Baltimore Beatdown
The Ravens won their second straight game last week with a 28-6 win over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night. After getting off to a bit of a slow start, Lamar Jackson settled in to throw four touchdowns with a 143.2 passer rating in his first game back from injury.
Baltimore’s defensive continued their midseason improvement with a season-best performance in terms of points allowed. The Ravens forced three turnovers and had two sacks, two areas they’ve struggled in all season. As they’ve returned players from injury and worked in some new additions, the Ravens’ defense has performed better.
Standing in the way of a three-game win streak is the Minnesota Vikings, who are coming off a big divisional win over the Detroit Lions – who beat the Ravens in Week 3. The Vikings have a blitz-happy defense with a knack for creating takeaways, so pass protection and avoiding turnovers will be key for the Ravens offensively. Establishing the run earlier and sustaining drives more effectively are important points of emphasis.
The biggest defensive challenge for the Ravens is limiting wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who will most likely be covered by Nate Wiggins for much of the game. The Vikings have a solid running back duo and other good pass-catching weapons as well, like Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. Creating pressure consistently will help matters against a young quarterback in J.J. McCarthy making only his fourth career start.
Fresh off their bye week, the Browns will be looking to turn a new lead and win their third game of the year. The first half of the season saw Cleveland score more than 17 points just once and lose by double digits in four of eight games. This Sunday presents the Browns with perhaps their best opportunity of victory left on the schedule.
A date with the New York Jets is on deck, one of the only remaining teams that have a worse record than the Browns. If not for a miraculous comeback win in Week 8, the Jets would still be winless on the year. The Jets have allowed 27+ points in all but two games this season and may very well trade away some defensive pieces this week at the deadline. So, this is as good a chance as any for the Browns’ offense to find success.
In doing so, the Browns need to run the ball with more success once again, which they struggled mightily to do against the Patriots in their last contest. Dillon Gabriel also needs to perform more efficiently at quarterback as the calls for the Browns to start Shedeur Sanders quietly begin to grow louder. Gabriel has had some nice moments this season but has mostly struggled in his rookie season.
The Browns’ defense is good enough to keep them competitive, even on the road, against an up-and-down Jets’ offense. It’s unclear whether Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor will be New York’s starting quarterback. Either way,...
