The Cleveland Browns are the best team in the AFC North, and plenty of that has to do with their comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens. That Week 6 win may have been a surprise to outsiders, but the Browns have been proving themselves with each and every game.
While the Browns' offense still has plenty of things to clean up, the defense was prepared for anything Declan Doyle's offense threw at them. That was especially true of veteran running back Derrick Henry, who's been less of a factor this season.
As ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell pointed out, Henry has struggled in short-yardage situations and with ball security, and the Browns exposed both of those flaws in the win.
Cleveland stopped Henry short of the goal line with a big heads-up play by Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, and linebacker Carson Schwesinger also punched the ball out of Henry's hands to give the offense a short field that turned into a critical scoring drive.
"Despite his size, Henry's game has always been more about creating explosives with his speed than overpowering people in phone booths. Right now, he's not doing either, though," wrote Barnwell.
The Browns laid the blueprint to stop Derrick Henry
Of course, we can't sit here and pretend that not having Lamar Jackson in the mix hasn't contributed to the Ravens' offensive woes. With all due respect, Tyler Huntley is no Lamar Jackson, and defenses can focus on Henry.
That said, Henry's struggles with ball security aren't anything new. He doesn't take care of the football in the open field, and with linebackers mastering the fine art of the peanut punch, sometimes it's easier to knock the ball out of his hands than it is to bring him to the ground.
As for his short-yardage woes, that has often been an Achilles' heel for Henry. He's at his best when he's already taken off, as he's not as explosive with his first step. His huge frame doesn't always help him bulldoze his way through a brick wall of heavy personnel.
Whatever the case, the Ravens don't look as unbeatable as pundits and hot-take artists made them seem before any team played a snap this season. They looked solid on paper, but they had a first-time head coach, an injury-prone quarterback, and had perennially underperformed.
Fast forward to today, and the almighty Ravens have been exposed in every single second half of the season, all while the Browns have closed out games better than any other team in the league.
Again, it hasn't been perfect, but it's about time the Browns get the credit they deserve as the best team in the division.
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