Browns vs Ravens NFL Pick: Baltimore, Cleveland Hope to Rebound From Tough Losses (Sep 14)

• In NFL Week 2, Browns-Ravens has two teams coming off tough Week 1 losses, looking to rebound
• The Ravens suffered a late-game loss to the Bills, allowing 16 points in the final 3:56 to lose 41-40
• The Browns held Bengals’ star QB Joe Burrow to 113 yards passing, but lost 17-16 because of their ineffective offense
• Baltimore is favored by double-digits at home, but Cleveland has held its own against them in recent years

Flacco Needs a Big Game in His Former Home

The Bengals are not known for having a superior defense. If the Browns had mustered a moderately effective running game and had Joe Flacco not turned the ball over, they would have won.

Flacco was 31 for 45 for 290 yards, 1 TD, and 2 interceptions. He had his glory days with the Ravens, winning the MVP in Super Bowl XLVII. Since the team moved on from him in favor of Lamar Jackson, Flacco has been a journeyman, bouncing from the Broncos to the Jets, to the Browns, to the Colts, and back to the Browns, where he was named the 2025 starter by process of elimination.

How should the Browns’ defensive performance be judged?

Was it an excellent showing by the Browns’ underrated defense?

Or did Burrow just have a bad game, as he tends to do in the first game of the season?

Myles Garrett was tremendous, involved with 10 tackles and sacking Burrow twice.

Linebacker Carson Schwesinger was in on 8 tackles; fellow linebacker Devin Bush Jr. was in on 7. Their secondary held the Bengals’ high-powered offense in check.

Still, holding Dylan Sampson to 29 yards rushing is not the same thing as stopping Derrick Henry.

Ravens Need a Rebound Game

Had the Ravens’ Week 1 showdown with the Bills ended after 56 minutes, there would be Super Bowl talk in Baltimore. Instead, there is concern over their pass defense and ability to close games out.

It’s likely just a blip for a legitimate title contender. Still, they need to drop the hammer on a struggling Browns team where a simmering QB controversy that will start to bubble with another loss.

Henry’s uncharacteristic fumble was the key moment in the loss to the Bills.

Overall, the Ravens’ performance was excellent until those last four minutes. They’d given up 25 points, but they were facing Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP.

Lamar Jackson was an efficient 14 for 19 and 209 yards. He tossed 2 TD passes and ran for another among his 6 rushes for 70 yards. Zay Flowers caught 7 passes for 143 yards and a TD. On defense, Roquan Smith had 8 solo tackles. All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton had 6 solo tackles.

Expect Baltimore to heavily pressure the immobile Flacco and dare him to beat them downfield.

Browns vs Ravens NFL Pick

For NFL Week 2 Browns-Ravens, both teams have a lot on the line. The Ravens can survive an 0-2 start better than the Browns can simply because it’s safe to assume they will get their footing eventually.

The Browns have played the Ravens tough, beating them 29-24 last season. But they have bigger problems now. Coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry might be fighting for their jobs. The murmuring for Shedeur Sanders will begin to grow louder with another mediocre performance from the 40-year-old Flacco, particularly one in which he struggles because he cannot escape the rush while Shedeur can.

With a spread currently at 11.5 points, oddsmakers believe the Ravens will tear into the Browns. Cleveland will keep it closer than that, but that will be due more to their defense than their offense.