Baltimore Ravens: 4 Things Learned in 24-10 Win Against Cleveland Browns

Winning Sunday on the road against the 4-8 Cleveland Browns was very important for the Baltimore Ravens. It may sound cliche since teams will usually say that every game is important.

But for the Ravens, this one was particularly meaningful since all three of their losses this season came on the road against teams with losing records.

Unlike their latest loss—which came against the Seattle Seahawks three weeks ago—the Ravens had success running the ball yesterday. In fact, it was one of their best running games ever with Ray Rice setting a personal record, rushing for 204 yards.

Although the Browns' defense did a good job shutting down the pass, it didn't matter thanks to the Ravens' running game.

The defense was also stellar, even though they didn't get nine sacks like last week. It contributed by sacking Colt McCoy three times and getting an interception.

Even the special teams assisted thanks to Lardarius Webb's 68-yard punt return for a touchdown. 

With this win, the Ravens move to 9-3 and remain first in the AFC North. They have small room for error with the Pittsburgh Steelers also at 9-3. Here are four things I took away from the Ravens' win.

It's Time for December/January Football

The weather conditions were terrible on Sunday with rain falling for much of the game. It was cold outside as it usually is in December games in Cleveland.

It's during this time of year the elements can derail high-flying passing attacks and force teams to get back to running the ball.

This is a formula the Ravens know all too well.

Baltimore's running game has typically been better during the month of December when making a playoff push. Against the Browns, the Ravens had 290 total rushing yards with an amazing 55 rushing attempts. 

Ray Rice had a career-high 204 rushing yards as he gashed the Browns all day, including a 67-yard run, his longest ever. Even backup running back Ricky Williams contributed 76 yards and a TD.

On the other side of the ball, the Ravens basically shut down Cleveland's running game as Peyton Hillis only had 52 yards.

This formula of running the ball well and stopping the run will be important late in the year, especially when the Ravens play in cold weather games.

Pass Offense Is Very Match-Up Driven

Unlike many of the other playoff contenders, the Ravens simply do not have an elite quarterback. This may sound like blasphemy to die-hard Ravens fans, but it's time to accept this.

Joe Flacco is a good quarterback but he is very inconsistent, which is something you won't usually see from the league's best quarterbacks.

On Sunday, he finished 10-of-23 with 158 yards. Not a great stat line as he had no touchdowns, although he was mostly efficient with no interceptions and only one lost fumble.

Tight end Ed Dickson led the team in receiving categories and he only had three receptions for 47 yards.

To be fair, the Browns have a very good pass defense, the best in the league actually. And because both the Ravens' defense and running game are so good, it's possible they won't have to win too many games on Flacco's arm.

Still, a time will likely come when they have to win on Flacco's arm and Ravens fans can only hope he'll be up to the task. 

What's Going on with Billy Cundiff?

It was not a good game for kicker Billy Cundiff. He missed two of his three field goals, bringing his total to 26-for-34 on the year. His misses came from 34 and 41 yards out, continuing his trend of missing longer kicks. 

Still, the misses came at terrible times and in a closer game, it definitely could have hurt the Ravens.

Five of his misses have come from 50 yards where he has been extremely unreliable this year. It's a strange trend for a kicker who was a Pro Bowler last year.

Even with his recent contract, Cundiff is going to need to get his act together.

Prior to coming to Baltimore, he had a troubled career that saw him frequently switching teams. Hopefully that trend will stop and he can continue to be the Ravens' best kicker since Matt Stover.

Lardarius Webb May Be the Answer at Kick and Punt Returner

Perhaps the decisive play in this game came in the fourth quarter when Lardarius Webb returned a punt return 68 yards for a touchdown.

The play gave the Ravens a 24-3 lead with only seven minutes left, effectively destroying the Browns' chances at a comeback. It was also Webb's first punt return touchdown. 

Both the kick return and punt return positions have been disappointing this year. Only a few weeks ago, David Reed fumbled away two kick returns and basically cost the Ravens the game.

This touchdown was actually the Ravens' first return touchdown of the season. 

Webb has been outstanding at cornerback this year with 57 tackles and a team-leading four interceptions. With an average of 9.6 yards per punt return and a tendency to keep the ball secure, he should stay as the team's primary punt returner.

He has only one kick return this year for 37 yards, so maybe he should also get some kick returns.