Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill effectively ended the Cleveland Browns’ season on an 18-yard rushing touchdown.
The Cleveland Browns threatened to make it a game in the fourth quarter, driving down and scoring a touchdown after some defensive miscues to bring the game to 24-15 with 8:01 left. The Baltimore Ravens still held a two-score lead after foiling the conversion, but things were far from guaranteed.
In response, the Ravens did what they have done so well this season: Grind down the clock with their punishing run game. Quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Gus Edwards ran all over the Cleveland defense, taking it to their 18-yard line.
From there, rookie running back Justice Hill ran it in untouched for his first NFL touchdown — an 18-yard run.
The Ravens burned almost five minutes off of the clock with that drive. Up 31-15, it would be the final nail in the Browns’ coffin. Not only did it effectively end the game but it also ended Cleveland’s playoff hopes, officially knocking them out of postseason contention.
In spite of a slow start to this game for both teams, the Ravens found their footing at the end of the first half and never looked back. They’ve now locked themselves in as the top seed in the AFC, making the road to Super Bowl LIV go through Baltimore.
Lamar Jackson worked some magic to bring the Ravens to 14-6 at the end of the half, connecting with TE Mark Andrews on a perfect pass.
After a slow start, the Baltimore Ravens offense was able to shake off the rust.
After scoring on a two-play, 32-second drive to get the lead, Baltimore’s defense answered the call to force the Cleveland Browns to a three-and-out. With little more than a minute remaining in the game and no timeouts, quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense weren’t going to be denied.
Marching down the field, Jackson fought off would-be-tacklers to connect with tight end Mark Andrews for his second touchdown of the game.
It was an MVP-caliber throw from Jackson, putting the ball in the spot where only Andrews could catch it in spite of defenders breathing down his neck. It’s proof of ascension from Jackson this season as a passer and the perfect highlight to prove why he’s the MVP frontrunner.
As has been the case all game long, it also hit another big milestone for Jackson. He’s now tied with Cam Newton and Steve Young as the only quarterbacks to ever throw 35 touchdown passes and run for seven more touchdowns. It’s worth noting both those quarterbacks won the NFL’s MVP that season and went to the Super Bowl.
Lamar Jackson’s 39-yard strike to Mark Andrews set a new Ravens single-season record for touchdown passes.
In a season full of highlights and displays of individual brilliance, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson set a new team record in the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns.
With his 39-yard strike to tight end Mark Andrews that gave the Ravens the lead over the Browns, Jackson now has 34 touchdown passes on the season (he threw his 35th right before halftime). This score breaks the tie for the previous single-season best for the Ravens shared by Jackson and Vinny Testaverde. Testaverde threw his 33 touchdowns back in 1996, the first year the Ravens played in the NFL.
With another touchdown throw right before halftime, Jackson now has an incredible 42 total touchdowns in 2019, with seven on the ground to go with his 35 through the air. What a special campaign this has been for the MVP front runner, and everyone else associated with the Ravens. But the Ravens still need more from him, with just a one-point lead with halftime looming.
Ravens running back Mark Ingram has rushed for 1,000 yards for the third time in his NFL career.
Some people may have questioned just how much running back Mark Ingram had left in the tank after he signed with the Baltimore Ravens prior to the 2019 season. He was coming off a down year in New Orleans in which he rushed for just 645 yards — his lowest total since 2013. But it is safe to say that Ingram has justified the faith Baltimore showed in signing him.
With a six-yard scamper in the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns, Ingram went past the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. This is his third season with 1,000 yards on the ground after getting there with the Saints in 2016 and 2017.
Ingram is the second Ravens player to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark this season after his teammate Lamar Jackson did so back in Week 14. Jackson and Ingram are the first pair of teammates to have 1,000 yards in the same season since Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams for the Carolina Panthers back in 2009. They’re also the first pair of Ravens to reach the mark together in a single season.
The Ravens will be looking for more from Ingram and the rest of the offense, as they currently trail the Browns 6-0.
Let’s take a quick look at all the reasons the Ravens won’t let the Browns sweep the series in 2019.
In week 16, the Baltimore Ravens get a chance to avenge one of their two losses this season (arguably the worse of those two). Way back in week 4, Baltimore was all but humiliated in front of their hometown fans against what looked like a far superior Browns team.
