Week 15: Ravens Vs. Browns Preview, Where to Watch, Prediction

Week 14 Ravens (9-4) at Browns (5-8)

When

Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, at 4:30 p.m.

Where

FirstEnergy Stadium (67,895)

Spread

Browns are favored by 3.5 points (SI Sportsbook)

How to Watch/Listen

Television: NFL Network / WBAL Ch. 11 (Baltimore)

National Radio: Westwood One Sports

Spanish Radio: La Mera Mera 1050 AM & WTTZ 93.5 FM (Tico Sports)

Stream: Fubo TV

Series History

Baltimore leads the all-time series against Cleveland, 35-12. Under coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens are 24-5, including 11-3 in Cleveland. Baltimore has won five of its last six overall against the Browns, including a 23-20 victory in Week 7.

By The Numbers

4 – Teams this season — Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, and San Francisco 49ers — that have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher in a game.

Notable

The Ravens are 5-2 in road games this season, tying Buffalo and Kansas City for the NFL's second-best road record. Only the Philadelphia Eagles (6-0) own a better mark in away games.

2022 Rankings

Ravens: Total Offense: 14; Total Defense: 12

Browns: Total Offense: 6; Total Defense: 17

The return of J.K. Dobbins, Marcus Williams, and Ronnie Stanley paid huge dividends for the @Ravens.
Impact and snap counts. #RavensFlock https://t.co/58TQapTrmq via @toddkarpovich
— Todd Karpovich (@toddkarpovich) December 12, 2022

Ravens Game Plan

Offense

Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley began the week in concussion protocol after taking a hard hit against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he was able to practice as a full participant and will get the start against Cleveland with Lamar Jackson still sidelined with a knee injury. Undrafted rookie Anthony Brown will be the backup. Huntley has improved over the past year and this is another opportunity to show he can be a consistent starter in the NFL.

The Ravens are going to run the ball. J.K. Dobbins was back in the lineup last week against Pittsburgh for the first time since Week 6. Dobbins had a 44-yard run that set up his own touchdown in the first quarter. Dobbins finished with a season-high 120 yards on 15 carries. He is not yet back to his rookie form because of the injury, but Dobbins revitalized a run game that struggled in recent weeks. The Ravens also have Gus Edwards and Kenyan Drake, both of whom are running the ball effectively.

The Browns will aggressively attack the Ravens with Myles Garrett, who has 12 sacks — tied for second in the NFL. Safety Grant Delpit leads the team with 75 tackles. However, the Browns are minus-5 in turnover ratio, which is 27th in the league.

Defense

The Ravens have gotten increasingly better each week at containing their opponents. Much of this success can be attributed to the addition of inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who has been a game-wrecker. The Ravens have allowed 14 or fewer points in four of their fives games since Smith joined the team. Fellow inside linebacker Patrick Queen is also playing at a high level.

Baltimore will get its first look at quarterback Deshaun Watson in a Browns uniform. Watson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has struggled against the Ravens in the past. He has gone 0-2 and thrown for 444 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also had eight carries for just 29 yards. However, he is still a quarterback that can still create matchup problems.

The Browns have a dominant ground attack led by Nick Chubb, who is ranked third in the NFL with 1,153 yards rushing. Kareem Hunt is also averaging 4.0 yards per carry. The Ravens, however, have been stout in shutting down opposing running back and are allowing just 81.2 yards rushing per game, which ranks second in the league. Chubb had 91 yards and a touchdown against Baltimore in Week 7. The Ravens won that game 23-20.

Prediction

The Browns have lost three of their past five games and would need to win all of their remaining matchups for even a chance of making the postseason. Meanwhile, Baltimore is in first place in the AFC by virtue of a tie-breaker with the Bengals. The Ravens cannot afford a slip and they are playing with intensity. Even with the quarterback situation unsettled, the Ravens got a boost last week with left tackle Ronnie Stanley, safety Marcus Williams and Dobbins back in the lineup. The Ravens should have enough players to eke out another key AFC North victory.

Ravens 17, Browns 16