last week, he exploded v. Tennessee, throwing four scoring passes and playing to a season-high 147 rating. In five career games against Baltimore, Mayfield is 2-3 with a 58.2 completion rate, eight touchdowns, seven interceptions, and an 81.4 rating; he has been sacked eight times. This year, Mayfield has been backed up by NFL journeyman Case Keenum, most recently with Washington.
—On the ground, the Browns are on pace to win their first team rushing title since 1967. The team’s 2018 second-round pick, Nick Chubb (35th overall pick), the cousin of Denver pass rusher Bradley Chubb, set the Browns’ single-season rookie rushing record in 2018 and added a 1494-yard season last year (second in the league), including an 88-yard touchdown scamper, three scores and 165 yards at Baltimore; the previous rookie record-holder was Ex-Browns and Ravens back Trent Richardson. This year, Chubb missed six weeks with an MCL problem in his knee, during which the team averaged 100 fewer yards per game. Chubb still is averaging six yards-per-carry with 799 yards and seven touchdowns. After serving an eight-game suspension, Kareem Hunt – recipient of a brand-new contract extension – has contributed 739 yards and four touchdowns. Andy Janovich is the starting fullback.
—The Browns’ receiving corps got bolstered by rookie sixth-rounder Donovan Peoples-Jones (Michigan), who has two scores on just seven catches. Still, plenty of marquee talent returns among the top four targets, especially Odell Beckham, Jr., who caught 74 passes last year, averaged 14 yards per catch, and scored four touchdowns (three career TDs vs. Ravens). He has 23 receptions and three touchdowns. Marvin Hall, who has played with Las Vegas, Arizona, Atlanta, and Detroit, was recently acquired on waivers. However, teammate Jarvis Landry leads the Browns with 54 catches, a 12-yard average, and two scores. Landry has caught at least five passes in each of his last seven games against the Ravens. KhaDarel Hodge, waived by the Los Angeles Rams in the offseason, is a newcomer. Still, Rashard Higgins (25 receptions, three TDs) returns after a season that saw him slowed by injury and having caught just four passes, one for a touchdown. Hunt leads the team with four receiving touchdowns among his 25 catches.
–David Njoku’s season-ending wrist injury kept him out most of last year, but the veteran tight end has returned for his fourth season with the team. His luck hasn’t gotten any better, as he missed a month earlier this year with a knee injury. Njoku has only nine catches all year and was targeted only once last week at Tennessee. But the Browns aggressively wanted to deploy a two-tight-end set similar to Baltimore’s, so they picked up former Atlanta Falcon starter Austin Hooper (6-foot-4, 254 pounds), cut loose by the Falcons when they acquired Baltimore’s Hayden Hurst in a trade. Hooper (30 catches, second on the team, two touchdowns) scored in 2018 against the Ravens when they played in Atlanta.
–In the fourth round of this year’s draft, the Browns took tight end Harrison Bryant (Florida Atlantic). He won the team award for the best training-camp rookie, an award previously won by quarterback Baker Mayfield, defensive end Myles Garrett and linebacker Mack Wilson. Bryant, who also lines up at fullback, has 16 receptions and three touchdowns.
—The Browns aggressively remade their offensive line in the offseason. Like most units, it is a much better run-blocking unit than a pass-protecting quintet. Rookie first-rounder Jedrick Wills, Jr. (Alabama) is the starting left tackle, with veteran Chris Hubbard backing up both Wills and the right tackle, veteran free-agent pickup Jack Conklin, who came over from Tennessee. Nick Harris, a fifth-round pick from Washington, is the top backup at center behind veteran and Players Association president JC Tretter, one of only two returning up-front starters and left guard Joel Bitonio. Tretter missed all training camp with a knee problem, but he is part of a durable unit. The new right guard is second-year player Wyatt Teller, acquired in a trade from Buffalo. Teller has missed three games this year, while Conklin has sat out one game, and Wills, Bitonio, and Tretter have started all 12 games.
—First-round pick and veteran defensive end Myles Garrett had to deal with a minor wrist injury earlier this season. This year, he returned to the Browns after missing last season’s final six games – including one against Baltimore – for swinging a helmet during an on-field fight against Pittsburgh. Garrett has three straight seasons of ten or more sacks and already has 41 sacks so far in his short career. He leads the team with 10.5 of the squad’s 30 sacks, along with 15 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles. In five games against Baltimore, the fourth-year veteran has been largely held in check, with seven tackles, four quarterback hits, and 1.5 sacks.
