Cleveland Browns: Refs missed a dirty hit on Denzel Ward

The Cleveland Browns are struggling with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10 and it got tougher for them when it was announced that Denzel Ward was in the locker room being evaluated for a head injury. Ward has already dealt with four concussions in his career, making this more concerning than normal. It was also avoidable.

Ward was attempting to tackle Baltimore wideout Zay Flowers and had him stopped. Despite this, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley came in and unloaded on Ward, hitting him in the helmet and sending him to the sideline. It was a clear hit to the head but the refs completely missed it.

Ward has been playing phenomenal football this season for the Browns. He's locked down some of the best wideouts in the game and has two interceptions. He did get hit with a penalty in this one that led to three points for the Ravens but should have been able to stay on the field and attempt to make up for that.

Instead, he's now out and the worry has to be whether or not this leads to more missed time — or more issues for Ward down the road. For Cleveland, they are able to turn to Greg Newsome who was questionable coming into this game but was able to suit up. They also have Martin Emerson, who is also playing well for the Browns.

Cleveland is 5-3 but they're 1-2 in the AFC North. If they can't come back against the Ravens, they will be in trouble in their division. They've been much more competitive in recent years but their struggles with the North teams have continued to hold them back.