The Cleveland Browns will face a fired-up Baltimore Ravens squad next week, and oddsmakers expect it could get ugly.
The Ravens lost to the Buffalo Bills in crushing fashion on Sunday in a prime-time matchup. The Bills scored three times in the final four minutes, stunning the Ravens, who appeared to be in complete control.
Baltimore will be eager to bounce back next week in their home opener when the Browns come to town. The Ravens are listed as a 12.5-point favorite for the matchup, per ESPN BET.
Historically, the AFC North rivalry between the Browns and Ravens has remained within a touchdown. The outlier is last year’s season finale, when Baltimore was a massive 19.5-point favorite. Cleveland was out of the playoff picture and started Bailey Zappe at quarterback. The Ravens covered, winning 35-10. The sides have split the last six games in the series, dating back to 2022.
Ravens Offense Big Test for Browns’ Stout Defense
The Ravens piled up 432 yards of offense against the Bills. Derrick Henry rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Lamar Jackson completed 14 of 19 passes for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The two-time MVP also added 70 rushing yards. Wide receiver Zay Flowers put together a career-best performance, racking up 143 receiving yards on seven catches.
It’ll be a major test for a Browns defense that is coming off a strong performance of its own, albeit in a lower-scoring matchup. Cleveland held the Cincinnati Bengals to 141 total yards and just seven in the second half in a 17-16 loss on Sunday.
The Browns were particularly strong against the run, limiting Cincinnati to 46 yards on the ground — a 2.0 yards per carry average.
“It was really good effort (by the defense). That’s the frustrating part for us as a team,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Now we’re a football team. We win together, we lose together. So we all get to share in this one. But yes, it doesn’t change the fact that’s there’s some really good things happening.”
Browns ‘Pissed’ After Losing to Bengals
The Ravens will not be the only team with something to prove in the second game of the season. The Browns had many chances to beat the Bengals but were undone by miscues, including a missed go-ahead field goal with around two minutes left.
“It pissed us off, it got us really mad. That’s the mindset we need to have coming into this next week. Pissed off for greatness,” Browns tight end David Njoku said. “Means we got to work our ass off and get back to it.”
Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy echoed a similar sentiment.
“We don’t hang our hat on nothing about losing,” Jeudy said. “We have to find a way to finish and find a way to win because if you don’t get the W, then it doesn’t matter.”
The matchup with the Ravens is part of a grueling opening schedule for the Browns. They’ll also see the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers in the coming weeks.
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