The Browns on the other hand . . . are still the Browns; the perennial disappointment, who sit one loss away from their twelfth consecutive losing season and another early elimination from playoff contention (fun fact: the Browns have only had two winning seasons this century).
Unless they win this week.
Let’s take a quick look at all the reasons Baltimore won’t let that happen in week 16.
The Ravens’ Defense
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
What was Baltimore’s Achilles heel in the last meeting has become nearly a perfect counterpoint to this seasons’ electric offense. The additions of linebackers L.J. Fort and Josh Bynes, coupled with the acquisition of cornerback Marcus Peters, has completely turned around a defensive unit that looked like a catastrophe in Week 4. Not only have they catapulted themselves from 27th to 6th in terms of overall defense, but they have scored five touchdowns during their winning streak while generating more turnovers (18) than opponent touchdowns (15).
Sure, the Ravens’ offense has been putting up a record number of points, but their defense can wear down anyone and the Browns offense just doesn’t seem to match up.
Previewing Sunday’s Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns sports betting odds and lines, with Week 16 NFL betting picks, tips and bets.
The Baltimore Ravens (12-2) and Cleveland Browns (6-8) will square off at FirstEnergy Stadium Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (on CBS). We analyze the Ravens-Browns sports betting odds and lines, with NFL betting picks and tips for the Week 16 matchup.
Ravens at Browns: Week 16 preview, betting trends and notes
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The AFC North Division champion Ravens look to lock up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a victory.
The Browns inexplicably won 40-25 back on Sept. 29 in Baltimore, their best showing of the season by far. Cleveland won outright as a 7-point favorite that afternoon.
The Ravens rank No. 2 in the NFL in total yards per game (409.7), while checking in first in rushing yards (202.1 YPG) and points (33.7 PPG).
Defensively, Baltimore ranks sixth in the NFL with 314.3 YPG allowed, while ranking seventh in passing yards per game (218.1), fifth in rushing yards (96.1 YPG) and fourth in points allowed per game (18.4).
The Ravens are 7-1 ATS in the past eight games overall, and 4-0 ATS in the past four on the road, while going 5-1 ATS in the past six as a favorite.
Baltimore is just 1-7 ATS in the past eight games inside the AFC North Division, however.
Cleveland is 4-1 ATS in its past five divisional matchups, but just 6-22-2 ATS in the past 30 against teams with a winning record.
Ravens at Browns: Key injuries
Ravens: OT Ronnie Stanley (concussion) and LB Chris Board (concussion) are questionable.
Browns: C Joseph Tretter (knee), DT Sheldon Richardson (back), DE Olivier Vernon (knee), S Eric Murray (knee), RB Dontrell Hilliard (neck) and T Kendall Lamm (knee) are questionable.
Ravens at Browns: Odds, betting lines and prediction
The Ravens (-500) are a strong play on the road – but they’re a huge favorite. You can’t risk five times the return, and the Browns (+375) aren’t beating them again.
New to sports betting? A $10 wager on the moneyline returns a $2 profit with a Baltimore victory.
The RAVENS (-9.5, -115) have it all in front of them as they can lock up home-field advantage and make the playoffs go through Charm City with a win Sunday. They can also lock up some much-needed rest in Week 17 for key members of the team. Plus, they can exact a little revenge along the way.
OVER 49.5(-110) is worth a small-unit wager as the Ravens could come close to cashing it all on their own by winning this revenge game. The Over is 5-1 in their past six as a road favorite, while the Over is 5-2-1 in Cleveland’s past eight inside the AFC North.
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The Baltimore Ravens should have every player available for Week 16 against the Browns, with Ronnie Stanley and Chris Board “questionable”
The Baltimore Ravens are headed into their Week 16 rematch with the Cleveland Browns as healthy as they can possibly be.
After giving some key veterans days off on Wednesday and Thursday, Friday’s injury report saw no one miss practice or even be limited. In turn, only left tackle Ronnie Stanley and linebacker Chris Board are “questionable” for this game, though both should play after getting cleared from the concussion protocol earlier in the week.
Take a look at the final injury report as well as the game statuses for both the Ravens and Browns in Week 16.
