5 Bold predictions as Cleveland Browns host Ravens in Week 4

On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns showed us all just how good they can be this season. For the first time in 2023, both the offense and defense were playing well and the result was a 27-3 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Not only was it a lopsided score, but Cleveland never gave Tennessee a chance. They held the Titans offense under 100 yards and the offense could have had even more explosive plays if the refs knew where the out-of-bounds line was.

With a record of 2-1, the Browns now host the Baltimore Ravens — who are fresh off a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in overtime. Here, we look ahead to that game with these five bold predictions.

5. Jerome Ford goes for 100 yards

Entering Week 4, Jerome Ford has 160 yards and a touchdown on the ground — with an average of just 3.9 yards per attempt. He's also put up another 58 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions.

Overall, he's been solid for the Browns but a huge portion of his yards came on one run. Against the Steelers, he ripped off a 69-yard run which helped him top the 100-yard mark after filling in for Nick Chubb.

Against the Titans, he ran in a three-yard touchdown but still had just 18 yards on 10 attempts.

Tennessee does have a strong front seven which made things tough on Ford and he will again face a formidable defense in the Ravens. Having said that, Baltimore did just surrender 122 yards on 30 carries to Zack Moss, proving they can be susceptible to the run.

In Week 4, they're going to have to worry about Deshaun Watson, who is coming off his best game in orange and brown which will allow Ford to take advantage and rip off 100 yards rushing.

4. Za'Darius Smith racks up two sacks against his former team

One of the many solid moves Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry made this offseason was to trade for veteran pass rusher Za'Darius Smith, who was with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022.

Before spending one year with the Vikings, Smith was in Green Bay for three years but he started his career with the Ravens, spending four seasons in those hated purple and black uniforms.

Smith was a fourth-round pick in 2015 out of Kentucky and had 18.5 sacks in 58 games for Baltimore. While in Green Bay, he had 26 sacks in 2019 and 2020 but then missed all but one game in 2021. He was a Pro Bowler for the first two years in Green Bay and then made it again with the Vikings.

When he was looking for a new home last year, the Ravens were interested in a reunion. That didn't happen and now, he's set to face them as rivals.

Smith enters his fourth game with Cleveland with just five tackles and no sacks. That doesn't mean he hasn't been a factor though as he has four quarterback hits and seven pressures according to Pro Football Reference.

In this bold prediction, he turns his disruption into a couple of sacks as he takes down Lamar Jackson twice for his first two sacks with the Browns.

3. Amari Cooper goes for 150 yards with a touchdown

Week 1 might have been slow for Amari Cooper (as it was for all Cleveland wideouts) but he's recovered in a major way since then.

In Week 2 against the Steelers, Cooper was a game-time decision due to a groin injury. He wound up playing and had a huge game with seven receptions for 90 yards. Then against the Titans, he looked healthier than ever.

Cooper again hauled in seven passes, this time for 116 yards, and added a touchdown. Frustratingly enough, he should have had a second touchdown and another 40 yards if not for a major blunder by officials. Shortly before halftime, Watson hit Cooper on a deep pass which was hauled in and after he made the cornerback and safety miss, he was free to take it to the house.

That never happened, however, since the play was blown dead. Cooper was called out of bounds, even though he clearly was nowhere near the sideline.

The Ravens aren't at fault for this but they're the team who will end up paying.

Now that Watson and Cooper are on the same page, look for head coach Kevin Stefanski to dial up a couple more deep balls. And this time, the refs should know not to blow a play dead with so much green between Cooper and the sidelines.

On the strength of a couple of deep passes, Cooper cracks 150 yards which would be the first time since 2015 that he dropped triple-digits on the Ravens. And there's not a better time for this to happen as the Browns look to make a statement in the AFC North.

2. Browns defense holds Ravens to fewer than 150 yards

Overall, the Ravens offense has been decent. They're 12th in the NFL with 1,044 yards and 14th with 71 points over the first three games. Having said that, they've been strong on the ground with 474 yards and six touchdowns — good for third in the league in yards and second in touchdowns.

Through the air, it's been a different story. Despite their insistence that this would be more of an 'air-raid' offense, it looks like the same we have always seen from Lamar Jackson. Baltimore moves it on the ground but is one of the bottom-tier teams when it comes to passing.

Right now, they're 24th in yards and 24th in touchdown passes with 570 yards and two touchdowns. That's a terrible statistic when they're about to face the No. 1 overall defense, which is also first against the pass.

That means the Browns will be able to keep Jackson from lighting them up through the air. And as far as the ground game goes, Cleveland can handle this as well.

Heading into this contest, the Browns boast an unreal stat — they've allowed -36 rushing yards before contact. For reference, the league average is 94.22.

Look for that to continue as they bottle up Baltimore and keep them under 150 total yards.

1. Deshaun Watson has another turnover-free game

Deshaun Watson easily played his best game with the Browns this past weekend. Following a couple of rough outings, he was sharp and decisive. Kevin Stefanski deserves a lot of credit for dialing up a game plan that allowed him to get into a rhythm with some easy passes and then opening things up once he was comfortable.

Watson did have one major error in judgment when he attempted a backward pass while being sacked, which was his lone fumble in the game. Thankfully, Elijah Moore recovered the ball and while it was a huge loss of yards, they didn't give Tennessee the ball.

That meant Watson finished the day with 289 yards on 27-of-33 passing with two touchdowns and no turnovers.

Perhaps that showed him just how important it is for him to play clean football. Watson, who had to play a lot of 'hero ball' in Houston has the luxury of leaning on his defense right now. If he simply takes what the defense gives, the Browns should find a lot of success — especially if Myles Garrett and the rest of the defense keep shutting people down.

With that being said, this final bold prediction is that Watson plays it smart and again has a solid stat line with no turnovers. That should lead to a two-game winning streak, a 2-1 record in the North, and a lot of confidence heading into their Week 5 bye.

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