It’s a huge AFC North matchup this Sunday for both teams: the Ravens (8-3) have to go on the road to solidify their divisonal lead, while the Browns (4-7) must win to have any outside shot at a wild card run.
Here’s RFM staff writer Ron Benamor’s game preview and analysis:
Ravens Face a Familiar Foe
Why the Ravens will be victorious, matchups to watch and my prediction. Following Thursday’s big win against the 49ers, the Ravens shifted their focus to the Cleveland Browns. Ravens fans have been all too familiar with this scenario. Baltimore wins a big game, only to follow it with a disappointing outing against a low-level opponent. It has happened three times this season. Against Tennessee (Following Pittsburgh), Jacksonville (Following Houston) and Seattle (Following Pittsburgh).
In a press conference on Monday, head coach John Harbaugh addressed a reporter who believed that the team hasn’t been mentally prepared following critical wins. “That would presume that we weren’t mentally prepared for the other [teams], you know? I think we were what we didn’t do was play very well.” He added, “ You’re saying it was [mental preparation], I’m saying it may have been that issue, but I’m not sure it was that issue, so we cant just stop at that, we got to turn over every stone.” Undeniably, the Ravens have taken much heat for the inability to assemble wins against teams that they should beat. This season’s pattern suggests that the Ravens will lose Sunday. Yet, I believe that this week will be different for the following reasons …
This is a division game: With a win the Ravens would move to 4-0 in the division. Division record comes second, behind head-to-head matchups in determining tiebreakers. A win will give the Ravens some comfort knowing that they will be have breathing room as the season progresses. In addition to the Ravens playing Cleveland, Pittsburgh faces Cincinnati. This scenario can be seen as a win-win situation because a divisional opponent will lose regardless of the outcome. If Pittsburgh wins, Cincinnati will fall to 7-5 and will likely be competing for a wild card spot for the rest of the season, barring a miracle. If Cincinnati wins, Pittsburgh will fall to 8-4 and 1-3 in the division, which would give the Ravens a game and a half lead on their arch-nemesis. Regardless of the Bengals-Steelers outcome, a win on Sunday gives the Ravens a chance to control their own destiny, an opportunity that the Ravens haven’t had since 2006.
Ravens will be well rested: Baltimore has had nearly a week and a half to rest players after a hard-hitting San Francisco game. Injured players Ray Lewis, Chris Carr, and Danelle Ellerbe will have an extra few days to restore their health. “The fact that all those guys are gonna get an extra three or four days of rest and more time to recover is big.” Harbaugh also said, “Ellerbe looks good, Chris Carr looks good, all these guys look good coming into Monday”. Harbaugh commented on injured linebacker Ray Lewis, stating, “I’m hopeful, I think he’s got a real good chance, but we’ll have to see how it goes.” A healthy team will bode well against a physical team like Cleveland.
In addition to being well rested, Baltimore will also have more time to game plan for the Browns. Coaches and player personnel headed back to work right after Thursday’s game and discussed ways to attack Cleveland. These are some things Baltimore will do in order to come out victorious Sunday:
· The Ravens will look to give the ball to Rice more and attack the Browns’ struggling rush defense. Browns are 29th in rushing yards allowed per game (138.6). In addition they also suffered serious injuries last week such as linebacker Scott Fujita and defensive lineman Emanuel Stephens.
· Baltimore wants to get the ball to receiver Lee Evans more. A new surge of receivers and tight-ends have given the Ravens passing options this year than in past years. With shutdown cornerback Joe Haden most likely shadowing Anquan Boldin or Torrey Smith throughout the game, the Ravens will need to turn away from the dangerous Haden, and Lee Evans can be used as that second or third option.
· The Ravens will also need to convert touchdowns in the red zone and not settle just for field goals. Baltimore missed out on a crucial opportunity last week to score a touchdown, when the ravens ran two questionable calls inside the ten-yard line, a stretch run and a quarterback sneak. “I felt like when we got down to the 1-yard line, we should have put the ball in there,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said on Monday. “In my mind, that’s on us. That’s on coaching. That’s on me. We could have done a better job of scheming up that run game down there and given our guys a better chance.” In a physical game like the one Sunday, field goals will be easy to come by but touchdowns will not. So, when the Ravens are inside the red zone, they will need to score touchdowns in order to control the game.
Matchups to watch
· Cornerback Joe Haden vs. Anquan Boldin: The Ravens will have to scheme around cornerback Joe Haden. Throwing in his direction may prove costly; therefore Joe Flacco needs to throw the ball in the other direction if he wants to minimize the probability of turning the ball over. Fortunately, Boldins size and strength will give him a ph
ysical advantage over the middle of the field, where he has been extremely effective thus far
.· Ray Rice vs. Browns front line: The Browns were already terrible in terms of stopping the run and it only got worse this week. Middle linebacker and defensive leader of the Browns defense Scott Fujita was placed on injured reserved, in addition to defensive lineman Emanuel Stephens. Both of Cleveland’s starting safeties, Mike Adams (shoulder) and T.J. Ward (foot/finger), did not practice along with running back Montario Hardesty (calf) and linebacker Quinton Spears (hamstring). The browns have given up 100 yards rushing in three of the last four games. With key players missing, the Ravens need to attack the injury stricken interior by giving them a heaping dose of Ray Rice and Vonta Leach.
· Ravens defense vs. Peyton Hillis: Peyton Hillis is by no means having a good year. Quietly put, it has been a horrible year for the Madden cover boy. “It’s probably been my worst season so far from a mental standpoint and physical one,” Hillis said. “All I can do from here on out is just go forward and hope the best happens.” The Ravens shut down the top rushing attack in the NFL on Thursday, so this week should be a cakewalk, right? Not so fast. Baltimore is expecting a full load of Peyton Hillis come Sunday. “He’s a really aggressive runner,” Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “Everybody knows he’s Peyton Hillis, he’s got the Madden cover, and he likes to have good games against good defenses. I expect for the juggernaut to be in there and try to run down some walls.”
Prediction: With temperatures in the low 40’s and a chance of rain, Baltimore will come out with a ground a pound game plan. Ray Rice will rush for over a hundred yards and a touchdown. Joe Flacco continues to manage the game and minimize turnovers with 185 yards and one touch down. The defense will continue its relentless pass rush and muster up 5 sacks and a forced fumble. Look for Ed Reed to pounce on any of Colt McCoy’s deep balls, if so, he will have one pick. Peyton Hillis is kept under 100 yards rushing and the Browns will have to rely off of Field Goals to score. Ravens win 23-9.
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