Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens: Game Preview

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Sep 27, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back

Jeremy Hill

(32) tackled by Baltimore Ravens linebacker

C.J. Mosley

(57) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

A Depeted Ravens Defense

When I think of the Ravens defense, I think of players like Suggs, Haloti Ngata and Matt Elam.

None of them will be in uniform for the Ravens this Sunday.

Injuries have beat the Ravens defense down to a pulp lately. Both Suggs and Elam were lost early in the season. Also giving up Ngata in a trade leaves this Ravens defense a shell of what it used to be.

More from Cleveland Browns

This Ravens organization that used to win Super Bowls by relying on their defense more than anything else is simply hoping the defense is average this year after taking those huge losses. So far they’re not doing too bad all things considered.

The Ravens are 13th best in the league in terms of yards given up per game with 347 yards which is not bad. However the defense is also giving up 26 points per game which is 24th in the league and is two more points than the Browns defense has given up all year (and we know where that’s gotten us, more on that to come). The Ravens also have a -3 turnover ratio as well, meaning they have loss three more turnovers than they have recovered so far this year.

One thing the Ravens defense still does pretty well despite their injuries is rushing the passer. Baltimore has 11 sacks so far and I find that mildly shocking considering the fact that Ngata and Suggs are no longer on the front lines doing this. C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith and Elvis Dumervil all leads the team with 2.0 sacks a piece.

This will be a point of emphasis going into Sunday. The Browns have really struggled offensively against good pass rushing teams (New York and Oakland). If the Ravens are the same way and the pocket isn’t kept clear, then I’m afraid we’ll see a lot of the Week 3 Josh McCown as opposed to Week 4’s McCown. That will spell doom for our offense.

Next: The Browns Defense Is Playing Really Bad