Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns: Complete Week 3 Preview for Cleveland
The city of Cleveland was in pure ecstasy following the Browns' first home-opener victory in a decade last Sunday.
A late fourth-quarter drive that delivered a game-winning field goal against the always difficult New Orleans Saints gave the Dawg Pound some hope, as the orange helmets get set to host their AFC North rival, the Baltimore Ravens.
Both clubs are mashed in a three-way tie in the division, alongside Pittsburgh, with a 1-1 record. The Browns already lost one divisional encounter this season to the Steelers and must take advantage of their home field versus Baltimore to keep pace.
Cleveland heads into its bye week following Sunday's battle, and being above .500 would provide a young, generally inexperienced core a blast of confidence to build upon.
Speaking of confidence, quarterback Brian Hoyer had to have banked a pile of it from his teammates after marching them down the field to defeat the Saints. An interesting note is that Hoyer has never lost at FirstEnergy Stadium as a starter and is 3-1 in matchups he has completed for the franchise.
Can the hometown boy keep the offense rolling along with the impressive rookie running back tandem of Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell?
Let's begin our complete Week 3 preview.
Browns Week 2 Recap
1 of 5
FirstEnergy Stadium was absolutely electric last Sunday as the Browns took on Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.
The Dawg Pound (now the collective names for all Browns fans) gave the club a true home-field advantage, as Brees had to burn through two timeouts during the first half because crowd noise prevented him from getting the play off in time.
Cleveland shocked the visitors with 10 unanswered first-quarter points and ended the opening half with a 16-point lead. However, it wasn't just the offense that put up points. Thanks to pressure on Brees by Paul Kruger, Browns safety Tashaun Gipson intercepted a pass and took it to the house to score.
As is expected out of a franchise quarterback with multiple weapons, Brees came marching back in the second half.
Rock star tight end Jimmy Graham was unstoppable even though Cleveland cornerbacks Joe Haden and Buster Skrine provided textbook coverage. The 6'7" monster finished the day with a pair of touchdowns and 118 receiving yards.
On paper the Browns had no business being competitive in this game without their top three offensive contributors in Josh Gordon, Jordan Cameron and Ben Tate.
Yet the orange helmets patched together clutch receiver play that was set up by a second strong outing from rookie running backs Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell. The dynamic duo rushed for a combined 122 yards and a touchdown.
Johnny Manziel even saw his first NFL regular-season action.
It was much to do about nothing as the "Johnny Package" consisted of two handoffs and an incomplete pass. In fairness to Johnny, the throw was caught by fullback Ray Agnew, and the ball was immediately jarred loose by a tackle.
Despite their workmanlike efforts, the Browns found themselves trailing by a single point with 2:46 remaining in the final quarter and pinned at their own 8-yard line.
Huge completions to Miles Austin, Gary Barnidge and Andrew Hawkins allowed Hoyer to pull off a Tom Brady-like drive for 85 yards and put his team in field-goal territory.
Kicker Billy Cundiff booted the game-winning three-pointer, and the Browns found themselves victorious, 26-24, in their home opener for the first time since 2004.
News and Notes
2 of 5
The Flash Will Be Back...Eventually
The NFL and NFLPA finally hammered out new terms to the league's drug policy, and the end result is that Browns fans will see Pro Bowl wide receiver Josh Gordon in 2014...it just won't be until November.
"NFLPA has begun notifying players of revamped suspensions from new drug policy. Officially it is now 10 games for Josh Gordon
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) September 17, 2014"
There was also talk that despite a shortened suspension from the new drug policy, Gordon may still face punishment from the league on a DWI charge from earlier this summer. Luckily for the Dawg Pound, that will not be the case.
"Per @RapSheet on Total Access: Josh Gordon has been assured that he will not be suspended 2 more games after pleading guilty to DWI.
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 16, 2014"
One of the major negatives for Flash, outside of missing the actual games, is that under the old policy he could not be around the team. Pro Football Talk's Darin Gantt explains how the updated league agreement resolves this problem:
"According to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, Gordon will be allowed to be around his teammates and coaches at the team facility while he’s suspended, as well.
He would not be allowed access to games, full practices or travel with the team, but he’ll still have the ability to work out and stay close to the Browns, giving him a chance to be ready when his suspension is up.
"
Paul Kruger Faces Former Team
The Browns dished out big cash to land outside linebacker Paul Kruger last season to the tune of $40.5 million over five years ($13 million guaranteed), following his Super Bowl year with the Baltimore Ravens.
Kruger's numbers under former defensive coordinator Ray Horton in 2013 were underwhelming at best (only 4.5 sacks). However, the 28-year-old pass-rusher looks completely rejuvenated through the first pair of games this season.
Scott Petrak of The Chronicle-Telegram helps to break it down:
"Kruger has two sacks, two quarterback hits, eight tackles, three tackles for loss and a pass defensed from his outside linebacker spot. He has a time share in the opposing backfield and has looked inspired against the pass and the run.
“He’s getting to the quarterback. He’s being vocal, he’s being very physical,” safety Donte Whitner said. “So he’s had a huge impact on our defense and our team. He’s one of the big reasons why we won the game last week.”
"
It will be interesting to see how successful Kruger is against his former club this Sunday, since the Ravens obviously are tuned into his strengths and weaknesses.
