A pair of AFC North also do battle in this week’s less than marquee Monday Night Football offering. The Ravens are off a 16-13 win over St Louis but it came at a very high cost with quarterback Joe Flacco (ACL) and to RB Justin Forsett (641 yards, broken arm) lost for the year. Journeyman Matt Schaub takes over an injury riddled offense. The Browns are off their bye after getting spanked 30-9 at Pittsburgh. Johnny Manziel was unable to stay out of trouble for a week so Josh McCown will once again be under center. The Browns opened up at -1 and 41 but have been bet up to -3, likely due to the quarterback change. It should be a beautiful Cleveland night with the temperature at game time in the low 50’s.
As previously stated, it’s all hands on deck for the Ravens. Matt Schaub gets the call at quarterback. He is yet to throw a pass in 2015. Jimmy Clausen will be the backup. Javorius Allen and his 249 yards on 64 carries takes over as the feature back. The other three backs on the listed two deep have a combined two carries for three yards. Kamar Aiken (37, 456, 3 TDs) leads what is left of receiving corps decimated by injuries earlier in the year. The N0.18th ranked
defense in the league has been good against the run but figures to be on the field a whole longer per game for the last six games as the offense struggles.
With Manziel out of the picture, likely permanently, the Browns basically have six more games to access everything and and find a way to turn things around. McCown had been one of their best players completing 65% of his passes for 250 ypg. and an 11/4 TD/Int ratio in just seven games. Isiah Crowell (328 yards) leads the almost no-existent running attack while Travis Benjamin is having an all-pro year with 48-736 and four scores. Gary Barnidge has emerged as a quality TE also with 48 grabs and having hit pay dirt seven times. The Cleveland defense is ranked No.30 in the league but don’t blame that on Karlos Dansby, a player that nobody wants and just plays great where ever he is, leads the team in tackles with 79.
What can you say about this one? Schaub is 46-44 as a starter but hasn’t started a game since 2013. It’s easier for someone to step into a situation where he can hand off 30 times but as previously mentioned, the four active backs on the roster have a combined 246 yards, 243 by one guy. The Browns figure to have much the better of it here with McCown at quarterback. It would make things easier if Cleveland can establish a running game that averages 76 ypg. One of Cleveland’s two wins this year came at Baltimore on October 11th, 33-30 in overtime. Since then, the Browns have lost five straight average just 11.5 ppg in its last four. Each team is 3-1 to the under last four so points could be tough to come by here.
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