Cage the Terrapins: Ohio State – Maryland Preview
October 9, 2015NFL News: Tashaun Gipson out, Joe Haden questionable for Week 5
October 9, 2015Let’s start with the obvious — there is no changing what happened in San Diego. We all saw it; we were all equally disgusted. Let’s table the “What a Browns way to lose” talk for the moment and take stock of the campaign. One-fourth of the way through the season, the Browns are 1-3 with major defensive problems and an uncertain receiving corps. Head coach Mike Pettine is under fire for personnel management and quarterback decisions. Key players have failed to perform as expected, and some fans seem ready to abandon the season. Times are tough and Cleveland needs to quickly turn its play around if the team wants to salvage the season. Sounds like a perfect time to play an equally dysfunctional team — the Baltimore Ravens.
Last Win: Week 9, 2013. Browns 24 @ Ravens 18
Leading up to the bye week in 2013, the Browns were having a tough season. Jason Campbell relieved an injured Brandon Weeden at quarterback, trying to snap an 11-game losing streak to the Ravens. Cleveland led wire-to-wire. Campbell threw two touchdown passes to Davone Bess and one to Gary Barnidge. A fourth-quarter Joe Flacco touchdown cut the lead down to three, but a late Billy Cundiff field goal iced the game for Cleveland. Flacco suffered his first, and so far only, career loss to the Browns.
Last Loss: Week 17, 2014. Browns 10 @ Ravens 20
The 2014 season started remarkably well for the Browns. Cleveland opened the season 6-3 and at one point held sole possession of first place in the AFC North. The Browns sputtered in the second half, finishing 1-6, including a tough Week 17 loss at Baltimore. Former South Carolina Gamecock Connor Shaw started for the Browns and went 14-of-28 for 177 yards and an interception. Cleveland managed only one touchdown on a two-yard Terrance West run. Joe Flacco threw two touchdowns and the season mercifully came to a close.
At 1-3, the Ravens are undergoing their worst start as a franchise. Baltimore opened 2015 with back-to-back road losses at Denver and Oakland. They lost their home opener to Cincinnati for their first 0-3 start in team history. Baltimore outlasted a Michael Vick-led Pittsburgh team in overtime last Thursday for their first win of the campaign. The Ravens rank 17th offensively (23.25 points/game) and 23rd defensively (26 ppg).
What is the opposite of “elite quarterback play”? The answer in 2015 may be Joe Flacco. The eighth-year quarterback has completed 102-of-159 passes (64.2 percent) for 1,052 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions. The Ravens’ rushing attack has struggled so far with only two touchdowns on the ground, neither from starting running back Justin Forsett. Defensively, linebacker Daryl Smith leads the birds with 20 tackles.
Putting aside the last Chargers possession, the Browns did a lot well in Week 4. Quarterback Josh McCown threw 32-of-41 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns. With the Browns down eight points late, he dropped a dime to Gary Barnidge at the one-yard line and found him again for the score. McCown then connected with Taylor Gabriel for the tying two-point conversion. For weeks, head coach Mike Pettine has claimed his decision to start the veteran comes from his belief that McCown gave the team the best chance to win. Results aside, No. 13 did lead the team down the field with the game on the line and found the end zone.
In other personnel news, when asked this week if he ever considered using cornerback/kick returner Justin Gilbert on offense, Pettine said, “He’s shown that certainly with the kickoff returns the other day. Yeah, sometimes with the numbers and injuries, we’ve had to throw him on offense at wide receiver and doesn’t look out of place.” I do not know if this is more a statement on Gilbert’s ability as a cornerback or a reflection of the thin receiving corps that a former eighth overall pick is being considered as a third receiver. I wonder if there are any free agent wideouts with Ohio ties who could help out on the wings.
Playing the Ravens is never easy, especially in Baltimore. The Browns desperately need a win to get their season back on the right track. In a change from the norm, Baltimore finds itself in the same position. By the end of the game, one team will be alone in last place in the AFC North. Winning division games has long eluded the Browns; a victory here would go a long way to calming everyone down and getting the focus back on playing competitive football.
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With both teams entering the game with a 1-3 record, this week’s game is to avoid the cellar in the AFC North. Flights to Baltimore on Hipmunk.com can turn that six-hour drive into an hour of travel time through the air, in addition to having hotels near M&T Bank Stadium to create the most convenient trip.
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