Injury Report
3 of 5
This Cleveland Browns injury report is as of Thursday Sept. 18 following practice and courtesy of the Akron Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich @NateUlrichABJ.
| Player | Position | Injury | Status |
| Jordan Cameron | TE | Shoulder | Limited |
| Barkevious Mingo | LB | Shoulder | Limited |
| Ben Tate | RB | Knee | Out |
| Desmond Bryant | DL | Wrist | Full Participant |
| John Hughes | DL | Hamstring | Full Participant |
Ben Tate is the only notable Browns player who will definitely be out of action for Week 3. As nice as his veteran presence would be, the club hasn't missed him much with dual-threat rookie running backs Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell.
In their first full game as a double option last week in the win over New Orleans, West and Crowell combined for 122 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The young tandem will have their hands full this Sunday as they face a Ravens team that is ranked eighth in the NFL for run defense. The Ravens have given up a measly average of 89 yards per game through two weeks.
As well as backup Gary Barnidge played against the Saints (he caught all four targets for 41 yards), there is no doubt that Pro Bowl tight end Jordan Cameron's return would be a huge boost to Cleveland's offense.
Cameron had mixed results versus Baltimore in 2013. He hauled in five passes for 95 yards in the first meeting back in September but was then invisible during the second battle in November when No. 84 had only one reception.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
4 of 5
Joe Haden (Browns, CB) vs. Steve Smith (Ravens, WR)
Being a Pro Bowl cornerback, Joe Haden almost always finds himself matched up against the opposition's top receiving threat. It's an assignment that Haden typically shines at, but he's gotten off to a slow start this season.
In Week 1, Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown scorched Cleveland for 116 yards on five catches and scored a touchdown. Last Sunday, New Orleans stud tight end Jimmy Graham gashed the Browns for 118 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Granted, not all of Brown and Graham's receptions came on Haden's watch. Those two are prime targets for their respective Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks; however, No. 23 is considered a top-tier corner in the NFL and needs to be more effective.
He'll be tested once again when the ageless Steve Smith comes to town with Baltimore. The 35-year-old wide receiver joined the Ravens via free agency after spending his entire career in Carolina.
Smith is averaging an impressive 14.5 yards per catch and has seven first downs and a touchdown through two games. He has quickly become a favorite of Joe Flacco when it comes to moving the chains.
The veteran may have lost a step in the speed department but makes up for it with precise route running and body positioning. Smith and Haden are nearly identical in height with both standing in the 5'9"/5'10" range.
This means the pressure will be on the star CB to be technically sound and ensure that Smith doesn't chip away at him for 10 or more yards per reception all afternoon.
Browns running backs vs. Ravens front seven
The Browns lost starting running back Ben Tate to a knee injury during the opening matchup of the year in Pittsburgh. Questions immediately arose of how effective a couple of rookies could be in his place.
Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell both rose to the occasion throughout the remainder of that Steelers contest, but how would they fare when a team had some tape on them and time to prepare?
The answer came when the duo dominated on the ground to the tune of 122 combined yards and a touchdown in the home victory versus the Saints.
A new challenge faces West and Crowell at FirstEnergy Stadium, as the Ravens rank eighth in the NFL in run defense, allowing just 89 yards per game thus far.
Part of the reason for Baltimore's success is its front seven. Haloti Ngata presents the first problem at nose tackle, as he is adept at taking away running lanes. If you can get past the defensive line, then the likes of C.J. Mosley, Daryl Smith and Terrell Suggs are there to meet a ball-carrier.
Baltimore's defense is also going to be accustomed to facing Kyle Shanahan's zone-blocking rushing scheme since offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak runs a similar style of ground attack. Shanahan was also the OC for Kubiak back in Houston when he was the head coach.
X-Factor: Justin Gilbert
Rookie cornerback Justin Gilbert is Cleveland's X-factor this weekend.
The eighth overall pick in the draft had a rough preseason and was picked to pieces by Ben Roethlisberger during opening week in the loss to Pittsburgh.
Last Sunday Gilbert had a defended pass and seven tackles (same tackle total as Week 1) in the victory over New Orleans. He looked more comfortable with what appeared to be better technique and reads on the offense.
"#Browns rookie CB Justin Gilbert: the key for bounce-back game last week was having fun again. said was worrying about trying to do too much
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 18, 2014"
The first-year player will have his hands full regardless of the secondary targets that he is matched up against. Speedy receiver Torrey Smith and the big tight end tandem of Dennis Pitta and Owen Daniels are all experienced.
They will obviously try, along with Flacco, to exploit Gilbert's rawness to the pro game. If the rookie can hold his own, then the one question mark in Cleveland's secondary would be taken care of.
Predictions
5 of 5
Sloppy, wet conditions are possible in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon, and that usually means an emphasis on the ground game if the ball becomes too slick to throw regularly.
This means that the Browns' run-stoppers must rise to the occasion, as they currently rank 26th in rushing yards allowed. An average of 150.5 yards through two games is just not good enough when a tandem the caliber of Bernard Pierce and Justin Forsett is in town.
Any weather that may help limit Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco's deep ball is a bonus for the Browns defense. As Cleveland did with Drew Brees, making Flacco uncomfortable and quickly filling rushing lanes are vital for success.
The Dawg Pound will be a difference-maker for the second consecutive week, as Cleveland gets out to an early lead. Playing out similarly to the Saints battle, the Browns work off a balanced attack of short, high-percentage throws and pounding the football with Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell.
The Browns continue their reincarnation of the Kardiac Kids and win it with a late field goal, 23-20.
Andy McNamara is an international broadcaster and journalist.
Follow Andy on Twitter @AndyMc81
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