Baltimore Ravens injuries:
Player
Position
Injury
Wed
Thur
Fri
Game status
Mark Ingram
RB
NIR
DNP
FP
FP
–
Jimmy Smith
CB
NIR
DNP
FP
FP
–
Earl Thomas
S
NIR
DNP
FP
FP
–
Marshal Yanda
G
NIR
DNP
FP
FP
–
Chris Board
LB
Concussion
FP
FP
FP
Questionable
Ronnie Stanley
T
Concussion
FP
FP
FP
Questionable
Brandon Williams
DT
NIR
–
DNP
FP
–
Cleveland Browns injuries:
Player
Position
Injury
Wed
Thur
Fri
Game status
Kendall Lamm
T
Knee
DNP
LP
LP
Questionable
Sheldon Richardson
DT
Back
DNP
DNP
LP
Questionable
JC Tretter
C
Knee
DNP
DNP
LP
Questionable
Odell Beckham Jr.
WR
Groin
LP
LP
LP
–
Tae Davis
LB
Knee
LP
LP
FP
–
Dontrell Hilliard
RB
Neck
LP
LP
LP
Questionable
Chris Hubbard
T
Knee
LP
LP
LP
–
Jarvis Landry
WR
Hip
LP
LP
FP
–
Eric Murray
S
Knee
LP
LP
FP
Questionable
Olivier Vernon
DE
Knee
LP
LP
LP
Questionable
Denzel Ward
CB
Ankle
LP
LP
FP
–
Porter Gustin
DE
Neck
FP
FP
FP
–
Key:
DNP – Did not participate
LP – Limited participation (anything below 100%)
FP – Full participation
NIR – Non-injury related
A look at the stats and tendencies of the Cleveland Browns ahead of their Week 16 clash with the Ravens
Proud owners of a ten-game winning streak, the Baltimore Ravens will look to make it eleven in a row when they play the last team to beat them this season in Week 16. The Cleveland Browns were 40-25 victors at M&T Bank Stadium back in Week 4 thanks to 165 rushing yards and three touchdowns from running back Nick Chubb.
Famously, the Baltimore Ravens were born after Art Modell took his Browns team out of Cleveland following the 1995 season. A “new” Browns team was born prior to the 1999 campaign and placed in the same division as the “old” Browns. Since then, the two teams have met 41 times, with the Ravens enjoying a 30-11 advantage. When playing in Cleveland, the Ravens have a 14-6 record although they lost 12-9 in overtime in 2018.
Let’s take a closer look at the 2019 Browns to see what we can expect to see from them on offense and defense.
Browns offense
Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Coming into the 2019 season, many had high hopes for the Browns on offense. Second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield, Chubb and veteran wide receiver Jarvis Landry were joined by Odell Beckham, and many were ready to kiss the Browns all the way to the Super Bowl. Things haven’t exactly gone to plan.
Employing a pass:run ratio of 59%:41%, the Browns are 21st in points and 17th in total offense this season. They’ve been better rushing than passing, with the tenth most rushing yards and only the 19th most yards through the air. Mayfield has only thrown 17 touchdowns whilst tossing an identical number of interceptions.
34.2% of Cleveland’s offensive drives have ended with a score this season, the 14th worst rate in the NFL. 14.3% of them have ended with the Browns coughing the ball up to their opponents. That’s “good” for the ninth most. Despite major question marks across their offensive line, the Browns have seen their quarterback sacked on only 6.6% of their total dropbacks. This is the 17th highest rate of all teams.
The Browns have the seventh-best explosive play rate in the NFL, thanks in large part to big plays made on the ground. 14% of their runs have been for 20 yards or more, the 4th best rate in the NFL. Their explosive pass rate is the 13th best, standing at 10%.
The Browns operate out of the shotgun on 66% of their offensive plays and favor 11 personnel on offense (three wide receivers, one running back and one tight end), although the rate at which they line up in 11 is only the 21st highest in the NFL (59%).
