2 weeks Ago
If there were ever a clear-cut illustration of the extremes in the NFL , it’s this Week 8 matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. The red-hot Ravens are heavy road favorites against a Browns team that’s seemingly hit rock bottom. Baltimore (5-2) has won five games in a row behind the league’s most dangerous offense.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is already making a case for a third MVP award, while Derrick Henry has been the perfect backfield complement. Advertisement Look no further than Monday night’s 41-31 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Henry wasn’t a big part of the first-half game plan, yet he still added 169 rushing yards to his league-leading total (873).
Jackson tossed five touchdown passes, tying his career high (and the franchise’s single-game record) while averaging 12.8 yards per attempt. The Ravens finished with 501 yards of total offense.
They lead the league in that category and are tied for first (with the Washington Commanders) in scoring offense. The exact opposite is true for Cleveland (1-6), whose season has already cratered due to a five-game losing streak. The Browns are 29th or worse in all four major offensive categories.
They have lost quarterback Deshaun Watson for the season and recently traded away No. 1 wide receiver Amari Cooper. Fortunately, running back Nick Chubb just returned from a torn ACL.
Watson’s backup, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, also was injured last Sunday. That leaves Jameis Winston as QB1 moving forward. Even though Baltimore is currently last in the league in passing defense, it’s too much to expect either backup to immediately cure everything that ails Cleveland’s offense.
Even if a quarterback change provides some sort of spark, the Browns’ defense still has to contend with the reigning MVP and King Henry. Right now, the gap between these AFC North rivals seems bigger than the four games that separate them in the standings. All odds from BetMGM .
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Browns Expert picks for Ravens vs. Browns Best bets: Getting edgy with it, fading Chiefs and Ravens Odds, expert picks and previews for all Week 8 games Six NFL trades we’d like to see: Maxx Crosby to Lions, Nick Chubb to Cowboys Return of the veteran RB? Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley and early glimmers of a revival Wait, NFL players eat how many Uncrustables? (Photo of Jameis Winston: Mike Carlson / Getty Images).
