The Ravens are coming into week 4 with a 2-1 record after falling to the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday, but this week’s matchup against the Cleveland Browns is arguably more important. With Odell Beckham Jr. coming to town the spotlight is now on Marlon Humphrey:
Last week the Ravens secondary was torched by the Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs so containing Odell Beckham Jr. is going to be vital if the Ravens are going to win this game. Cornerback, Marlon Humphrey is going to be tasked with limiting Beckham Jr. and I honestly think he could get the job done. Humphrey ran track and field at a high level in high school so he has the speed to keep up with Beckham and with his 6’0 197 lbs frame he has the physicality to jam him at the line of scrimmage.
If Humphrey is able to contain Beckham then the Ravens will have all their focus on Jarvis Landry. David Njoku was put on the IR due to a wrist injury. The player I think the coaching staff will put on Landry is iron horse Brandon Carr, considering Jimmy Smith still nursing an MCL sprain sustained in week one against the Miami Dolphins. Carr has mostly been playing in the slot, but it would be smart of the coaching staff to have Carr follow Landry because I don’t trust Anthony Averett or Maurice Canady to slow him down.
So far this season Humphrey only has one interception on his stat sheet, but if Don “Wink” Martindale is able to confuse Baker Mayfield and apply the pressure there is good reason to believe Humphrey will get a pick or two. Humphrey isn’t known for his interceptions because he plays physical and is more focused on breaking up the pass. However as we saw last season in week 16, Mayfield is prone to throwing some ill-advised passes to try to force the big play.
I expect Humphrey to show up this Sunday even though he’s dealing with a mysterious hip injury. He knows just how big this game is and the entire secondary has a bad taste in their mouth after their last two outings. If Humphrey is able to successfully limit Beckham Jr. then there is no reason to believe the Ravens won’t win this match up. Beckham Jr. is Mayfield’s go-to receiver. If Humphrey takes Beckham Jr. away Mayfield will struggle.
The spotlight is shining bright on Marlon Humphrey this week and there is a time to prove he’s one of the best cornerbacks in football it’s this Sunday. There are very few corners who can stop Odell Beckham Jr., so Humphrey has a tough road ahead of him but the coaching staff trusts him and we should too. My bold prediction this week is that Marlon Humphrey will have two interceptions on Baker Mayfield and hold Beckham to under 100 receiving yards and no touchdowns.