Week 12: Ravens Vs. Browns, Matchups to Watch, Final Prediction

Baltimore slightly favored in key AFC North rival.

The Ravens play at Cleveland for a key Monday night matchup that will have playoff implications.

Baltimore beat the Browns 38-6 in the 2020 regular-season opener. 

Here are the matchups to watch.

Rushing Offense

Ravens: Entering this weekend, Baltimore was back atop the NFL with 169 yards rushing per game. Baltimore should be close to full strength after battling a massive outbreak of COVID-19 two weeks ago. Baltimore can rotate four running backs — J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Mark Ingram and Justice Hill — that are capable of wearing opponents down. Baltimore ran for 111 yards in the first meeting.  

Browns: Led Nick Chubb (799 yards) and Kareem Hunt (739 yards), Cleveland's running attack is second behind the Ravens with 157.8 yards per game. The Browns managed 138 yards rushing in the first game against the Ravens. Chubb can bounce outside, which caused Baltimore's run defense the most trouble.

Advantage: Even

Passing Offense

Ravens: Lamar Jackson was among the players that missed time and showed some early rust in a 34-17 victory over the Cowboys in Week 14. Jackson completed 12 of 17 pass attempts for 107 yards with touchdown passes to Miles Boykin and Hollywood Brown. Overall, the Ravens are ranked last in the NFL with 169.3 yards passing per game. 

Browns: Baker Mayfield has thrown for 2,442 yards with 21 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He has shown dramatic improvement since that first game. Mayfield has multiple wide receivers that can make plays downfield, including Jarvis Landry (54 receptions, 676 yards, two touchdowns) and Rashard Higgins (25 receptions, 400 yards, three touchdowns). Tight end Austin Hooper is questionable for this game. 

Advantage: Browns

Rushing Defense

Ravens: If Calais Campbell is able to play, he'll be a huge boost to the defensive line. Baltimore has lost three games when Campbell was ruled out with a calf injury. Overall, Baltimore is ranked 13th against the run, allowing 111.6 yards per game. Defensive end Derek Wolfe is having a solid season. Nose tackle Brandon Williams will need to come up big in this game. 

Browns: Defensive ends Olivier Vernon and Myles Garrett are game wreckers and make plays all over the field. Cleveland is allowing just 104.3 yards rushing per game, which ranks eighth in the NFL. Linebacker B.J. Goodson leads the team with 81 tackles. Cleveland will be determined to shut down Baltimore's running attack and force Jackson to make plays downfield. 

Advantage: Browns

Passing Defense

Ravens: Cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters are among the best tandems in the NFL. Humphrey has a league-high six forced fumbles this season. Humphrey’s six forced fumbles are also tied for the third-most by a defensive back in an NFL single-season since that statistic began being tracked in 2000.  Baltimore is getting solid play from safeties Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott. 

Browns: Cornerback Denzel Ward is out with a calf injury, which will further hamper this unit that is ranked 23rd allowing 256.9 yards per game. The Browns will be able to get some pressure on Jackson behind Garrett, who has 10.5 sacks per game. Jackson, however, had one of his best games of the season in the opener, completing 20 of 25 pass attempts for 274 yards with three touchdowns (152.1 rating). He might need ti duplicate that performance. 

Advantage: Ravens

Special Teams

Ravens: Justin Tucker has made 21 of 23 attempts on the season, but missed a 36-yard attempt last week against Dallas. Sam Koch averages 43 yards per punt and has placed 20 of 45 kicks inside the 20-yard line. The Ravens have gotten solid production from rookies Devin Duvernay and James Proche in the return game.

Browns: Cody Parkey has converted 17 of 19 field-goal attempts. Jamie Gillan is averaging 44.4 yards per punt but struggles with accuracy. Donovan Peoples-Jones handles kick-offs and punts but has been mostly inconsistent. 

Advantage: Ravens

Prediction

The Ravens will see a different Browns team than the one they routed in the regular-season opener. Cleveland is looking to snap an 18-year playoff drought and potentially overtake the Steelers (11-2) in the AFC North. The Ravens are also looking to make a playoff run and are currently ranked eighth in the seven-team race. Baltimore likely needs to win its final four games to earn a spot in the postseason. The stakes are high for both teams.

Final Score: Ravens 28, Browns 26