Dawg Pound Daily
FanSided

Cleveland Browns: Storylines to watch vs. the Ravens

By Eric Szczepinski

Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
Oct 11, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) dives in to the end zone for a third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) dives in to the end zone for a third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

 Can the defense rattle Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco?

A week ago the young Browns defense struggled to pressure rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. This resulted in the rookie having a huge NFL debut, torching the Browns secondary multiple times on long touchdown throws. The defense yielded 403 yards of total offense to the Eagles in the loss. This is a stat that must be significantly reduced for the Browns to compete and have chances to win the game.

The defense should have more comfort and confidence as a unit this week as many defenders were making their NFL debuts a week ago. Expect the young rookies to come out ready to go from the get go on Sunday. Rookies Carl Nassib and Emmanuel Ogbah had solid debuts a week ago as Nassib recorded his first sack and Ogbah had a pass deflection. This week however, both will need to be more active along the defensive front. Look for Nassib and Ogbah to continue to develop and produce for the Browns defense as they adopt into their starting roles along the defensive front.

Defensive coordinator Ray Horton told the Cleveland media in his presser Friday that they key against the Ravens and Flacco was generating a pass rush:

"“But I think Josh has shown that he is very capable. I think it would be different if people had not seen Josh play here and he did not have the success at times that he has had here, I think it would be different. But I think we know what we are getting. I think they know what kind of leader and what type of person he is and how he prepares, and so I think the offense is excited to go out there and play with him.”"

Browns cornerback Joe Haden shared his thoughts on what he felt the keys to shutting down the Ravens passing game:

"“Just making sure that we study the film, understand what is going on and we just have to definitely make sure that they keep the ball in front of us. That is the biggest thing. They do a really good job of just taking shots. They line it up and throw the dudes deep. They do a really good job of just making sure they take shot plays every single quarter. We are just making sure that they catch the ball coming back to the quarterback.”"

Next: Keys to beating Baltimore

If the Browns can get pressure on Joe Flacco it will make the job of the secondary much easier as Haden and company won’t have to cover the receivers for as long on each play. If the Browns can rattle Flacco early, the young energetic Browns defense will have confidence for the rest of the game behind their home fans in the home opener.

Home/Browns News