3 expectations for the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1.
The Cleveland Browns kickoff 2020 against the Baltimore Ravens looking to snap their 15-year opening day losing streak.
The expectation out side of Cleveland is that the Browns are going to get crushed when they take the field Sept. 13, as some sites even have the Browns as eight-point underdogs.
While the Ravens look like the superior team, I’m calling for the upset. Remember, the Browns have shocked Baltimore before, particularly last season, when the Freddie Kitchens led squad crushed the Ravens at home. Rather than spiral out of control, the loss seemed to galvanize Lamar Jackson and company, as Baltimore didn’t lose again until the playoffs.
Now, the Ravens are the front runners to win the North for the second-straight year, while the Browns continue to search for answers.
As the Browns look to snap that sorry losing streak, here’s three expeditions for the opening contest.
1. 20 touches for Chubb, 12 for Hunt
The dream of fans around Browns Town is to use Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the same backfield at the same time. And no, not with one just leading blocking for the other. The Browns could dial up several plays to make opposing defensive coordinators sweat.
Alas, it doesn’t sound like the dream will come to fruition. An offseason and preseason interrupted by the pandemic hasn’t afforded the Browns the opportunity to implement this strategy as a part of their week-to-week game plan, according to ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi.
Fans were eager to see this a season ago under Freddie Kitchens, but not getting Hunt until after he served an eight-game suspension may have hampered the implementation, according to Grossi.
Instead, the Browns will likely rely on Chubb as the feature back, getting 20 touches in Week 1, while Hunt should see 10-12 balls come his way.
Ideally, Chubb runs over the Ravens for 250 yards. Realistically, he comes close to 100 yards rushing while Hunt cashes in a couple of his touches for big gains.
2. Lamar will expand his game
The Ravens have made it point to expand their passing game in 2020 to help Lamar Jackson expand his game. While running for a 1st down on 3rd and 12 works, it’s not optimal, so Baltimore would like to get some more production downfield out of young receivers Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin.
To expedite the effort, the Ravens didn’t mess around in the offseason. They traded No. 2 tight end Hayden Hurst and replaced him with more a blocking oriented player in Nick Boyle.
Early results for the Ravens are terrific. Jackson reportedly threw one interception during the entire training camp.
And if things don’t always go according to plan? Jackson can revert back to intermediate throws and running. It worked to a degree of over 3,000 passing and over 1,200 rushing yards last season en route to the MVP award.
3. A better Baker
Year three is a huge one for Baker Mayfield, as the Browns must figure out whether the former No. 1 pick is someone who can lead the franchise to the Super Bowl.
If the answer among the front office is no, then the Browns will be shopping for a quarterback.
As far as Sunday goes, Browns fans should expect a better Mayfield. No, he hasn’t had the time he would’ve had in Stefanski’s system with an entire offseason program that wasn’t interrupted, but he’s gotten a ton of reps throughout camp.
Plus, Stefanski isn’t going to ask him to be a gunslinger, or at least, that’s what we’re being told. The Browns want to run the ball and are set up to do so Effectively rushing the rock will setup play action for success in both intermediate and depth throws.
Most importantly, under Mayfield, the Browns must maintain consistent offense. They’re not going to score on every possession, but they can’t go quarters in-between scores.
The formula to success with Baker since this rookie season has pretty much been the same. Run the ball and let him throw it 23-25 times. If it happens, the Browns usually win.