The Full Kareem Hunt Was On Display Against Ravens

The Cleveland Browns were able to put up 42 points against the Baltimore Ravens and one of the key factors was Kareem Hunt, who was used to the fullest extent of his abilities, showcasing his versatility and what he can really do for Kevin Stefanski's offense.

The Cleveland Browns have been unpacking different elements of their offense over the course of the season and this second matchup with the Baltimore Ravens was when they took full advantage of Kareem Hunt's versatility as a weapon on offense.

Hunt is a feast or famine runner that can be incredibly frustrating to watch as he'll miss open running lanes, but gets behind his pads and fights for extra yards. He carried the ball six times for 33 yards with a long of ten. It's not a huge amount of yardage, but it's production that forces the opponent to play him honestly when he's in the game.

It was the passing game where Hunt shined, catching six passes on seven targets for 77 yards, giving him a total of 12 touches for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His impact in the passing game is what created problems for the Ravens defense.

The Browns found themselves in situations where receivers were struggling to create separation against a talented group of corners for the Ravens, missing on some opportunities to make plays that were there. Rather than forcing the issue, the Browns pivoted to better matchups in which to capitalize, coming back to the receivers under better circumstances.

Early in the game, the Browns utilized screen passes to get him behind the initial wave of the defense, which is an area where Hunt has excelled. His running style can border on chaotic, which can make it difficult for the defense to corral him if he doesn't end up tripping over his own feet or inadvertently causing a blocker to tackle him as was the case with Jack Conklin against the Ravens.

As the game progressed, the Browns simply isolated Hunt in space against linebackers, taking advantage of the mismatch. Hunt was able to catch passes with room to run, resulting in a touchdown and setting the Browns up for a second.

The biggest play was an out and up on the left sideline isolated with only a linebacker to stop him. Baker Mayfield delivered a good enough ball that Hunt was able to catch it and set up a Browns touchdown. A slightly better throw would've enabled it to be a touchdown, but it fully exploited the matchup and the Ravens defense was helpless against it.

The dynamic also creates spacing. That in itself is a problem for the Ravens defense as they want to be able to blitz while playing man coverage across the board. The further they are spread out, the harder it is for them to blitz without making it obvious and limiting the angles from which they can attack. Beating the blitz in that scenario enabled explosive plays, including a wide open touchdown to Rashard Higgins.

When the Ravens were able to account for all of the receiving threats the Browns had, no one was left for Mayfield and he was able to create plays with his legs including a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

All of it just illustrates the fact while the Browns lack a dominant pass catcher, their collection of different body types and skill sets allow them to problem solve, find favorable matchups to move the ball and score points without relying on spectacular plays to get it done.

Every week, Kevin Stefanski's offense seems to unpack new elements within their offense they simply haven't gotten to because they are still in the first year of the system. It's consistently keeping defenses off balance and enabling the Browns offense to put their players in position to succeed, putting up a ton of points in the process. This week, it was Kareem Hunt and he made the most of his opportunities.