Baltimore Ravens: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from the Browns Game

After heading into the bye week with a big loss in Houston, the Baltimore Ravens took to the road to play the lowly Cleveland Browns today.

Desperately needing a win to avoid losing their second consecutive game for the first time since 2009, the Ravens were able to pick up a 25-15 victory to move to 6-2, while the Browns dropped to 2-7.

While a win is a win, it wasn't necessarily the most convincing victories and left much to be desired as they now prepare to take on the Oakland Raiders next week at M&T Bank Stadium.

Here's the good, the bad and the ugly from the Ravens and Browns game.

Good: The Run Game

I should preface this by saying that after the first quarter there wasn't very much good in any aspect of the game, but if there was one bright spot, it was the run game.

Ray Rice finished the day with 98 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown (good for almost four yards per carry).

Bernard Pierce, meanwhile, ran for 26 yards and a TD on seven carries (also good for nearly four yards per carry).

While the run game wasn't very effective after the first quarter, those two touchdowns are the reason the Ravens escaped with a win today, so I'd still chalk up the run game as a positive.

Bad: The Passing Game

It seems like it's almost automatic for Joe Flacco to struggle on the road.

Doesn't matter where he is, or who he's playing—if it's not at M&T Bank Stadium, he struggles.

His final stat line from today may seem decent. He completed 15 of 24 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown.

When you consider, however, that he started the game 10-10 with 100 yards, you see just how bad he was after the first portion of the game.

Flacco failed once again surpass the 200-yard mark on the road and finished the game throwing 5-of-14 for 53 yards and his lone touchdown (which was a byproduct of a dazzling Torrey Smith move).

Once again, it can be said that the Ravens picked up an important win on the road, despite Joe Flacco's performance.

Ugly: The Middle Quarters

The second and third quarters of today's game were possibly the worst played quarters of the season.

After jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead and 12-2 lead in first downs, Baltimore's offense shut down.

Not only would the Ravens fail to put any points on the scoreboard, but they also failed to pick up a first down. At one point, the Ravens had five consecutive three-and-out possessions.

The run game was stifled, Joe Flacco couldn't complete a pass, receivers were dropping balls...it was hard to watch.

Even on defense, the Ravens gave up four field goals and let the Browns drive on them (though they stood strong in the red zone).

By the time the Ravens found their footing, they found themselves trailing 15-14 (although the fifth Cleveland field goal was scored in the fourth quarter) and needing to come back against a 2-6 Browns ball club.

Those types of prolonged dry spells cannot happen again, because against a better opponent (something the Ravens have a plethora of on their upcoming schedule), they will cost the Ravens the win.

Follow @LeafsWriterBR