Despite all of their struggles through the first three weeks of the season, the Cleveland Browns could still leave September as a first-place team.
On Sunday, the Browns will head to Baltimore for their first division game of the season, where they'll face a Ravens team that's currently sitting atop the standings in the AFC North.
At 2-1, however, Baltimore only lays claim to a one-game lead over Cleveland, which has amassed a 1-2 record of its own through three weeks. That means that with a win on Sunday, the Browns would move into a tie for first place in the division and gain an early leg up in potential tiebreaker scenarios.
Coming off a 20-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, however, Cleveland is going to have to show plenty of improvement to make that happen. With a Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers ahead and games against the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots after that, Sunday marks the perfect opportunity for the Browns to make a statement that they were in fact worthy of their preseason hype.
Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's matchup between the Browns and Ravens:
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Game info, how to watch on TV, betting line:
Date: September 29, 2019
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
TV channel: CBS
Live Stream: CBS All-Access
Radio: ESPN 850, 92.3 The Fan, 98.5 WNCX
Betting line: Baltimore -7
Over-under point total: 45
Key storylines
Action Jackson
While Baker Mayfield has gotten off to a slow start this season, the same can't be said of fellow Heisman Trophy winner and 2018 first-round pick, Lamar Jackson.
Through the first three weeks of his sophomore campaign, Jackson has established himself as one of the most dynamic signal-callers in all of football. Leading the Ravens to a 2-1 record, the Louisville product has completed 63 percent of his passes for 863 yards, 7 touchdown and 0 interceptions, adding 172 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground.
Between his recent success through the air and the threat he presents on the ground, Jackson's play presents the Browns will the unenviable task of being the next team forced to try to slow him down. Cleveland defensive coordinator Steve Wilks believes his unit his up to the challenge, but is plenty aware of the difficulties that facing a player like Jackson can bring.
"He is probably the closest thing that I have seen since Michael Vick," Wilks said on Thursday. "This guy is extremely dynamic. He can make plays when you do not think there is a play there to be made. He is just Houdini, I guess. Phenomenal not just with his legs but his ability to get the ball down the field, as well. One of the great things that he does when he gets outside of the pocket is he is not just looking to run. His eyes are still down the field. He is trying to push the ball down the field, and that is what they have been successful with lately.”
Playcalling problems
Of all the issues the Browns have faced this season, perhaps the most surprising has been the slow start that Cleveland's offense has gotten off to.
In particular, head coach Freddie Kitchens has struggled as a play-caller -- despite the success he found as the team's interim offensive coordinator in the second half of the 2018 season.
Kitchens' inconsistencies were on full display last Sunday, during the Browns' primetime loss to the Rams. Facing a 4th-and-9 early in the fourth quarter, Kitchens' opted for a heavily criticized -- and unsuccessful -- draw play. Meanwhile, with Cleveland on the Rams' four-yard line in the final minute of the contest, Kitchens' opted for four straight pass plays, which ultimately resulted in Mayfield throwing an interception to end the game.
"A lot to take away from last night and to learn from – me personally, as a team, as an offense," Kitchens said on Monday. "Offensively, we are not there quite yet. We are going to continue to work and get better, and that started today in making some corrections in things we were doing and things like that. I think everybody is committed to doing that.
“We are three games into a 16 game season so that means we have 13 left. We are worried about Baltimore moving forward. We need to prepare for Baltimore this week like it is the only game of the year because that is the only one that matters right now."
Still banged up
While the Browns appear healthier than they were a week ago, they're still far from full strength. But at the very least, Cleveland will benefit from the return of safety Damarious Randall, who has missed each of the Browns last two games with a concussion.
After that, the respective statuses of right tackle Chris Hubbard (foot), safety Morgan Burnett (quadriceps), cornerback Denzel Ward (hamstring), cornerback Greedy Williams (cornerback) and wide receiver Rashard Higgins (knee) remain up in the air. On top of that, linebacker Christian Kirksey (chest) and tight end David Njoku (wrist) each remain on injured reserve, meaning the Browns could be without up to seven starters against the Ravens on Sunday.
Last week against the Rams, the Browns were just as banged up and still managed to put forth a formidable performance. Another week, however, with that many injuries will once again test Cleveland's depth and could ultimately be the deciding factor on Sunday.
What's on the line?
This one is pretty straight forward.
If the Browns win, they move into first place and suddenly feel better about what's of a tough first half to their schedule. Considering the way Cleveland's schedule is structured, it could conceivably go 3-5 in its first eight games and still feel good about where it stands heading into the second half of its season.
If the Browns lose, however, they'll not only fall two games behind the Ravens in the division, but also find themselves facing an uphill battle in their push for a playoff spot. At 1-3, Cleveland would have to go 9-3 for the rest of the season just to reach 10 wins, with three potentially difficult opponents still on the horizon.
Prediction
This one should be more competitive than the 7-point line suggests and I suspect Kitchens will pull out all the stops following last week's poor performance. Still, it's hard for me to buy this Browns team as an underdog on the road against a quality opponent until they give me a good reason to believe otherwise.
Final score: Ravens 28, Browns 24
