Ravens: 5 most intriguing games on the 2021 schedule
By Chris Cox
3. Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns – Week 12
Two words: “Toilet Bowl.”
That’s the name by which, I think, the second 2020 game between the Ravens and Cleveland Browns should be known.
Down by a point with two minutes remaining, Lamar Jackson was not on the field. A few drives prior, Jackson had jogged to the locker room as a result of, according to the Ravens and Jackson himself, “cramps.”
According to pundits and fans alike, it’s entirely possible that such cramps were directly related to Lamar’s need to use the toilet.
We’ll never know for sure.
Regardless, backup Trace McSorley had taken Jackson’s place a few drives prior, and had completed only one of four passes. During that time, the Browns had stormed back from what had been a two-touchdown Baltimore lead.
But after the two-minute warning, with McSorley on the sideline due to an injury suffered on the previous play, Lamar Jackson ran back onto the field and took his rightful position behind center. The Ravens were desperate, stuck in a 4th-and-5 from the Cleveland 44-yard line.
Just a few seconds later, though, after rolling right, Jackson completed a 44-yard touchdown strike to Marquise Brown. The Browns never reclaimed the lead, and the Ravens defeated Cleveland in the “Toilet Bowl.”
Although the 2020 version of that game will likely never be reproduced, the 2021 version, played on Sunday Night Football, will certainly have its own excitement.
The Browns offense, led by two players that opponents love to hate — quarterback Baker Mayfield and receiver Odell Beckham Jr. — will bring their unearned swagger to M&T Bank Stadium, and Ravens fans will be ready to boo them off the field.
Add in Marcus Peters’ 2020 fine for spitting at Browns receiver Jarvis Landry, and Browns and Ravens will certainly be one of the most interesting games of 2021.