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Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns: 3 early things to think about

By Chris Schisler

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 22: Sione Takitaki #44 of the Cleveland Browns attempts to tackle Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens during the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Baltimore defeated Cleveland 31-15. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 22: Sione Takitaki #44 of the Cleveland Browns attempts to tackle Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens during the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Baltimore defeated Cleveland 31-15. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – DECEMBER 22: Sione Takitaki #44 of the Cleveland Browns attempts to tackle Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens during the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Baltimore defeated Cleveland 31-15. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – DECEMBER 22: Sione Takitaki #44 of the Cleveland Browns attempts to tackle Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens during the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Baltimore defeated Cleveland 31-15. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Assuming things go as scheduled, the Baltimore Ravens will play the Cleveland Browns before September is halfway finished. It’s not too early to think about the season opener. Here are three big things to think about:

1. This will be our first taste of football in the world of a global pandemic:

No matter what the score is, or what happens in the game, this will be the most unique Baltimore Ravens season opener of all time. We don’t know whether or not there will be any fans in the stadium when things get kicked off for the 2020 season. It has been reported however that there will be no fans at the Houston Texans stadium for the Ravens second game.

This is a game to get used to the new ways of the football world. It will look different to us, presumably you’ll have to watch it on television. Can you imagine what it will be like for the players and the coaches. Even if they funnel in crowd noise, there won’t be the same kind of energy in the stadium. On a side note, it is a good bet that false start and delay of game penalties, which are often induced by crowd noise, will be down this year.

The Ravens are going to have to get used to playing with 10 percent of the stadium filled or maybe even less. Without the fans there, it’s up to the Ravens themselves to be motivated. Their energy must come from within. It’s hard to say how this will impact the Ravens, especially because it is something all 32 teams are lined up to experience.

It’s hard to think that energy or motivation will be a problem for the Ravens. They just lost their second straight playoff game at home. This is a team that’s going to carry that on their shoulders all season long, it’s something that can’t go away until they make it go away when January comes around. The Ravens are one team that should not find it possible to take a single thing for granted. They thought they were going to win it all last season and saw their glory crumble away in the playoffs. There is no love lost between the Ravens and the Browns. The Ravens home field advantage won’t be what it normally is in terms of how it affects the opposing team, yet the drive of the team should keep them focused.

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