The Browns pass on 70% of their plays when deployed in 11 but average a far from stellar 6.7 yards per pass attempt whilst throwing 15 interceptions against 11 touchdowns. They’ve gobbled up 5.1 yards per attempt on the ground though, which makes you wonder why they don’t run out of 11 more often. They instead choose to mainly run when in 12, with two tight ends joining two wide receivers and a back on the field. But much like when in 11, they should be doing the opposite of what they are doing. The Browns average 8.7 yards per pass attempt and 4.5 yards per rush in this formation.
Since Kareem Hunt joined the team following a suspension to start the season, the Browns have made a concerted effort to get both him and Chubb on the field at the same time. This is evidenced by their use of 21 personnel since Week 10. The Browns have turned to this formation on 13% of their offensive snaps, and have averaged 7.3 yards per pass attempt and 7.0 yards on the ground.
The Ravens take on the Cleveland Browns this week and the two teams could hardly have gone in more wildly directions since their first meeting this season. Back in Week 4, the Browns put Baltimore to the sword as they ran out 40-25 winners, thanks in no small part to 165 rushing yards and three touchdowns from Chubb. The Ravens have won all ten of their games since they lost to the Browns, while Cleveland has gone 4-6.
Truth be told, Chubb has been incredible ever since the Browns finally decided to fully unleash him partway through his rookie season. Over the last two seasons, he ranks No. 3 among all running backs with 2,401 rushing yards. He has more rushing touchdowns (17) than all but six players at his position and these deeds have made him a must-start in fantasy football circles. Chubb has the 11th-most PPR points among all running backs since the beginning of the 2018 campaign.
As well as he played as a rookie, Chubb has been simply fantastic in 2019. He leads the NFL with 1,408 rushing yards at a league-high pace of 100.6 yards per game. Chubb has demonstrated remarkable slickness of movement, with no player breaking more tackles this past season than the 32 Chubb has evaded. Chubb has done a wonderful job both before and after contact, fighting to gain additional yards despite having defenders hanging off him at times. He is No. 2 among all running backs with 834 rushing yards before contact and No.4 with 574 yards after. Chubb leads all running backs with 17 runs of 15 yards or more in 2019.
As the Ravens found out earlier this season Chubb can be a formidable foe once he gets going. He has rushed for at least 62 yards in all but one game this season with his best outing coming in that Week 4 pummeling in M&T Bank Stadium. Chubb is genuinely a player that could offer something special to an already special offensive unit, but instead, he is simply a player that the Ravens will hope they can slow down in Week 16.
The Baltimore Ravens saw the addition to defensive tackle Brandon Williams to the injury report against the Browns, but not with an injury.
The Baltimore Ravens have continued their run of good luck this week with injuries. After seeing no players actually miss Wednesday’s practice with an injury, Thursday was the same.
Defensive tackle Brandon Williams was added to the injury report but was listed with a non-injury related designation. Like the four players on Wednesday, Williams is typically given a day off each week to help keep him fresh this late in the season.
Take a look at the latest injury report for the Ravens and Browns in Week 16.
Baltimore Ravens injuries:
Player
Position
Injury
Wed
Thur
Fri
Game status
Mark Ingram
RB
NIR
DNP
FP
Jimmy Smith
CB
NIR
DNP
FP
Earl Thomas
S
NIR
DNP
FP
Marshal Yanda
G
NIR
DNP
FP
Chris Board
LB
Concussion
FP
FP
Ronnie Stanley
T
Concussion
FP
FP
Brandon Williams
DT
NIR
–
DNP
Cleveland Browns injuries:
Player
Position
Injury
Wed
Thur
Fri
Game status
Kendall Lamm
T
Knee
DNP
LP
Sheldon Richardson
DT
Back
DNP
DNP
JC Tretter
C
Knee
DNP
DNP
Odell Beckham Jr.
WR
Groin
LP
LP
Tae Davis
LB
Knee
LP
LP
Dontrell Hilliard
RB
Neck
LP
LP
Chris Hubbard
T
Knee
LP
LP
Jarvis Landry
WR
Hip
LP
LP
Eric Murray
S
Knee
LP
LP
Olivier Vernon
DE
Knee
LP
LP
Denzel Ward
CB
Ankle
LP
LP
Porter Gustin
DE
Neck
FP
FP
Key:
DNP – Did not participate
LP – Limited participation (anything below 100%)
FP – Full participation
NIR – Non-injury related
