Baltimore Beatdown staff reacts to the Ravens’ victory over the Cleveland Browns.
It wasn’t the prettiest first half, but the Ravens dominated the Browns in the second to secure back-to-back AFC North titles and the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. Here are the reactions from Baltimore Beatdown’s staff:
While the on-field product wasn’t crisp or as organized as the prior few weeks, it was all but a certainty the Ravens would win and host a home playoff game. What was expected came to pass, but maybe in a more bizarre fashion than anticipated.
Rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins caught his first-ever interception, and ran it back for a touchdown. The Ravens’ offense, which had four drives begin in Cleveland territory, scored just once.
But when all was said and done, Lamar Jackson notched a pair of passing touchdowns, Derrick Henry blew through the Browns’ defense and the cherry on top was defensive tackle Michael Pierce intercepting the Bailey Zappe.
Now, the team looks to the playoffs, and hopes Zay Flowers’ injury is minor. Current outlook is at least he avoided something major. — Kyle Phoenix
The Ravens kept their starters on the field for too long, but they handily covered one of the biggest point spreads in recent memory. The Browns’ D-line got plenty of penetration in the first half, but Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry kept plugging away until they sealed the game in the fourth quarter. The defense was excellent, as has become their recent standard, though they had an easy matchup against the Browns’ third- and fourth-string QBs. Nate Wiggins and Michael Pierce provided highlight interceptions while Marlon Humphrey continued to be the quietest DPOY candidate in the league. The biggest news, of course, is Zay Flowers’ knee injury. The Ravens will be hoping it’s minor enough for him to return at some point in the postseason. — Nikhil Mehta
The Baltimore Ravens clinched a second straight AFC North title in the lopsided fashion that everyone predicted they would, although it was far from a flawless performance. The defense dominated from start to finish, for the most part, but gave up some chunk plays and were called for some questionable penalties. The offense recovered from a sluggish first half with three drops and three failed fourth down conversions to score on three of their five second half drives. The Ravens are heading into the postseason on a four-game heater and are peaking at the right time on both sides of the ball as the most dangerous team in the league. — Joshua Reed
It was a sloppy game considering the opponent and chance to build momentum. But a slow first half should hopefully kickstart this team into better preparation for next week. Outside of that, the Ravens did cover one of the largest spreads in recent NFL history and did it pretty easily. The defensive performance was much better as Nate Wiggins notched his first career interception and touchdown for that matter. We also got the big man interception with 355 pound Michael Pierce dropping into coverage and nabbing one for the best moment in this game.Now that they’ve sealed the North, all that matters is waiting to see the opponent for next week and, more importantly, the health of Zay Flowers and his future availability. — Zach Canter
The Ravens wrapped up their second straight AFC North title, downing the helpless Cleveland Browns 35-10. It wasn’t a particularly impressive performance from the Ravens as the offense failed to get in a rhythm for most of the game, mustering only one touchdown in the first half. In the second half, they finally got RB Derrick Henry going as he ended with 138 yards and two touchdowns. While the final score looks nice, this type of performance probably won’t cut it if the Ravens plan on advancing far in the playoffs. The offensive line was beat consistently, the receivers had some drops, and the Ravens’ penalty issues seemed to reappear. The more important issue to monitor will be the health of first time Pro-Bowl WR Zay Flowers who left the game with a knee injury in the first quarter. Flowers has been crucial to the Ravens offense success this year and it would be hard to imagine them going deep in the playoffs without him. — Stephen Bopst