Cleveland Browns Update

The Ravens will be looking to have a dominant performance at home this Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. A convincing win over a division rival might just be enough to wash the bitter taste of defeat out of the mouths of fans and players alike.

Baltimore has been unstoppable at home this season, as they have throughout most of their existence. Week 15 brings the struggling Cleveland Browns to battle in Charm City. The Browns are entering the last game of a tough three game road trip from Pittsburgh to Arizona then here in Baltimore. They will most likely be without starting quarterback Colt McCoy this weekend. Although head coach Pat Shurmur has not yet named his starter, McCoy has been showing symptoms of the concussion he suffered at the hands of James Harrison two weeks ago. McCoy was actually sent home from the training facility on multiple occasions last week.

Back up quarterback Seneca Wallace filled in nicely for McCoy in Arizona. Wallace was 18-31 for 226 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Cardinals and he and rookie receiver Greg Little seemed to have a nice early chemistry. Wallace will pose a unique challenge for the Ravens as he is able to extend and create plays with his legs. Wallace has a 60% completion percentage for the year and has yet to throw an interception.

Wide out Greg Little recorded his first 100 yard game of his career last week. Little logged five catches for 131 yards and a touchdown. With the emergence of Little as a possible number one type receiver Cleveland receiving core is looking pretty solid. Peyton Hillis seems to be getting back into shape after his injury as he ran for 99 yards on 26 carries with a touchdown last week. Cleveland will need the run game to be proficient if they want to compete with Baltimore. With a mobile quarterback like Wallace the run game can set up their play action and Wallace can option off of that.

Overall Cleveland is in the bottom quarter of the league in every offensive category. They are 30th in points per game with 13.9, 29th in yards per game with 294.6, 22nd in passing yards per game with 198 and 30th in rushing with 95.9. Much of this comes from inconsistency of players health wise. Hillis was out for weeks and his back up went out shortly after. Now McCoy is out and they have to change again to fit the style of a new quarterback. Hopefully the Veteran presence of Seneca Wallace can help this very young team find an identity in the last few weeks of the season so they have something to build off of for next year. It does not help that they have a new coach every other year either.

Baltimore needs to get a convincing win this week and they can not take anyone lightly. Cleveland is an inferior opponent for sure but they are a division rival and they know the Ravens well. It has been an emotional week for this team and this fan base. That can be draining on an athlete at the end of a long season. Every player on this team would be lying if they told you they did not question the effectiveness of their play after the pounding they took in San Diego. This week is a statement week, the Ravens need to show once again that they can take a punch and come back and hit you harder than ever. In every loss the Ravens have had this year they have won more games in a row after then they did before the loss. That means Baltimore is in for at least a five game win streak!