Cleveland hung around for the first half of Week 2 in the Ravens' 30th anniversary celebration, but things unraveled in a hurry when the offense's lack of movement turned into field-flipping turnovers. Joe Flacco was hoping to have a closely-contested homecoming, but it instead turned into a blowout where his turnovers and special teams miscues overshadowed a strong start for the defense.
Ultimately, the Ravens looked like Super Bowl contenders while the Browns were the opposite over four quarters in a 41-17 loss. Following a two-turnover day, some Browns fans would rather see rookie Dillon Gabriel over the veteran already.
Browns fans growing eager to see rookie quarterback after Week 2 loss
Cleveland's defense looked tremendous early in this game when Denzel Ward was on the field, and they even backed up the talk about Derrick Henry by holding him to 23 yards on 11 carries. Unfortunately, Sunday was one of the worst examples of complementary football you will ever see, as the offense and special teams continued to put the defense in bad situations despite their continued success to keep the team in the game.
The offense was horrendous today against a formidable Ravens' front, even though they did find a bit more success on the ground. Cleveland averaged 5.2 yards per carry behind a strong 61-yard debut for Quinshon Judkins, but Flacco didn't even amass 200 yards passing in a game where he dropped back 48 times for a 65 passer rating.
Flacco was fine when he was kept clean and/or when the Ravens didn't blitz, but as soon as he was either blitzed or pressured, he was horrendous due to his inability to extend plays with his legs even a tiny bit. On top of that, his interception in the third quarter was inexcusable and looked like a play a rookie would make. It's understandable to look to make a play given how few chances they had downfield, but forcing a throw into that window instead of punting and giving the defense a chance to get a stop is unacceptable.
Overall, the fans' early call for Gabriel is meaningless, as Kevin Stefanski has already announced he isn't thinking about a quarterback change yet. While Flacco was an unbearable watch, it wouldn't be wise to put a rookie in the fire against a currently dominant Packers' pass rush with how the offensive line has been. The quarterback change continues to be a matter of when, not if, but upcoming matchups show fans might need to have patience.