The Baltimore Ravens get a chance for a little revenge in Week 16. They’ll take on the Cleveland Browns, the last team to beat them this season (back in Week 4). Not only can Baltimore right a wrong, but they can also clinch the No. 1 seed this week.
With such an important game and one against a division rival currently in flux, I wanted to get some insider information on what’s going on. So I turned to Browns Wire managing editor Jeff Risdon to get the scoop on what Cleveland has going on this season and what they could be looking at this offseason.
1) Cleveland has been arguably the most inconsistent team in the NFL this season on both sides of the ball. Why is that?
It’s patently unfair to pin everything on Freddie Kitchens, but the rookie head coach has his tentacles in every level of the Browns’ failures in 2019. The team has the NFL’s best running back in Nick Chubb but Kitchens will go several series without using him. They have Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. but throw more designed passes in the red zone to Demetrius Harris. They’re a poorly coached team far too often.
Defensively, injuries and the Myles Garrett suspension have definitely been factors. They played one week with just four of their Week 1 starters on the field and will be missing at least three this Sunday. The entire pass rush was built around Garrett and with him and Olivier Vernon gone, it’s fallen to pieces.