Monday Night Football- AFC North Duel between the Ravens and Browns

After getting swept by the Bengals last week, the Ravens look to bounce back in Cleveland Browns Stadium- the slums of the AFC North. Can the Browns prevent a beatdown from their division rivals with Brady Quinn under center? Let’s break down the matchup.  

Ravens on Offense

The Ravens never got it going in their loss to Cincy last week. Besides putting up only 7 points, they went 1 of 10 on 3rd down and had the ball for just 20 minutes. Moreover, Joe Flacco went 18-32 with 2 picks. But there’s good news; the best cure for a struggling young QB is to play the Browns, who gave up 31 points to Aaron Rodgers’ Packers and 30 to Jay Cutler’s Bears. Last week, Ray Rice was Baltimore’s leading receiver, which cannot happen in a Ravens offense that’s been pass-heavy this year. Flacco needs to get Derrick Mason and Todd Heap back in the mix. On another note, the Ravens have had the most success when they commit to the ground game. There’s no reason why Ray Rice shouldn’t get 20 touches against a Cleveland D that allows 170.5 rushing yards a game. On the other side, the Browns’ LB corpse can hold its own. Led by leading tackler D’Qwell Jackson and Kamerion Wimbley (who has 5 sacks), the Browns can cause some commotion if they play with a reckless abandonment.

Browns on Offense

So Brady Quinn gets the nod, but how much can he help a team that has 5 offensive touchdowns this season? Quinn will not be heroic by any means, but he gives the Browns a better chance because he is more accurate and turns the ball over less. Plus, Quinn showed he has big-game ability when he torched the Giants last year on Monday Night Football. But whether it’s Quinn or Derek Anderson taking snaps, the Browns have put up just under 10 points and 221 yards per game and the O-line has given up 19 sacks. And although Cleveland won’t admit it, they could really use a big-play receiver like Braylon Edwards to save their league-worst passing attack. Rookie Mohamed Massaquoi shows flashes but needs to be more consistent if the Browns intend to threaten a secondary led by Ed Reed. As for the run, Cleveland can only hope for Jamal Lewis to stick it to his former team one last time before he throws in the towel. But unless Lewis suddenly returns to Pro Bowl form, Baltimore should have no problem stopping the run. Last Week, Cedric Benson ran all over the Ravens, and Ray Lewis took it personal. Look for his emotions to spread to the rest of his teammates on defense.

The Browns can make it a game if they loosen up and play with the purpose of wrecking a team with playoff hopes. But in the end, Baltimore will grind it out in classic Raven fashion- controlling the pace offensively and keeping the Browns in lockdown mode.

Prediction

Baltimore 34

Cleveland 10