Cleveland Browns vs Ravens score predictions: Prepare for a sweep?

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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 29: Damarious Randall #23 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates after sacking quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens in the first half at M&T Bank Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Writer: Elliot Kennel

Game: Baltimore Ravens (12-2) at Cleveland Browns (6-8)

Summary: Browns players will play as hard as they can, but this is not a disciplined team and frankly coach Kitchens has lost the team.

When we saw Jarvis Landry during the Arizona game with his head down on the sideline being consoled by Odell Beckham, Jr. that was a strong sign that Freddie Kitchens has lost the team. That does not mean that the players are going to mail it in, but it does mean that it will be more difficult to maintain any sort of edge that could be used to counter the Baltimore Ravens.

This reviewer has been warning since the 2018 NFL draft that Lamar Jackson was for real, but nobody imagined he would be 17-3 as a starter. The key is, the Ravens are not the New Orleans Saints. The Ravens are coming on the ground, not through the air. They run off tackle, the run from the run-pass option (RPO), they run from the spread and they run college plays. Is that a put-down?

Well, try and stop them. They just run better than everyone else, and it starts with Lamar Jackson, who is rapidly establishing himself as an MVP candidate. For a Browns fan, it is enough to make your stomach turn.

They need 170 rushing yards on Sunday to reach 3,000 rushing yards for the season, and they will probably get it against a patched-up defensive line that is lacking its anchor in Myles Garrett. The Ravens are averaging 5.5 yards per carry as a team, while the Browns are giving up 4.9 rushing yards per carry.

So the Browns can not stop the run, and the Ravens are the premier rushing team in the NFL by a wide margin. The Ravens are averaging 33.7 points per game, also numero uno in the NFL.

One possible advantage is that the Browns have seen Lamar Jackson in three games (one game as the change-of-pace quarterback for Joe Flacco and two starts) in his short career and prevailed twice. Because the Ravens are so unorthodox, the Browns might be further along on the learning curve on how to stop them or at least slow them down.

The Browns are going to try to counter with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt against the fifth-best rush defense in the NFL, while Mayfield will operate against the seventh-best pass defense. If there are weak spots, they have not been exposed this season. It’s the NFL and anything is possible, but it is hard to imagine that the Browns have enough muscle left to beat their arch-rival.

Prediction: Baltimore 33, Cleveland 21

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