3 matchups to watch as Cleveland Browns face off against Ravens

Baker Mayfield vs. Ravens front-seven

Players normally see a dip in their production after their rookie year because now every team has film on them so they can better prepare for you. That is what has happened to Baker Mayfield this season, as it is taking him longer to get the ball out of his hands because defenses are giving different looks.

He didn’t have to read many coverages at Oklahoma because his receivers were running wide open. Last year, he saw a lot of basic defenses because teams didn’t know what to prepare for.

Baltimore and their defensive coordinator Don Martindale are one of the best at disguising the defense and creating pressure off it. They are devoid of a dominant pass rusher and have still managed 37 sacks this season.

Matthew Judon has been their best pass rusher this season. He has managed 8.5 sacks on his way to being named to the Pro Bowl. Their next leader in sacks has just five, so they get it done as a committee.

The Browns offensive line is poor in pass protection and this won’t be the game for them to get right. Mayfield has to help them at the line of scrimmage by calling protections so he can have time to throw.

The Ravens will show blitz on one side and bring the house to the other side. They will show an all-out blitz but only send three. Mayfield has to watch tape and try to determine what he is seeing before the play.

Cleveland hasn’t been good passing the ball, whether Mayfield has had time to throw or not. But if he is pressured, Baltimore has the playmakers in the secondary to make him pay for it. Turnovers will cost you the game against a team this good.

Last time they played the Ravens, they probably had their best offensive game of the season. If they can protect Mayfield, they may be able to have a similar level of success.