Baltimore Ravens must avoid possible trap game against Browns

Even after a convincing win against the Bengals in Week 1, the Baltimore Ravens need to avoid a possible trap game against the Browns.

The Ravens put together one of the most impressive team performances against the Bengals, but it’s a new week. They enter their regular season home-opener against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday as 7.5 point favorites, but you can bet John Harbaugh and company don’t see it that way. This matchup is the perfect candidate for a “trap game.”

For those unfamiliar, a trap game is a game where a team like the Ravens are expected to come in and win easily. But instead, they overlook the matchup and as a result, the game is much closer than expected or they lose. For the Baltimore Ravens, these kind of games always seem to come against the Browns.

The Ravens have a 29-7 series advantage, but don’t let that fool you. When these teams meet, it always seems to be a close game. In fact, 10 out of the last 11 meetings have been decided by 10 points or less. Against a team like the Browns that have had their struggles, this is too close for comfort.

In their first meeting last season, the Browns went up 20-0 in the first quarter. The Ravens were able to muscle their way back for a 25-20 win, but it was a game that should have never have been in that situation in the first place. This Ravens team is a completely different unit this year, but you get the point.

Compared to recent years, the Browns are much improved this season. It may not show up in the win column, but they’ll give teams fits this season. Just ask the Pittsburgh Steelers, who narrowly escaped a 21-18 win in Week 1. They aren’t a playoff team by any means, but this isn’t the Browns that teams could just steamroll over.

Site-expert Chris Schisler dives deep into the film on the Browns, but from a more general perspective, it’s not going to be easy. I think this is another game the Ravens can suffice without a huge offensive performance, but we need to some more on that side of the football. The Browns front-seven made it hard for one of the best running backs in the NFL last week, which means Terrance West and Buck Allen will have their work cut out for them.

Next: Ravens vs. Browns: Observations from studying the Browns

Games in the AFC always seem to be close for the Ravens and I’m not going to count this game out by any means. It’s not worth letting history get us too worked up about trap games, but they are definitely thing to watch for. I hope the Ravens can rid any of those worries and win this game in convincing fashion. They’ve got every opportunity to do it and stay atop of the AFC North at 2-0.