Baltimore Ravens: Backups on offense played well vs. Browns

The Baltimore Ravens backups on offense had a solid showing in replacement of half the starting unit against the Cleveland Browns.

Many wondered how fragile the Baltimore Ravens would be against the Cleveland Browns without the majority of their starting offense still in the mix. Missing their starting quarterback, running back, wide receivers and three-fifths of their offensive line, the Ravens came away with their fourth win of the season in the most exciting fashion. There was some good and bad as the Ravens basically had a brand new team that played on Monday night.

The special teams drew a lot of the praise this week for their efforts in the improbable win, but an offense littered with backups throughout caught my attention the most. Mainly because I wasn’t expecting much from a unit that was struggling even with Joe Flacco and Justin Forsett healthy.

Matt Schaub did what many of us thought he would do. He did make some plays, but he threw another pick-six, a far too common scene over the past few seasons. ESPN was waiting for it to happen too, having a montage of those plays ready as soon as Schaub made his first mistake of the game.

Will Hill returning the blocked field goal for a touchdown made many fans forget that it was another Schaub interception that put Baltimore into that situation to begin with. Brent Urban doesn’t block that kick and the topic of discussion is about Schaub costing his team the game. Instead, that has kind of been pushed to the side because the Ravens got an exciting win. He needs to improve for the Ravens to continue to be successful down the stretch.

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However, there was plenty to be enthusiastic about moving forward. A bright spot for the offense was the play of rookie running back Javorius Allen and Terrance West, who was playing his first game with Baltimore. Allen rushed for 55 yards on 12 carries and West added 37 yards and seven carries. Allen also chipped in with four receptions for 29 yards. While neither was able to find the end zone, they ran hard and got the Ravens into scoring position on several drives. So while it was depressing to lose Forsett to a broken arm, the Ravens do look to have a solid tandem at running back for the foreseeable future.

Kamar Aiken continues to impress as the lead receiving option, hauling in six passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted 10 times in the game, makes tough catches and has shown the ability to make plays in the open field. He’s certainly earned himself some money this offseason when he is a free agent. Whether it is in Baltimore or elsewhere remains to be seen.

The offensive line was actually the most shocking unit of the game. Jeremy Zuttah was placed on injured reserve the week prior. Eugene Monroe and Kelechi Osemele were both out with injuries. Yet, the Browns created basically zero pressure on Schaub throughout the game. The Browns had no sacks and just one quarterback hit in the game. A week after the St. Louis Rams got consistent pressure on Flacco, they kept Schaub upright most of the game.

Granted, these are the Browns we are talking about here. The Ravens have been the model of consistency over the past decade, while the Browns have been the laughingstock of the NFL since, well, they left for Baltimore.

The interior of the offensive line is in for battle this week when they head to South Beach to take on Ndamukong Suh and the Miami Dolphins. It’s important that the Ravens continue to win in the trenches as that was the key to the ground game being so successful and keeping Schaub off his back.

Next: Ravens Return Blocked Field Goal For Win Over Browns

John Harbaugh has said all along that his team will continue to fight, no matter who is suited up. They have been in position to win just about every game this season and will give the remainder of their opponents hell each and every week.

At this point of the season, that’s all you can ask for from the Ravens.

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