Browns look to reach .500 mark against Ravens

Cleveland faces AFC North rivals

After heading into the season with high expectations, the Cleveland Browns stumbled to a dismal start, losing at home to Dallas and Pittsburgh and then plunging to 0-3 with a 28-10 defeat at Baltimore.

The loss to the Ravens on Sept. 21 was particularly demoralizing, as the Browns surrendered three touchdowns in the third quarter to squander a 10-7 halftime lead. Since then, head coach Romeo Crennel’s Cleveland team has shown signs of turning things around, winning three of its last four games and having an opportunity to climb back to .500 this Sunday when those same Ravens provide the opposition at Browns Stadium.

“This Baltimore team is a good football team and defensively they do a lot of things that cause you problems,” Crennel said in analyzing the Browns’ matchup against the Ravens. “We’re trying to solve some of those problems, and hopefully if we can get the lead like we did the last time and hold it this time and not give it away I think that will help us quite a bit in this game. I think our guys are excited about playing, the challenge, the opponent and the situation and having an opportunity to control your own destiny a little bit.”

With a 3-4 record, the Browns trail the Ravens (4-3) by one game in the AFC North Division. Both clubs are aiming to stay within striking distance of the division-leading Steelers (5-2).

“This is a huge game,” said Browns tight end Kellen Winslow, who will return for Sunday’s 1 p.m. contest after being held out of last week’s 23-17 victory at Jacksonville because of critical comments he had made against the organization and General Manager Phil Savage. “We can win the division game, get to .500 and go from there. If we go to 3-5, we are behind in the division. We need to catch up right now. We need this game.”

The Browns played well last Sunday in a must-win situation against the Jaguars. Nose tackle Shaun Rogers turned in a dominating performance for the Cleveland defense, and he also blocked a fourth-quarter field goal.

Asked about the 6-4, 350-pound Rogers, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Detroit Lions, Crennel said, “When you think about it, nine tackles for a nose tackle, a sack, chasing the quarterback down when he ran out of the pocket and just being the force that he is and blocking the kick and then recovering it -- I told him he needed to pick it up and run it in for a touchdown -- that was a lot of production for a nose tackle.”

Browns running back Jamal Lewis rushed for 81 yards on 20 carries against the Jaguars to increase his season total to 484 yards. He has run for 79, 88, 80 and 81 yards over his past four contests but has yet to reach the 100-yard plateau in a game this season.

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“I’d like to get 100, period,” Lewis said when asked if he is especially motivated to eclipse the century mark against the Ravens, his former team. “I haven’t got 100 yet this year. I don’t care who it’s against, honestly. That’s what we strive for. I know if I can get yards this offense is doing well during the game. It’s not about the numbers. It’s about executing and going out there and doing what we are supposed to do as a team.”

Lewis was held to 56 yards on 12 carries against the Ravens on Sept. 21. Browns quarterback Derek Anderson threw three interceptions in that game, including one that Ed Reed returned for a 32-yard touchdown to give Baltimore a 21-10 lead in the third quarter.

“Each week is a different week,” Crennel said when asked how much the Browns have improved since the Week 3 loss to the Ravens. “I think that this team is still growing and still developing, and I don’t think we know exactly what we have yet with this team. I think that we’ve got ability, but we had ability early in the year and didn’t play that good. Now we’re playing a little bit better, but we still have to play a lot better. As we go down this road, the challenge that we’re faced with now because there’s not a lot of room for error, if this team has truly grown up then we’ll be able to face these challenges week to week and come out on top. Then if we’re able to do that, then you can say that this team has matured and has learned from all the things that preceded it.”

Prediction: Browns 20, Ravens 14

By Tom Kessler
ProFootball-fans.com Cleveland Browns Correspondent