Happy New Year Browns fans. Saturday the Browns ring down the curtain on their dismal 3-13 season with a rematch against the 11-5 Baltimore Ravens. Game time is 3:30 CST and as always the ChicagoLand Browns Backers/Northside Dawg Pound will be gathering at Burke’s Public House 5401 N. Broadway to cheer them to an upset victory over the hated Ravens and ring in the new year. The Browns Backers will also be raffling off a Browns autographed football and collecting donations for animal shelter care at halftime of the game. The Ravens come into the game needing a victory coupled with a Steelers loss to win the AFC North division title while the Browns, due to injuries, will apparently use the game to evaluate several back-up players. Even though the Browns had a disappointing 2024, several Browns had outstanding seasons. Last Sunday Myles Garrett collected 2 sacks and became the first player in NFL history to record 14 sacks in 4 consecutive seasons while also tying Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson for the 2024 season sack lead. WR Jerry Jeudy set career highs in receptions with 84, receiving yards with 1,166 yards, 6th most in the NFL and game started with 15. CB Denzel Ward currently leads the NFL in passes defensed with 19 and RB Jerome Ford is currently 7th in yards per carry at 5.4 yards. Earlier in the week the Browns announced that 3 Browns had been voted into the Pro Bowl, DE Myles Garrett, WR Jerry Jeudy and CB Denzel Ward and an additional 7 Browns, G Joel Bitonio, P Corey Bojorquez, RB Nick Chubb, TE David Njoku, LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and G Wyatt Teller were selected as alternates for the game. The Browns announced that back-up QB Bailey Zappe, signed in week 8, will get his first start as Brown. Zappe comes into the game after spending his first 2 seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots where he started 8 games with a 4-4 record. In his 14 career games played he’s completed 63% of his passes averaging 6.8 yards per pass with 11 TD’s against 12 interceptions for a QB rating of 78.5. In week 6 of the 2022 season Zappe started for the Patriots against the Browns and arguably had the best game as a pro beating the Browns 38-15, completing 24 of 34 passes for 309 yards with 2 TD’s no interceptions for a 118.4 QB rating. In college Zappe threw for almost 6,000 yards with 62 TD’s averaging 426 passing yards per game. Saturday the Browns will be without RB Jerome Ford, LB Jordan Hicks, RB Pierre Strong, TE David Njoku, DT Dalvin Tomlinson, CB Denzel Ward and WR Cedric Tillman, so a lot of back-ups are going to get significant playing time.
Baltimore comes into Saturday’s game having already clinched a spot in the playoffs but needing a victory to have any chance of winning the division and getting a first round bye so expect them to play their starters for the entire game if needed. The Ravens currently have the #1 offense averaging 424 yards per game and they are #3 in scoring averaging 30.2 points per game led by MVP candidate QB Lamar Jackson. Jackson’s 121.6 QB rating leads the NFL along with his 8.9 yards per pass. He’s also tied for second with 39 TD passes against only 4 interceptions and 23 sacks. Jackson has also rushed 130 times for 852 yards averaging a league leading 6.6 yards per rush with 4 rushing TD’s and 10 fumbles. In the Ravens 29-24 loss in week 8 the Browns sacked Jackson 3 times, if they have any chance of beating the Ravens Saturday they will need to put consistent pressure on Jackson while keeping him in the pocket to limit his scrambling when he’s most dangerous. When pressured Jackson’s completion rate drops to 48% and he averages just 6.6 yards per pass. The Ravens have 4 very good receivers in WR Zay Flowers who has 73 catches for 1,047 yards and 4 TD’s, TE Mark Andrews who’s caught 51 of 61 targets with 10 TD’s, WR Rashod Bateman who has 40 receptions with 8 TD’s and TE Isiah Likely who has 39 receptions with 6 TD’s. Four time Pro Bowl RB Derrick Henry leads the Ravens in rushing with 1,783 yards on the ground averaging 5.8 yards per rush with 14 TD’s and 41 runs of 10 yards or more. On defense Baltimore is 14th in scoring defense holding opponents to 22 points per game and 330 yards per game. They are especially stingy on the ground holding teams to a league low 3.6 yards per rush and 81.6 yards per game. Baltimore’s one weakness this season has been their pass defense which gives up an average 248.5 yards per game third worst in the NFL. However, last week they held Houston quarterback CJ Stroud to 185 yards with no TDs’ and 1 interception in Baltimore’s 31-2 beatdown of the Texans. Veteran LB Kyle Van Noy leads the Ravens with 12 sacks and 50 QB pressures joined by DT Nnamdi Madubuike who has 8 sacks and 53 QB pressures. Their defensive backfield is led by All Pro safety Kyle Hamilton who’s 90.5 Pro Football Focus grade is third among safeties. With Jerome Ford out for the game and Browns back-up RB D’Onta Foreman averaging just 3.4 yards per carry QB Baily Zappe will need to have an outstanding passing game if the Browns are going to pull off the upset and spoil the Ravens chances for a division title.
SEE YOU SATURDAY GO BROWNS…..GO BUCKEYES……GO CAVS