Four Downs: Can the OL Continue to Thrive Against Garrett & Co.?

First Down: Keep The Turnover Train Going

Deshaun Watson was injured last weekend and is now out for the season, and the struggling Cleveland Browns have named Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback for Sunday. While Winston is a prolific passer in the sense that he can push the ball down the field and can get hot at any moment, his signature characteristic is giving the ball away. He’s a quarterback slot machine: work him a little bit and the jackpot is yours. In his best season with the Buccaneers, he had 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions – I had to double check that because it’s almost dumbfounding. He has 142 career touchdowns and 99 interceptions. Anything is possible with Winston; the Ravens have to make the reality they want to see.

Baltimore’s last contest was the perfect preparation for Winston. Baker Mayfield is almost a better version of Winston – an interception-prone passer who can put up big numbers. Mayfield had 370 yards and three touchdowns, but he had the two interceptions that changed the game in Baltimore’s favor. Going into the eighth game of the season, the Ravens have forced a turnover in all but two games. I’m not a betting man, but the numbers point to the Browns having a turnover problem on Sunday.

Outside of their opportunistic ways, the Ravens need a get right game for the defense. They showed hints of being stifling against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills only to see their secondary continue to be an issue. The Ravens have given up a ton of big plays in the air and it’s the biggest area of concern at the old halfway point of the season. The Browns have scored under 20 points in all of their games this season. They traded Amari Cooper to the Bills in a move that signaled the organization has all but given up on the year. The Browns are 23-for-97 on third downs this season, a paragon of inefficiency.

In addition to a couple more takeaways, Zachary Orr desperately needs his unit to have its strongest showing of the season.

Second Down: Bateman Becoming an X-Factor?

Let’s do a little thought experiment here. Who is the Ravens biggest weapon not named Zay Flowers? Is it Mark Andrews? He’s heating up but is fifth on the team in receptions and yards per reception. Is it Isaiah Likely? He’s got 20 receptions but is averaging just 11.2 yards per catch. Ladies and gentlemen, the answer is Rashod Bateman, who has 21 receptions for 394 yards and has a team-leading 18.8 yard average per reception. Bateman scored on a deep shot against the Buccaneers and has four grabs three weeks in a row. The former first-rounder  has always shown signs of living up to the expectations that come from that. He simply needed to stay healthy and grow into the offense.

What makes Bateman dangerous is that that he is the complete receiver that defenses forget about. Flowers is such an explosive and obvious weapon that he takes much of the attention from defenses. Bateman is the kind of receiver that can take any crossing route the distance and he gives Jackson a big target down the field. If the Ravens can keep hitting big plays down the field with Bateman he will be a complete X-Factor for the offense. Defensive coordinators will have to be mindful of his ability to make plays down the field which will open up more plays for Flowers, Andrews, and Likely. The Ravens need to keep building the number eight-to-number seven pipeline because it could give them yet another version of “Pick your poison.” The Ravens can keep strengthening the ways they can beat their foes like neural pathways in a brain.

Third Down: OL Must Hold Up

When you’re playing a divisional opponent you know nothing is completely easy. The Browns need some respect for their ability to knife through the offensive line and cause problems in the backfield. Myles Garrett and former Raven Za’Darius Smith both have four sacks on the season. Dalvin Tomlinson is a double team-forcing defensive tackle that can be a problem. The Ravens had problems with Chris Jones in the opening game against the Chiefs. Tomlinson is a player that can replicate some of that. It is important to remember that the slow start against the Buccaneers was directly linked to poor blitz pickups by the offensive line and drive-killing sacks of Jackson. The Browns are whimpering into the game with a limp and sore pride and this is the one angle that they could realistically get the Ravens into trouble with.

Roger Rosengarten has mostly righted the ship at right tackle. His weakness is picking up speedy rushers that cross his face. If I’m Jim Schwartz, I’m calling blitzes that give Rosengarten things to worry about and that take advantage of the heavy footwork of Daniel Faalele. You don’t hear a continued cry about the offensive line when you have the most efficient unit in the NFL and your running back is on pace to be the rushing champ of the season. If I’m Cleveland, I’m scratching at that scab from the beginning of the year and I’m seeing if I can make it bleed again. The Browns have speed at linebacker and talent on the defensive front.

This is the biggest concern for Baltimore and the offensive line cannot become a weak link again.

Fourth Down: The Value Of A Fast Start

The Browns are a team having a miserable season. Their one win came against the Jacksonville Jaguars, another team drowning in disappointment. The Browns are a wounded dog (or Dawg in Cleveland spelling) and they can either aggressively snap back at their division rival or get subdued by a patch of learned helplessness. A slow start from the Ravens could be very costly because belief could drip into the Browns’ IV and boost their season’s life support. This is the kind of win where style points actually do matter a little bit. The Ravens will probably win this game, but John Harbaugh needs it to be a win the team can feel good about.

The Ravens messed around and found out against the Las Vegas Raiders. They let a bad team stay in the game and the Raiders took it. Everything works against the Browns. Even if Winston adds some firepower to the offense with his rocket arm and aggressive style, the Browns can’t put up 40 points. The Ravens have a chance to get on the Browns early and put the game out of reach before halftime. The Browns need this to be an ugly game. The Ravens want to get by without making their fans throw pillows in their living rooms and cussing up a storm. They have to win this game the way they should for it to be another building block into a championship caliber season.

The bottom line is that the Ravens are a beacon of efficiency and the Browns are an example of a team in complete turmoil. This has to be reflected in the Ravens’ performance on Sunday for it to count as anything Baltimore can feel positive about. A fast start can make that happen. A fast start can make it a party on the road and will see the Browns give into human nature and give up.

Every minute the Browns feel hope is a dangerous minute for a Ravens team that is on a championship caliber trajectory.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/10/25/four-downs/ravens-ol-cleveland-winston/