All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey is the latest of seven Ravens starters to be lost to a season-ending injury. Will it entice the Browns to throw the ball despite its slumping passing game? (Boston Globe)
Cleveland Browns scouting report: Baltimore Ravens
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst on the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Browns v. Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, 1 p.m., in FirstEnergy Stadium
Record: 8-4.
Last game: Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-19, Dec. 5 in Pittsburgh.
Coach: Jim Harbaugh, 148-91, fourth year.
Series record: Ravens lead, 34-11.
Last meeting: Ravens won, 16-10, Nov. 28, in Baltimore.
League rankings: Offense is fourth overall (third rushing, 13th passing), defense is 20th overall (first rushing, 31st passing) and turnover differential is minus-8.
Things to watch
1. The tough, physical, 20-19 loss to the Steelers claimed another Ravens starter. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey was lost for the year with a torn pectoral muscle. He’s the 16th Raven put on injured reserve, the seventh starter overall. Three-fourths of the Ravens starting secondary has been wiped out – Humphrey, cornerback Marcus Peters and safety DeShon Elliott. As a result, the Ravens’ pass defense has sunk to 31st in the rankings and coordinator Wink Martindale has had to severely curb his desire to blitz.
2. Humphrey likely will be replaced not by 2011 first-round pick Jimmy Smith, who is 33 and nearing the end, but by second-year free agent Chris Westry, who is a towering 6-4 and has made one start in his NFL career. The deficiencies in Baltimore’s secondary certainly will tempt the Browns to throw the ball rather than pound the ball on the ground into the Ravens’ 8-man defensive fronts.
3. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has had a very strange year. In many respects, he’s having his worst year in 3 ½ seasons as Ravens starter, on pace for career lows in touchdowns and passer rating. He's already posted career highs in interceptions and sacks. Yet he has a knack for coming through at the end of close games. He’s the big reason the Ravens are 4-1 in games decided by three points or fewer and 6-2 in games decided by eight points or fewer. Jackson led the Ravens 60 yards to the end zone in the final 1 ½ minutes against Pittsburgh, but his 2-point pass for tight end Mark Andrews for the win was wide. It looked like Jackson’s rushed pass was off the mark, but the Ravens felt Andrews slowed down his route and should have been able to make the catch.
4. Another injury casualty from the Pittsburgh game was right tackle Patrick Mekari. He suffered a hand injury and probably will be inactive Sunday. His replacement would be Tyre Phillips, who was not good in two previous starts. The Ravens have used three different players at right tackle, which has contributed to Jackson’s sub-par year.
Did you know … ?
1. John Harbaugh is 23-4 against the Browns. The 23 wins ties Bill Belichick v. the Jets for the most by a coach against one team since Harbaugh’s arrival as Ravens coach in 2008.
2. The Ravens’ defense is first on third downs and first in the red zone.
3. The Ravens are 8-4 for the fifth time in their history. They made the playoffs in each of the previous four times.
4. In the Ravens’ 16-10 victory over the Browns on Nov. 28, Jackson completed only two passes in three targets to his running backs. In his next game against the Steelers, Jackson threw 11 times to his backs and completed eight.
Small world: Executive VP Ozzie Newsome was a Browns tight end from 1978-90 and is the Browns all-time leader in receiving yards, and is enshrined in the Browns Ring of Honor and Pro Football Hall of Fame … Guard Kevin Zeitler played for the Browns in 2017-18 … Linebacker L.J. Fort (IR) played for the Browns in 2012 … Offensive coordinator Greg Roman attended John Carroll University … Defensive line coach Anthony Weaver was line coach with the Browns 2014-15 … Inside linebackers coach Rob Ryan was Browns defensive coordinator 2009-10 … Director of player personnel George Kokinis was Browns general manager in 2009 and in the scouting department 1991-95 … Scout Bobby Vega was a Browns scout 2005-18 … Senior player personnel executive Vince Newsome played for the Browns 1991-92 and was a scout 1993-95.
