Baltimore Ravens (4-1) @ Cleveland Browns (3-2)
Sunday, October 18, 1:00 PM ET
Who would have thought that the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns would be playing a rather high-stakes game in the middle of October?
Not me!
Of course, it’s the Browns that have been the surprise so far this season – not the Ravens. Cleveland’s 3-2 record is indicative of some significant growth offensively, especially from quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson has been one of the worst acquisitions in professional sports history, but playing some competent football has not surprisingly led to some winning for the Browns.
Although Cleveland is coming off a tough loss in Week 5 to the New York Jets, we’re going to get to see what this team is really made of in another divisional opportunity.
And the Ravens just showed their own resolve against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. Playing without Lamar Jackson, we saw Tyler Huntley take control of the offense and play really good ball under the lights of primetime. It wasn’t an otherworldly performance, but Huntley did what high-end backups are supposed to do.
He operated the offense with efficiency and confidence, and became a playmaker when the Ravens needed him to be.
The Ravens are early 3.5-point favorites on the road against Cleveland, and maybe that indicates that the oddsmakers feel like Lamar Jackson will be back for this game. Even if he isn’t, Deshaun Watson is going to have his hands full trying to push the ball downfield against Kyle Hamilton and the Ravens’ defense.
Even if weather was a factor, Watson had 3 fumbles and took 8 sacks against the Jets. The Ravens are going to bring the heat and try to shorten the game by running the football.
Prediction: Ravens win 24-20
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