Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns Notebook: Is Baltimore The King of the North?

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cleveland Browns in convincing fashion on the road.

The Baltimore Ravens went on the road and defeated the Cleveland Browns in convincing fashion, picking up a 28-3 win and moving to first place in the AFC North.

The Ravens controlled the game from the very beginning, getting out to a 7-0 lead mid-way through the first quarter on a Lamar Jackson touchdown run and never looked back, leading the game from that point on. 

Here are the top takeaways from Baltimore's dominant win over Cleveland.

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Lamar Jackson Is Back To MVP Form

Jackson looked like the best player on the field on Sunday, completing 15-of-19 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 27 yards and two touchdowns with his legs. Through four games, he is sporting a completion percentage of 74.3%. 

During Jackson's MVP season in 2019, he had a career-high completion percentage of 66.1%. He's also more than halfway to his career-high in rushing touchdowns. The most he's ever had in a season is seven and he already has four through Week 4. 

Best Team In AFC North

Baltimore is now 3-1 after the win and hold sole possession of first place in the AFC North. All of the teams in the division played in the early slate on Sunday, with the Ravens being the only one to come out victorious. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-2 after they got walloped by the Houston Texans 30-6 and the Cincinnati Bengals fell to 1-3 after being throttled by the Tennessee Titans 27-3. 

If Baltimore doesn't give away a win in Week 3 to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3, it would be undefeated on the season. Still, the Ravens look like the cream of the crop in the AFC North. 

Health Is Paramount

Heading into the game against the Browns, Baltimore had seven players listed as out due to injury. Most of the players listed as out were projected starters including Ronnie Stanley, Marcus Williams, and Odell Beckham Jr. The Ravens have almost 20 players carrying injury designations after the win with Daryl Worley, Morgan Moses and Jalyn Armour-Davis all being ruled out during the game due to injury. 

Baltimore looks like a serious contender in the AFC this season, but it will need to avoid losing more players to injury as the year goes on. Injuries have derailed Ravens' seasons in the recent past and fans have to hope that this year will be different.