God help us, it’s happening. The worst Monday Night Football game in recent memory is happening and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. We might as well watch it together and share our pain. The Baltimore Ravens (3-7) have lost all their best players and the Cleveland Browns (2-8) look like they might be heading for the top pick in April’s NFL draft. It’s on, so, what the hell….
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for preview info.
First here’s my pick from Friday Afternoon Quarterback.
Monday Night
Baltimore at Cleveland (-3)
This might just be the worst Monday Night football game in history. The Ravens are basically fielding a CFL team at this point and Cleveland is Cleveland. Congratulations, Browns. You win the battle of dumpster fires. Browns 17, Ravens 10
And here are my entries for both teams in the Power Rankings.
23. Baltimore Ravens – (3-7) There’s no such thing as a big victory for the Ravens at this point, but losing both Joe Flacco and Justin Forsett in the same game for the season takes any pleasure out of last Sunday’s win. Last week: No. 25
32. Cleveland Browns – (2-9) Johnny Football returns. Don’t let the door hit you where you keep your head, moron. Last week: No. 32
And here’s our GMS Preview.
The Cleveland Browns (2-8) host the Baltimore Ravens (3-7) at FirstEnergy Stadium this week in a battle between AFC North rivals. The game will begin Monday, Nov 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN.
The Week 5 matchup between the Browns and the Ravens ended in a 33-30 loss for Baltimore. Gary Barnidge had a big performance in that game, totaling eight catches for 139 yards and one TD. Josh McCown had a big day as well, contributing 457 yards and two TDs through the air. Justin Forsett had a great outing, racking up 170 total yards and a TD. He gave the defense problems as both a runner (121 yards) and receiver (49 yards).
Cleveland is favored by a slight one-point margin in its matchup against the Ravens. The matchup currently has a 41-point Over/Under (O/U).
The Browns enter the game with records of 2-8 Straight Up (SU) and 3-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. In the past five games, Cleveland is 0-5 SU and 0-4-1 ATS. In order to avoid a blowout, the Ravens need to watch out for Cleveland’s stingy coverage. The Browns average the most turnovers with 2.8 per home game.
Moving to the road team, the Ravens have 3-7 SU and 1-7-2 ATS records this season. The Ravens went 2-3 SU and 1-3-1 ATS over the last five games. If Cleveland’s earlier games are any indication, the Ravens should throw the ball often on offense. The Browns allow 268.5 passing yards per game, 26th in the NFL. Shifting to the other side of the ball, the Baltimore defense could excel if they take advantage of favorable matchups. Stopping the run doesn’t have to be Baltimore’s first priority. Cleveland ranks 31st in the league with an average of 75.6 rushing yards per game. The pass rushers on the Ravens could have a solid game this week against the Browns, who are the worst in the league with an average of 3.6 sacks allowed per game. The Ravens generally save their best for last, averaging 9.2 points in the fourth quarter. Baltimore tends to run a lot of plays on the road, averaging 67.8 offensive snaps for fifth-most in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bal, ATS Winner – Bal, O/U – Under
The game is on ESPN at 8: 20 p.m. Watch it because it’s NFL football and we’ll all be wishing we could watch the Ravens and Browns come March.
