Division Battle On Tap With Cleveland Browns And Baltimore Ravens

Friday, December 23, 2011

by Aengus Moorehead

Joe Flacco - Division Battle On Tap With Cleveland Browns And Baltimore Ravens

Analysis:
The Baltimore Ravens had an opportunity to pull away in the AFC and capture a first-round bye in the playoffs but after a severe dismantling in San Diego last Sunday night, the Ravens needed the Pittsburgh Steelers to lose on Monday just to maintain their stranglehold on the AFC North. To their great pleasure, the Steelers complied, but Baltimore is now a game behind the New England Patriots and looking for a No. 2 seed.

The good news is the Ravens get to play this week at home, where they are 7-0, and against the lowly Cleveland Browns. The Browns are consistently competitive but can’t seem to break through. They suffered their fourth straight loss last weekend 20-17 in overtime at Arizona and gave Pittsburgh all it could handle the previous week. Colt McCoy, who missed the Arizona game with a concussion, is unlikely to play on Saturday, leaving the quarterbacking duties to Seneca Wallace.

Baltimore is currently riding a club-record nine-game winning streak at home, taking all seven of its games in the Charm City this year. The Ravens have also won 17 of their last 18 at home, part of the reason they have reached the playoffs in a club-record four straight seasons.

That run of playoff appearances was extended last Sunday despite a 34-14 loss in San Diego. The Ravens had a four-game win streak halted, but at 10-4 remained tied with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North. Baltimore owns the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh after winning both meetings this year.

The Ravens also sit a game behind the New England Patriots for the top record in the conference, with the AFC South-champion Houston Texans now a half-game back of Baltimore after losing to Indianapolis on Thursday. They can clinch both the division and a first-round bye in the upcoming playoffs with a victory and a loss by the Steelers to the visiting St. Louis Rams.

Baltimore, though, was handled last weekend by San Diego despite quarterback Joe Flacco throwing a pair of touchdown passes. However, he was intercepted twice in the third quarter and the Ravens' third-ranked defense was torched for a season high in points allowed.

Head coach John Harbaugh's club went into the game having already clinched a playoff spot due to losses by the Jets and Titans and he became the fourth coach since 1970 to take his team to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons.

The Ravens will look to move on against a Browns club that they haven't lost to since Nov. 18, 2007. Baltimore extended its win streak over Cleveland with a 24-10 victory on Dec. 4.

Running back Ray Rice paced a big day by the Ravens' ground game with a career-high 204 yards.

That loss was the second of a current four-game slide by the Browns and their last game at home. Cleveland has dropped its last two games on the road, losing in Pittsburgh and Arizona.

The Browns were able to hang with the playoff-bound Steelers before Pittsburgh broke the game open late, then blew a 10-point lead over the Cardinals en route to a 20-17 overtime loss.

Wallace started in place of a concussed Colt McCoy and threw for 226 yards, but his fumble deep in his own territory set up Arizona's game-tying touchdown.

McCoy is unlikely to play again this weekend after suffering his concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit by Pittsburgh's James Harrison on Dec. 8. That should lead to Wallace getting his second straight start.

A loss this Saturday would give Cleveland its longest losing streak since a seven-game slide from Oct. 18-Dec. 6, 2009 and would be its seventh straight on the road following a win at Indianapolis on Sept. 18.

The Ravens own a commanding 18-7 lead in their all-time series with the Browns, whose first edition of the franchise moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens prior to the 1996 season before re-entering the NFL as an expansion team in 1999. Baltimore will be shooting for a home-and-home sweep of the Browns for the fourth consecutive season and its eighth victory over Cleveland at M&T Bank Stadium in the last nine years.

The Browns received a 24-17 loss in their 2010 trip to Baltimore and last came out on top on the road in this set via a 33-30 overtime verdict in 2007, which also happens to be Cleveland's most recent triumph over the Ravens.

Harbaugh owns a perfect 7-0 lifetime record against Cleveland during his tenure with the Ravens, while Pat Shurmur lost his only meeting with both Baltimore and Harbaugh as a sideline boss with Cleveland's Week 13 setback. The two previously worked together on the staff of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999-2007, with Shurmur then the team's quarterbacks coach and Harbaugh the special teams coordinator and later in charge of defensive backs.

Time & Venue:
- 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 24, 2011. M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Last Week's results:
- Cleveland Browns (+7) loses to host Arizona Cardinals 20-17.
- Baltimore Ravens (-2.5) loses to host San Diego Chargers 34-14.

Last week's ATS:
- Underdog Cleveland Browns (4-10) loses but covers
- Favourite Baltimore Ravens (10-4) loses outright.

NFL Football Odds: Ravens -13, O/U 38.5

Next up:
- Cleveland home to Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, January 1
- Baltimore at Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, January 1

If Cleveland could figure out a way to score some points, it could stop wasting strong defensive efforts every week. The Browns have allowed 30 points only twice but rank 29th in total offense and 30th in scoring offense, putting up 13.9 points. McCoy was concussed against Pittsburgh but went back into the game in a move that has draw strong criticism. That has prompted the NFL to add its own concussion-specific trainers in every press box. Wallace passed for 226 yards and a touchdown last week, when the Browns squandered a 17-7 lead.


Baltimore, which had already clinched a playoff spot, did not look ready to play last Sunday and was trounced 34-14 by the Chargers. Losses by both Pittsburgh and the Houston Texans have kept the Ravens in line for a No. 2 seed and first-round bye if they can manage to win out. Baltimore is looking to complete a perfect season at home and will clinch the division with a win and a Pittsburgh loss.

No surprise, but expect Rice to once again be the focal point of Baltimore's offense. With Cleveland's secondary and pass rush doing a great job this season, Rice will be needed to keep the lineman honest and open up some holes for the wide receivers. Getting him involved in both the ground and passing games is usually a recipe for success in Baltimore.

Cleveland's ground game showed some signs of life last weekend, with the embattled Hillis having one of his better games of the season. Of course, that momentum could quickly get derailed against the Ravens' tough run defense, one that should be extra motivated after last week's play.

Both the Browns and Ravens rank in the top 10 in points allowed a game, so winning the turnover battle will be key to this game. Baltimore holds a plus- one turnover ratio on the season, while Cleveland has an even zero.

The Ravens have taken seven straight in the series, including a 24-10 triumph at Cleveland on Dec. 4 in which Ray Rice ran for a career-high 204 yards.

Wallace owns an 89.2 passer rating in five career starts for the Browns.

Baltimore RB Ricky Williams needs 64 rushing yards to reach 10,000 for his career.

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Baltimore is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Cleveland is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Baltimore
Cleveland is 7-13-2 ATS in its last 22 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Cleveland's last 10 games

The Ravens put together a complete effort in Cleveland at the beginning of the month and figure to be in good shape taking on the struggling club on their home turf. Baltimore knows it wasted a golden opportunity to gain ground in the conference last weekend and given its struggles on the road this year, securing some home playoff games should be the club's No. 1 goal. Baltimore took full advantage of Cleveland's weakness in defending the run in the first meeting and should do some of the same to grab a much-needed victory in this one.

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NFL Football Pick: Take Ravens.

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afc south - arizona cardinals - baltimore ravens - cincinnati bengals - cleveland browns - colt mccoy - houston texans - james harrison - joe flacco - john harbaugh

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