2024 NFL picks, score predictions for every playoff game

2nd round - Divisional Picks & Predictions

(5) Cleveland Browns @ (1) Baltimore Ravens

If the Cleveland Browns can go on the road and pull off a victory against the Houston Texans in the first round, they’ll likely be staring down the barrel of a third matchup this season with the Baltimore Ravens, their division rivals in the AFC North. 

And believe it or not, the Browns are one of the few teams that have beaten the Ravens this season. They won a 33-31 shootout in the most recent matchup between these two teams, which just so happened to be back in Week 10. 

One of the hardest things to do in the NFL is to beat a team twice. So which of these two teams are you more inclined to believe is going to beat the other twice? Well, I am leaning toward the Ravens right now, as well as the Browns have played under Joe Flacco this season.

And that storyline just adds a whole other wrinkle to this potential matchup. Joe Flacco going on the road to play against the team that drafted him…in the postseason? That would be absolutely nuts. What a weird year this has been in the NFL, for a variety of reasons.

As cool of a story as it would be to see Flacco return to Baltimore in the playoffs, I think the Ravens are just too good right now.

Prediction: Ravens win 31-21