Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Sunday’s Week 8 game between the Ravens (5-2) and
Cleveland Browns (1-6) at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio:
Brian Wacker, reporter
Ravens 27, Browns 14: The Browns still have one of the better defenses in the league, especially against the pass, and divisional familiarity almost always makes these games closer than they feel like they should be. But the Ravens are operating at an elite level with a dominant rushing attack that sets up the passing game and vice versa, so there should be little trouble racking up yards and points. Browns quarterback Jameis Winston should actually be an improvement over the injured Deshaun Watson, and I expect he’ll make some plays against a secondary that remains leaky. But the Browns simply don’t have enough to keep up.
Childs Walker, reporter
Ravens 31, Browns 17: This matchup, pitting the league’s best offense against its worst, doesn’t feel complicated. Perhaps there’s some fear Cleveland will discover a spark with Jameis Winston in place of Deshaun Watson at quarterback and Nick Chubb in the backfield. The Browns still have notable defensive talent and seem unlikely to roll over against the Ravens, even if their season is lost. But no one has discovered a counter to the Lamar Jackson-Derrick Henry machine, and it’s hard to imagine a Cleveland offense that averages 4 yards per play keeping up.
Mike Preston, columnist
Ravens 31, Browns 14: The Browns are in a sad state. There was speculation during the offseason that the coaching staff wanted Joe Flacco to return and challenge Deshaun Watson for the starting quarterback role. It didn’t happen, and it was a decision made by the Haslam family, owners of the Browns. Regardless of what people say, the NFL is a business, and Watson signed a five-year, $230 million contract in 2022 with Cleveland. Despite his struggles, it made no sense for some fans to boo him last week when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. It’s way too early in the season for the Browns to quit playing. Once we get 12 to 13 games into the season, then it might happen. Cleveland plays good enough defense to hang around in this game, but not even the Ravens’ defense can give up another 31 points to this offense.
C.J. Doon, editor
Ravens 27, Browns 23: There’s no way the Ravens lose this one … right? The Browns are the only team in both the NFL and major college football that has failed to score 20 points in a game this season, but now Jameis Winston will be playing quarterback and Ken Dorsey will be calling the plays. That should give some life to a moribund unit that still has running back Nick Chubb and tight end David Njoku, who have historically been tough assignments for the Ravens. For all his faults, Winston won’t be afraid to attack a Baltimore secondary that is still struggling to figure things out and is now dealing with injuries. Jim Schwartz’s defense also has plenty of talent and could make things difficult for Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, especially if Zay Flowers’ ankle is not 100%. This could be a lot closer than expected, but it would take a small miracle for both the Browns’ offense and defense to step up and knock off their AFC North rivals.
Tim Schwartz, editor
Ravens 35, Browns 17: Jameis Winston is probably an upgrade from Deshaun Watson, but that’s not saying much. The Browns are not a good team, and their defense — which was right there with Baltimore’s as the best in the NFL last year — has also regressed. The Ravens’ offense is playing at a different level right now with Lamar Jackson pulling away in the Most Valuable Player race (yes, it’s early), and it’s hard to fathom Cleveland being his kryptonite. But, as we all know, the Ravens are notorious for laying eggs in games they should win. I’m just not buying this being a trap game. Baltimore should roll out of Cleveland on Sunday afternoon with their sixth straight win, and anything less would feel like a disaster.
Bennett Conlin, editor
Ravens 34, Browns 14: Jameis Winston could spark life into Cleveland’s subpar offense and the Browns’ defense could stand tall against Baltimore’s elite attack led by Jackson. On the flipside, the Browns could just be destined for a disastrous season with Sunday’s game another disappointing chapter in a long year. Last week, six teams beat their opponent by at least 20 points as the cream rises to the top midway through the year. As entertaining as it would be to see Winston make Cleveland respectable the rest of the season, it’s hard to imagine the Browns putting up a serious fight against a red-hot Ravens squad. If Baltimore’s defense plays better than usual, which feels quite possible against a backup quarterback with limited weapons, this game could get ugly quickly.
