Cleveland Browns: The many dynamics of the Ravens, Week 2

For the Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Ravens are always a loaded matchup and this one at this time, with what both teams are trying to do, is packed to the brim.

There isn’t a bigger change for football teams than going from week one to week two. That’s where teams tend to make the biggest improvement. Combined with all of the baggage that already comes with the Cleveland Browns playing the Baltimore Ravens, there are a number of dynamics that make an already good matchup that much better.

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Despite preseason, the amount of practice and everything else that leads up to the season, it’s just a different game when it counts for the first time. 60 minutes instead of a series, a quarter or a half. Playing to win as opposed to just getting reps and trying to get ready for the year. And getting over that initial game and then addressing specific issues from that game tends to have teams make a bit of a leap forward.

For the Browns, that hopefully results in a more confident rushing attack. The offensive line has a chance to play together while Isaiah Crowell has to run for real. Neither can be happy with how they played this past week. Unfortunately, Kevin Zeitler’s injured thumb had him out of practice Wednesday, but he did return Thursday.

For the passing game, DeShone Kizer might settle down a bit, get a little more comfortable. Perhaps some of the missed opportunities he had were a case of being too amped up and another week of practice to improve timing and chemistry will result in hitting more big plays down the field. David Njoku has a full regular season game under his belt. Shon Coleman has been the right tackle for a full regular season game as opposed to spot duty.

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It’s more dramatic with players like Kasen Williams and Sammie Coates who had basically just gotten to Cleveland. They’ve got a little more time to get the playbook down and try to get some chemistry with their new quarterback.

A more confident Corey Coleman gets to face off against the team he had the best game of his rookie year. Before suffering a broken hand that short circuited his rookie season, Coleman recorded five receptions for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Ravens.

At the same time, the Ravens also have the Pittsburgh Steelers game for their preparation. They may have a much better idea what’s coming at them, which could the Browns a little easier to defend. So, the question is will the Ravens having a better idea of what’s coming or will the improvement from week one to week two of the Browns on offense ultimately win out?

Unfortunately for the Browns, the Ravens defense looks like it will be better than the Steelers. They’ve got some familiar names like Terrell Suggs as well as also an influx of young, hungry front seven players that enable them to throw a ton of different looks at opponents. They’re big, they’re strong and they have a ton of depth, so they keep coming.

Their secondary is headlined by two top of the line safeties in Tony Jefferson and Eric Weddle, which allow their corners to man up opponents. Keep in mind that Jefferson was pursued by both the Browns and Ravens in free agency and Jefferson basically said he chose the Ravens despite the Browns offering more money because he wanted to play for a winner.

The Browns moved on, deciding to use one of three first round picks on Jabrill Peppers out of Michigan. Peppers is currently playing free safety for the Browns this season, but long term, he may well be in the same spot as Jefferson would have been.

In their first game, the Ravens forced five turnovers, recorded five sacks, gave up just 247 yards of total offense and pitched a shutout. For an offense trying to get on the right track and gain some confidence, that’s a daunting challenge.

On the other side of the ball, the Browns were pretty effective against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They clamped down on the running game and only gave up 14 points for the game. The missing link was the pass rush, which should have a better game with the Ravens being weaker on the offensive front than the Steelers.

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The Ravens offense is not terribly threatening. Some of that is due to litany of major injuries they’ve suffered and some of that is just not being overly talented. In their first game against the Cincinnati Bengals, they didn’t exactly come out firing on all cylinders. Flacco completed just nine passes and the Ravens ran the ball 42 times. It was a bit of a slog but they did enough to win. They will hope to come out and play far better against the Browns at home.

A Browns defense that appears to be gaining confidence will now have an opportunity to go up against a Ravens offense that limped out of the gate. This should not only be a situation where the Browns can potentially dominate the game, but they should take it up a notch and put pressure on the quarterback in a way that didn’t happen against the Steelers.

This is all before mentioning its a divisional game. Before mentioning that in their first matchup against the Ravens last year, the Browns opened up a 20-0 lead only to lose the game 25-20. Even with the number of new faces on this team, much of the roster and much of the coaching staff was here for that game and remembers being up big early only to then watch it slip away and ultimately lose.

For a team trying to change how they are viewed, earning respect in this division and throughout the league, this becomes a potential statement game. The Browns lost to the Steelers, but even in the loss, it felt different. That can’t just be an isolated occurrence. It has to become a trend and then simply who they are on a weekly basis.

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The Cleveland Browns offense goes up against a really challenging foe in the Ravens as they try to gain confidence, establish who they are, will be. Meanwhile, a Browns defense that had a promising debut against a talented offense, has a big opportunity against a weaker opponent to really announce themselves to the league. Nothing will help the Browns make a big step forward than a win, but regardless of the outcome, there’s no shortage of storylines and matchup to watch in this one.