Should the Baltimore Ravens Be Scared of The Browns?

The Baltimore Ravens will get ready for their first road test in Week 3 when they travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns. As you all might well know, this team is the best the Browns have possessed in quite some time. They have drafted quarterback after quarterback, and have failed time and time again.

They picked Johnny Manziel out of Texas A&M with the 22nd-overall pick this past year, but he has only received a couple of snaps behind center, and they were mostly runs. Veteran Brian Hoyer has been leading the way, and he’s done a good job at it. Through the first two games, he has thrown for 434 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 87.4.

He hasn’t done anything special, but he’s been very solid for them, which is something that the Browns have failed to find at the quarterback position over the years.

Although Manziel won’t be the starting quarterback for the Week 3 matchup against the Ravens, John Harbaugh says that the defense will still be preparing for him. When asked if the team expects him to play, coach Harbs said “Absolutely, we anticipate Manziel, certainly.” Although you shouldn’t expect to see him on the field too often, it’s still something you have to prepare for.

Sep 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) hands the ball of to running back

(34) during the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

After losing a close game to the Pittsburgh Steelers on opening day in which they came back from a 27-3 deficit at halftime to tie the game in the fourth quarter, the Browns upset the New Orleans Saints at home on a 29-yard game-winning field goal by former Raven Billy Cundiff.

The kicker shouldn’t scare you, but the Browns’ roster should just a bit. Their defense is stacked with young talent, though they are young and inexperienced and we don’t really know what to expect from them. However, they have a couple of veterans in Karlos Dansby, Donte Whitner, and Joe Haden – although young in age, had established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in football. It’s a good defense.

Their offense on the other hand doesn’t quite scare you too much, especially without Josh Gordon on the roster for the first ten games of the season. They have two of the best offensive lineman in the league at their positions in Joe Thomas and Alex Mack, but other than that, the offense is sub-par.

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Rookie running back Terrence West out of Towson has played pretty well, but he’s a rookie, so who knows what’s going to happen with him.

Hoyer is a solid quarterback, but they don’t have any good receivers aside from tight end Jordan Cameron, who is prone to injuries. Their number one receiver is Miles Austin, and although he is talented, he gets injured just running five yards down the field.

On top of all that, the Browns are always competitive when they play the Ravens, or any divisional foe for that matter. Although the Ravens have won 11 out of the 12 previous meetings between the two, the Browns kept it close throughout nine of those losses.

So couple together the fact that the Browns are always a tough beat with the fact that they have a much-improved roster over what they did last year; yes, you should be a little scared.