Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens will be looking to get back to winning ways as they take on their AFC North rivals, the Cleveland Browns.
The Ravens have started the season positively, with a 2-1 record going into the game with their fierce rivals. John Harbaugh’s team have a 30-10 all-time record against the Browns.
Baltimore and Cleveland, going off the early signs this season, will be the two teams at the top of the division battling. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals have both lost their opening three matches.
Last season, the Browns won at home and in the only time Jackson and Baker Mayfield have faced, the Ravens won 26-24 to win the division and secure a wildcard spot in the Playoffs.
Jackson and Offense Looking to Carry On Great Start
Baltimore’s last game was always going to be one of their toughest during the regular season and they can take a lot of positives from the match with the Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes, the current MVP of the NFL, had another great game and, despite that, the Ravens lost by five-points.
Nevertheless, running-back Mark Ingram had his best performance in a Ravens jersey so far, with three rushing touchdowns in the game. Baltimore will be looking to get him going again, against the Browns, and run the ball at home.
The deep threat of Marquise Brown has been evident in all three games so far, Jackson finding the connection with the rookie. Baltimore will look to utilise their receivers and also their tight-end unit, with Mark Andrews set to play in the game, despite missing training earlier in the week.
Mayfield Needs To Have Protection In The Pocket
Cleveland haven’t had the start to the season like many anticipated, with them losing two of their opening three games. Their only win come in Week 2 against a below-par New York Jets side, who didn’t really offer much threat in that game.
The Browns know how to win in Baltimore, especially with Mayfield at the helm, as they did just that in the 2018 season. However, the quarterback has threw five interceptions in three games this season, tied second in the league.
On Sunday Night Football last week, the Browns led for some time against the Los Angeles Rams, but ended up losing 20-13. Cooper Kupp scoring a pair of touchdowns to inflict a second defeat of the season on Cleveland.
Superstar wide-receiver Odell Beckham Jr showed exactly why the Browns traded for him in Week 2 against the Jets. Cleveland will need to give Mayfield some protection against this ruthless Ravens defense to try and get the ball to the receiver.
Prediction
It’s a must-win game for the Browns, even at this early stage of the season. They would fall to 1-3 with a win and be four games behind the Ravens with a defeat. Their offensive line haven’t offered Mayfield much protection at all in the first three weeks and they need to amend that otherwise this Ravens defense will get to him regularly.
Cleveland need to establish their run game early on to keep Lamar and the offense on the sideline. As for the Ravens, they will have learned from their last meeting with the Browns in Baltimore and will be looking to move the ball around, while also giving Ingram a chance to run at this Browns defense.
Cleveland Browns 13 Baltimore Ravens 27