Browns vs Ravens: Scouting the Baltimore Ravens with our Q&A with Baltimore Beatdown

This Sunday, the Cleveland Browns take on the Baltimore Ravens. To help preview a few topics from the Ravens’ perspective, we reached out to Kyle Barber from Baltimore Beatdown and exchanged five questions with him. Enjoy!

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Browns are 6.5-point underdogs against the Ravens.

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Chris: “The Ravens are 3-3, but have sort of blown big leads in all three losses. What has been the main reason for having such drastic collapses?”

Kyle: “Disappointingly, it’s been a myriad of issues.

The 21-point blown lead to the Miami Dolphins occurred mostly due to the defense. The Ravens were rotating in and out both cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters. The youth behind them, rookies Jalyn Armour-Davis and Damarion “Pepe” Williams struggled. Rookie safety Kyle Hamilton also didn’t cover a play correctly which led to one of the deep Tyreek Hill touchdowns. In all, it was a defensive collapse.

The 17-point blown lead to the Buffalo Bills was largely in-part due to the offense. The offense seized up and couldn’t sustain a drive. The Bills made adjustments and the offense never got going again after an impressive first half.

Now, the Giants’ loss was coaching and execution. The pre-snap penalties and going away from the run in the red zone when it was the best weapon on the day was disappointing. I think Lamar Jackson deserves to shoulder the loss, too. He missed multiple opportunities to put the Giants away. Ravens fans wouldn’t dare say it, but Jackson has not been as accurate these past few games as he was in the first couple games. He missed wide-open throws to wide receivers Devin Duvernay and Tylan Wallace on deep routes. Consistently, his passes to Duvernay on one-step slants have been low and behind.

In total, it’s not just a simple solution. But, this team I think has the talent and coaching and wisdom to overcome. Whether it occurs is another thing.”

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Chris: “Personnel-wise, what was the biggest addition or subtraction compared to when the Browns last saw the Ravens in 2021?”

Kyle: “Well, the last time the Ravens and Browns squared off Lamar Jackson exited with a foot injury that ended his 2021 season. Jackson being back will be a rather significant addition.

Jest aside, the biggest addition goes to offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.

Stanley’s been absent for such a significant period of time, so getting him back has been a positive addition to the Ravens’ offense. He looked sharp on Sunday, minus the back-breaking illegal formation penalty he drew on a quarterback sneak...”

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Chris: “Who has been the biggest liability on Baltimore’s offensive line?”

Kyle: “Well, I wouldn’t classify any as a ‘liability.’ For the most part, they’ve been solid.

I think the ‘weakest’ link would go to tackle Morgan Moses. He’s fared well, but the two games with two penalties and three sacks allowed aren’t pretty. In truth, the offensive line just hasn’t been the weak area for the Ravens this season, even with all the shuffling.”

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Chris: “Tell us about one player who Browns fans may not have heard of, but who could have an impact on this Sunday’s game.”

Kyle: “Defensive lineman Justin Madubuike will be an important player for this game. He’s made splashes in just about every game and will be called on to stop the rushing attack from the Browns.”

Chris: “The Ravens are early favorites to beat the Browns on Sunday (Ravens -6.5 as of this question, per DraftKings Sportsbook). Who would you pick against the spread?”

Kyle: “I’ll take the Ravens to win but the Browns to cover. I can picture both teams putting up points but the Ravens hang on to win with a field goal or two.”

Thanks again to Kyle for taking the time to answer my questions.