Will? Deshaun Watson get the cold shoulder in his first home game with the Browns or will he be greeted warmly? (Cleveland Browns)
Deshaun Watson hoping not to get the cold shoulder in first home game with Browns
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Four downs on Browns (5-8) v. Baltimore Ravens (9-4)
First down: Meet your quarterback.
For better or for worse, the Browns turned over their team to Deshaun Watson on Nov. 28 when he was reinstated from an 11-game NFL suspension. At the time, the Browns ranked fifth overall in offensive yards, fifth in rushing, 16th in passing and 11th in scoring (23.9 a game). In two games under Watson’s direction, those rankings have fallen to sixth overall in total yards, fifth in rushing, 17th in passing and 13th in scoring (23.0). The Browns have scored four touchdowns in Watson’s two games, but only one was generated by the offense in 21 possessions. Still, Watson and coaches profess to be pleased with Watson’s improvement from Game 1 to Game 2, though it be incremental. Game 3 presents new challenges. Watson’s first game in front of the Browns’ home crowd will be in temperatures hovering 30 degrees – the coldest so far of Watson’s Cleveland career – and comes against a resurgent Ravens’ defense. They are second in rush defense, second in third-down efficiency, and second in takeaways. The Browns lost to the Ravens in Game 7 in Baltimore, 23-20, with Jacoby Brissett completing 22 of 27 passes for 258 yards. If Watson could recapture more of his former game and defeat the Ravens, it would not only derail their rival’s pursuit of the AFC North title but also help him win favor among fans still skeptical of the Browns’ enormous investment in him. “My main objective for this weekend is going out there and just showing this crowd and showing the Cleveland fans and this city that we are going out there to compete and this season is not over for us,” Watson said. “I can’t control what the reaction is going to be. I am not sure what it is going to be. Like I said, I am excited to go out there, play football and get back in the old school uniforms and the white facemasks and things like that and have a little bit of fun and just try to make the Saturday something special for Cleveland.”
Second down: Getting jiggy.
In the Ravens’ appearance in Cleveland last year, Lamar Jackson was knocked out of the game on a low hit by linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on the first play of the second quarter. Jackson didn’t play the rest of the season. Now he’s out with a knee sprain. So the Browns will get another look at backup Tyler Huntley, who is sort of Lamar Lite. Huntley threw a scare into the Browns last year by leading the Ravens to 16 points in the second half. The Browns held on to win, 24-22. Huntley threw for 270 yards and ran for 45, but a strip-and-scoop return TD by Myles Garrett in the second quarter proved to be the winning points. “He's fast, he’s elusive. He’s a lot of things Lamar is, just needs a little more polish,” Garrett said. “I think he can be that capable of player, if he gets a chance somewhere. It just felt like we were trying to chase down a chicken with like, I don’t know, doused in honey, or something. The guy athletically is one of the top guys in the league. Just have to keep him in the pocket like we’d try with Lamar and treat him with a lot of respect.” Safety John Johnson said, “I know last year, he kind of got jiggy on us. He made a couple guys miss. If he don’t like what he sees, he can pull the ball down and make guys miss. He can make throws. Very similar to [Jackson].”
Third down: Big boy pads.
The Ravens are second in rushing (162.2 yards a game), second in average time of possession, and first with 68 rushes of 10+ yards. A large part of that success is due to Jackson, their leading rusher (764 yards, 6.8 average). With Jackson hurt, the Ravens returned to a more conventional running game using backs J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Kenyan Drake. They gashed the Steelers for 215 yards on 42 carries last week. “Oh, yeah, we know they’re going to run the ball,” Johnson said. “JK, fresh legs, went for over 100 last week. There’s no secret to it. It’s one of those weeks you have to put your big boy pads on. It’s not a secret. They’re going to come out with big people on the field. It’s going to be big on big. It’s a challenge ahead of us and we’re up for it.” The Browns’ run defense, meanwhile, is reeling from the loss of its fourth linebacker (JOK) to season-ending injury. What’s left are Deion Jones, Jordan Kunaszyk and Tony Fields as starters, and Reggie Ragland, Tae Davis and Jermaine Carter backing them up.
Fourth down: He completes them.
The Ravens traded for linebacker Roquan Smith on Oct. 31. This was one of the great heists of the season. The Ravens gave up second- and fifth-round picks in 2023 to the Bears for Smith. Also, the Bears agreed to pay $4.833 million of Smith’s $5.408 million owed him this year. What has Smith meant to the Ravens while lining up at inside linebacker next to Patrick Queen? In the five games Smith has been active, the Ravens have allowed the second-fewest points and have produced 10 defensive turnovers. Against the Steelers, Smith’s sack knocked Kenny Pickett out of the game and then he intercepted Mitchell Trubisky in the red zone. “Oh, bro, you talk about a high tide raising all ships. It’s palpable,” Ravens pre-game analyst Qadry Ismail said on #100YearsPod. “Roquan, his ability to run sideline to sideline reminds me of a young Ray Lewis. His abilility to be such a sure tackler reminds me of Ray Lewis and Daryl Smith. The ability to play in coverage? It was a liability, now it is not. That dude is legit. Patrick Queen was having a good year. Now because of Roquan, he’s having an outstanding year.”
The pick: Ravens 16, Browns 13.
My record: 6-7.
