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Ravens Opponent Profile: Cleveland Browns Visit M&T Bank Stadium For Thursday Night Football

The Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns will battle at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on Nov. 10 on Thursday Night Football. This is the second meeting between the two teams this year. The Ravens won their Week 2 matchup 25-20, despite the fact that they trailed 20-2 after one quarter of action. Baltimore leads the all-time series 26-9-0, though the Browns have won two of the last six meetings.

The Ravens (4-4) moved to the top of the AFC North division with a key 21-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon, thanks to a dominating performance by the defense. Baltimore confused the Steelers offense so much that Pittsburgh didn't score until the fourth quarter. They held the Steelers to just 89 yards of total offense through the first 45 minutes and permitted just 274 yards total for the game. Let's have a look at how they might fare against Cleveland on Thursday.

Browns Record: 0-9 

Cleveland is coming off a 35-10 shellacking by the Dallas Cowboys, which caused them to fall to 0-9 for the first time since 1975. The Browns have lost a franchise record 12 straight games and are just 1-19 in their last 20 contests.

Browns on Offense

Cleveland has played musical quarterbacks this year by already using six different signal callers. Rookie Cody Kessler was behind center yesterday after missing the game against the New York Jets the previous week. Kessler has played relatively well in his six appearances, completing 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,165 yards along with five touchdowns and one interception. He completed 19-of-27 passes for 203 yards and one touchdown against the Cowboys.

The Browns rank 20th in the league in rushing yards (106.3 per game), though Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson are capable backs, averaging 4.7 and 5.1 yards per carry, respectively. Crowell has two 100-yard games, with his best output of the season coming against the Ravens. In that game he carried the ball 18 times for 133 yards, which included a season-long 85-yard scamper for a touchdown.

Cleveland's offensive line is one of the most porous in the league despite the fact that left tackle Joe Thomas is a part of the group. The Browns are near the bottom of the league in both run and pass blocking and have surrendered 26 sacks this year.

Browns on Defense

Dallas sliced its way through Cleveland's defense to the tune of 442 total yards, with 168 yards coming on the ground. The Browns are permitting more than 440 yards a game and they are the first team to surrender 25 points in each of their first nine games since the Denver Broncos in 1965. The Browns rank last in the scoring defense and are 31st against the run and 28th against the pass.

Cleveland doesn't get much pressure on opposing quarterbacks and as a result they have totaled only 14 sacks. The Browns also have created just eight turnovers, six interceptions and two fumbles. Cornerbacks Jamar Taylor and Joe Haden have two picks apiece. Meanwhile, inside linebacker Christian Kirksey leads the squad with 81 tackles.

Players to Watch: WR Terrell Pryor and OLB Emmanuel Ogbah

There are two real areas where the Browns can really exploit the Ravens: Their defensive backfield and offensive line. While the Ravens are finally healthy, the Steelers were able to remain in the game in Week 9 due to mistakes by the the secondary and offensive line. Pryor and Ogbah are talented enough to cause a little havoc for the Ravens this week as well.

Pryor leads the Browns with 46 receptions. He also tops the squad in receiving yards (579) and touchdowns (four). Pryor had three receptions versus the Ravens in Week 2, but since that game he's had 40 receptions on 65 targets and five or more catches in six of the seven games.

Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley had an awful time against the Steelers, namely outside linebacker James Harrison. Making his first appearance in six weeks, Stanley was consistently beat by the Steelers' outside rushers, often leading to quarterback Joe Flacco getting hit numerous times. Stanley was also called for four penalties.

Ogbah has gotten better throughout the season, compiling 19 tackles along with three sacks and two stuffed runs over the last four contests.The 23-year-old rookie has totaled 33 tackles with 17 solos and 16 assists.

Outlook

The Ravens are 4-0 when they are relatively healthy and the home team is 6-3 on Thursday night this season. The bottom line is that the Ravens are a better team. Cleveland has the biggest point differential in the NFL and they have been outscored by 52 points in five road games. Five of the last six meetings between the teams has been decided by six or less points so count on it being closer than you expect, but the Ravens should pull this one out.

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