Cleveland Browns vs Ravens: Do we predict a bounce back win?
By Randy Gurzi
Writer: Mike Lukas
For this Week 5 Ravens-Browns prediction, I’m going to go with what I think will happen despite what I’m actually afraid will happen.
What I think will happen:
Browns receivers will start catching AND hanging onto the highly accurate passes that Baker Mayfield throws.
There were six dropped balls against Oakland last week, four of which would have resulted in first downs and one that could have probably been a touchdown.
What I’m afraid will happen:
Browns receivers will continue to be shocked that a ball has not only been thrown directly to them, but also with some pepper on it, and their reaction will again be to turn their hands into ball-reflecting bricks.
What I think will happen:
Jabrill Peppers will prove why he was a first-round draft pick and either run back a kick for a touchdown or at the very least far exceed his 4.3 yards per return average on all of his returns.
And I’m certain the league’s worst punt coverage squad will make up for allowing Oakland’s Dwayne Harris to gain at least 11 yards on every punt return last week and actually shut Ravens’ return man Tim White down.
What I’m afraid will happen:
Peppers will flop, White will triumph.
What I think will happen:
When the Browns’ D strip sacks quarterback Joe Flacco and recovers the ball for a touchdown, the refs won’t prematurely blow the play dead.
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When a Browns running back makes a first down, the refs will mark it as a first down.
The refs will call a fair game.
What I’m afraid will happen:
The Browns.
What I think will happen:
Baker Mayfield will shock the football world and have the game of his life against the second-best defense in the league – he’ll throw for 300+ yards, 4 TDs and zero picks with a 75% passer rating.
Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, Rashard Higgins and David Njoku will take Baltimore’s 4th ranked passing defense off guard with solid routes and zero dropped passes and catch for at least 200+ yards.
Carlos Hyde, Duke Johnson and Nick Chubb will punish Baltimore’s 4th ranked rush defense that’s only allowed 82.5 yards per game by at least doubling that number.
Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Joe Schobert and the rest of the Browns’ defense will shut down Flacco and his 10th ranked offense, and they’ll do it sans Terrance Mitchell with 3 sacks, 2 picks (one from E.J. Gaines) and the help of the hometown crowd noise.
What I’m afraid will happen:
Rookie quarterback mistakes and turnovers, penalties, dropped passes and more turnovers, stuffed and stifled running backs at the line of scrimmage, more penalties, Flacco, John Brown and Michael Crabtree demonstrating why the Ravens have a top ten offense. Defeat snatched from the toothless jaws of victory. Fears and worst case scenarios being realized. A disappointed crowd going silent.
And penalties.
What I think will happen:
Browns 38, Ravens 17
What I’m afraid will happen:
Ravens 38, Browns 17