There were tons of reasons the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Cleveland Browns this past Sunday, but the “not the same old Browns” excuse is not on of them.
The Cleveland Browns are repetitively the butt of all jokes when it comes to NFL teams. Headed into the 2018 season, the team had won just four games since 2015, and three of those wins came from the 2015 season. A team can only stay bad for so long (in theory), and it appears the Browns may finally be beginning to turn that corner. Unfortunately, that meant taking down the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday.
The Ravens now sit at 3-2 on the year, but with just a 1-2 record in division games. Tough road losses to the Cincinnati Bengals and now the Cleveland Browns have deflated Ravens Flock and their optimism surrounding the team. It feels like another one of those years of up-and-down performances from the team.
This past Sunday, the fault fell upon the offense. After an incredible start to the 2018 season in the red-zone, the Ravens failed to score a touchdown against the Browns and ultimately lost the game 12-9 in overtime. Losing to the Browns is already a tough pill to swallow, but enough is enough with this B.S. excuse that “these aren’t the same old Cleveland Browns.”
Take a look in the mirror:
I honestly don’t even understand this logic. Are we that insecure about a loss to a competitive football team that we want to make up excuses for why the team lost? You’re 110% right in that assumption, but the Ravens as a team imploded and cost themselves a crucial division win. Your defense couldn’t have played much better, as pressure was applied all day to rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield and the unit gave up very little in the points department. If you can’t find a way to beat a team who only scored 12 points then shame on you.
This loss falls upon the offense, not the defense and there’s plenty of men who need to share blame. Alex Collins continues to struggle with ball security and consistency in the running game, while Michael Crabtree is dropping three out of five balls thrown his way. Yes, Joe Flacco has played well this year but the team can’t afford performances like the one provided this past week. The offensive line struggled all day long, and there truly wasn’t anything positive to write home about.
The worst part is we know how good this offense can be! When everyone is clicking, Baltimore can hang with some of the best offenses the AFC has to offer. Flacco has looked phenomenal for the most part in 2018 and his new best friend in John Brown has been a godsend for the deep-passing game. While Collins and Javorius Allen have struggled to gain consistent yardage, we can’t overlook the seven total touchdowns they’ve provided for the team. All in all, the offense has the talent, but they wet the bed before this game.
Thus far in 2018, the Baltimore Ravens have a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde vibe going on for them. One week the offense looks unstoppable, and the next it looks putrid. Making it back to the post-season for the first time since 2014 will require much more reliability than what we’ve received. The excuses for why the team lost need to stop, while solutions to its problems must take a higher priority.