–On the side opposite, Garrett is former New York Giants’ starter, Olivier Vernon. Vernon has five sacks, six tackles for loss, and ten quarterback hits. In six career games against the Ravens, Vernon has ten quarterback hits and 5.5 sacks. Meanwhile, interior rusher Larry Ogunjobi has chipped in with two sacks, four tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits. The starting unit is rounded out by former New York Jets standout Sheldon Richardson, who has racked up 47 tackles, fifth on the team, nine quarterback hits, and 3.5 sacks.
—The Browns’ linebacking corps has been hurt the past two years when Christian Kirksey, a veritable tackling machine, was put on injured reserve before departing in free agency, and fifth-year middle linebacker Joe Schobert, who led the Browns in tackles and interceptions, also left for Jacksonville as a free agent. It’s also been hurt by injuries and a revolving personnel door. The strong-side starter is former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith (Seattle, Super Bowl 48), who has 57 total tackles (third on the team), with BJ Goodson (team-high 81 tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions) in the middle and Mack Wilson on the weak side. Wilson had a hyperextended knee earlier this season and was evaluated for a concussion last week’s game, but he cleared protocol. With those three and backup Sione Takitaki, the unit had what is regarded as its best game last week at Tennessee. The unit also features rookie third-round pick Jacob Phillips, who played alongside Baltimore’s Patrick Queen at LSU.
—The Browns’ secondary hasn’t been very good in recent years. This season has been hit hard by injuries to boot. Cornerback Denzel Ward, this year’s first-round pick, has missed the last two games with a calf injury, while the 2019 top choice, Greedy Williams, hasn’t played all year due to a shoulder nerve injury. Former Buffalo corner Kevin Johnson and ex-Kansas City cover man Terrance Mitchell were backups when the season began, but they are now starting tandem. Ward leads the team with 15 pass breakups and co-leads with two interceptions, but Mitchell is next with ten breakups. Mitchell is also fourth on the team with 53 total tackles.
–Thanks in part to the season-ending Achilles injury to rookie Grant Delpit, the safety position was redone through unrestricted free agency. Former Minnesota free safety Andrew Sendejo came to Cleveland as did oft-injured ex-Oakland Raiders strong safety Karl Joseph. Sendejo is second on the team in total tackles with 61, while Joseph is eighth with 36 tackles; he also has two fumble recoveries.
—Seven different players returned kickoffs for Cleveland last year. But the main return duties on both punts and kicks have fallen to 6-foot-2, 212-pound rookie backup wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, a sixth-round rookie from Michigan (187th overall pick). He hasn’t produced much on punt returns, averaging 4.4 yards per attempt with no runback longer than 13 yards. On kickoffs, he is averaging 21.6 yards per return with a long runback of 33 yards. The Browns’ coverage teams allow 9.6 yards per punt return and 26.4 for each kick runback, both ranking in the league’s bottom third. The team’s punt returns rank 30th, with the kick returns ranking 13th.
–The Browns have had a revolving door at kicker and punter lately. Second-year punter and Scotland native Jamie Gillan, who attended high school in Leonardtown, Maryland, had a steady season in 2019, putting 28 of 63 punts inside the coffin corner with five touchbacks, grossing 46 yards per punt and netting over 42, including a season-high 71-yard boot. This season, Gillan has just one touchback and 11 coffin-corner kicks in 37 attempts; he is grossing 44.4 yards per punt and netting 38.6.
–In the placekicking department, the starter didn’t last long. Second-year play Austin Seibert, a 2019 fifth-round pick from Oklahoma (170th overall), missed two kicks against Baltimore in Week One and was promptly released in favor of six-team veteran Cody Parkey. Parkey had played with the Browns four seasons earlier. Parkey has missed just one conversion, and is 17-for-19 on field goals.
Prediction
The Ravens’ COVID outbreak was so widespread and pronounced that Cleveland’s problems with the virus seem to have flown under the radar. It’s easy to overlook that Brown’s team facility had to be closed several times over the last few weeks.
But dealing with COVID is a distraction for Cleveland given the larger stakes at hand. After decades’ worth of bad breaks, Cleveland (finally) has a team that’s performing well–and very well, indeed.
But there’s a glitch amid the glitter.
The Browns have trouble beating elite teams, and the Ravens fall into that category. Making the climb even more challenging for the home-standing Browns is that Baltimore has fared well on Lake Erie’s short (15-6). Besides, these Ravens have their backs are against the wall: Monday’s contest is a must-win if the team hopes to be in the playoffs.
With Lamar Jackson and several key defensive pieces ready to play, I believe this game will serve as a springboard to a Ravens’ eventual second-place North division finish and a Wild Card playoff spot.
Baltimore 31, Cleveland 13
