On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens entered their key AFC North division matchup with the Cleveland Browns on a roll. They won four in a row and are coming off a blowout over the Seattle Seahawks. A few weeks before that, they blew out the Detroit Lions. At 7-2 and with two division games in the friendly confines of M&T Bank Stadium in four days, Baltimore has a chance to separate themselves in the division. Right out of the gate, it looked like the Ravens would do just that and were off to the races again. However, it wasn’t the case as the Ravens fell in a tough one to the Browns 33-31. Baltimore had a 31-17 lead in the fourth quarter and couldn’t hold onto it.
Ravens Blow It In The Fourth Quarter Against Cleveland
Defense Has Its Worst Day
On the game’s first drive, the Ravens defense, arguably the best in the NFL, struck again. Kyle Hamilton deflected, picked off a Deshaun Watson, and took it to the endzone. Baltimore’s motto this year is “Don’t Blink, and the Ravens were up 7-0 in the blink of an eye. However, that was as good as it got for the Ravens defense. Baltimore had trouble stopping the Browns strong rushing attack. They gave up 178 yards on the ground on the combination of Watson, Kareem Hunt, and Jerome Ford. Ford ran for 107 yards.
Against Watson and a banged-up Cleveland offensive line, it was going according to plan in the first half. Then the second half happened, and Watson turned back into the quarterback he can be. Watson threw two touchdowns and ran for crucial first downs while nursing an injury he suffered during the game. The Ravens defense couldn’t hold the lead in the fourth quarter as Cleveland drove down the field to set up the winning kick.
Ravens Roller Coaster Offense
The Ravens offense was rolling in as of late, and just like the defense, they started hot again. On their first drive up 7-0, Keaton Mitchell took one 39 yards to the endzone to give the Ravens a 14-0 lead. On the second half’s opening drive, Odell Beckham Jr. took a Lamar Jackson pass 40 yards for a touchdown to make it a 24-9 Baltimore lead. Big plays, too, by Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers, were also highlights. However, the offense did stall from time to time in this one. They scored on a short field after a muffed punt. Jackson was picked off twice; one was just before the half, and the Browns couldn’t get points. The second was costly as Greg Newsome picked it off for a touchdown to cut the Ravens lead to 31-30 after a missed extra point. Baltimore punted on their next drive, and the Browns would win shortly after.
Where Was Keaton Mitchell?
After the 39-yard touchdown run by Mitchell, he was almost nowhere to be seen. He only carried the ball two more times after the touchdown. Head coach John Harbaugh explained it was “just how the game went” when asked about it. Regardless, Baltimore could’ve used Mitchell throughout this game, and the Ravens will certainly hear about it before Thursday night. With Mitchell’s speed and big play ability, he should be the feature back going forward.
Key Injuries
Marlon Humphrey and Ronnie Stanley went down with injuries on Sunday. Humphrey’s was non-contact. Harbaugh had no update on their injuries. It will be a big loss if they have to miss some time, and both already missed games earlier this season with injuries.
What’s Next?
The Ravens will have to turn the page on this loss quickly, with the Cincinnati Bengals coming into town on Thursday night. Cincinnati is coming off a loss to the Houston Texans. With the Bengals at 5-4, the Ravens can end Cincinatti’s chances at the division with a win on Thursday.
Main Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
