Ravens 23, Browns 16

Come commiserate with me Dawg Pound. It's been a LONG season. The Browns fall yet again. 2-8 is rough. There's no getting around that. But unlike many of these previous games where Cleveland either wasn't even remotely competitive (first Ravens game, Lions, Patriots, Steelers), or they lost to equally bad or worse competition (Jets, Bengals), this one was actually interesting.

Shedeur Sanders saw his first NFL action, Myles Garrett feasted, and the running game still struggles to find its identity in the post-Nick Chubb era. This one wasn't so cut and dried as far as a clear Good, Bad and Ugly. But I still did notice plenty of interesting things, even in a loss like this one. Let's talk some football on a Sunday night!

Good: Myles Garrett, and the takeaway-happy defense

I'm not going to beat around the bush: As a unit, the Browns defense gave up 351 yards and 23 points. For as elite as this unit was supposed to be coming into the season, they struggled from that standpoint. And Lamar Jackson and the Ravens still made just enough plays to pull it out.

That dagger touchdown by Mark Andrews hurt me like a double whammy. Not only was it a go-ahead touchdown on a busted play, but the guy who called it, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, was briefly in Cleveland in the same capacity. But Kevin Stefanski didn't let him call many plays. I always believe not letting OCs have full control over play calling is a mistake.

But even with all that, the biggest bright spots I saw in this game were thanks to the defense. The Browns did a solid job when it came to containing Jackson for the most part, which led to Myles Garrett racking up four sacks on the day!

No matter if this team is 2-8, Myles is still the best pure edge rusher in the league. And I will fight anyone who says otherwise. That dude is a force of nature! He has 11 sacks on the year, which is currently tied for the NFL lead. He'll turn 30 years old four days after Christmas, and hasn't slowed done one bit.

Not only that, but the Browns also snagged three takeaways with a pair of picks and a fumble recovery. Devin Bush took one of those interceptions to the house, too!

But that's where the good things end for this game, sadly.

Bad: Subpar quarterback play

Let me preface this part of the article by saying this: I won't rip on Gabriel or Sanders like some fans might. They're rookie quarterbacks. I'll give them a longer leash. Anyone who thinks they'll come out on fire in an offensive system like ours needs their head checked.

Yes, I was frustrated with several missed passes by Gabriel. You can't move the ball offensively if you can't complete passes that are five yards or less.

And Shedeur clearly wasn't ready for the speed or the defensive pressure of the NFL game. But I understand they're both rookies playing where quarterbacks usually go to die. People often say that as a joke, but I'm being serious. They're playing in Cleveland, and too much is being asked of them. The best quarterback the Browns had in recent memory is in Tampa, and our owner forced him out of town when he said yes to the worst trade in NFL history.

I don't blame Gabriel or Sanders much at this point in time. But no matter how frustrated we are as a fan base, the Browns are at where they're at. We're squarely in the middle of an ugly season. This is near or at rock bottom after the Deshaun Watson experiment. We've bottomed out after over three years of dealing with the clown show. I'm not happy, but what can you do? We're stuck until one of these guys gets a chance to grow, or we look somewhere else for a field general next year or '27.

But the ugliest part of this game didn't allow Gabriel or Sanders to be more successful in the first place. I don't usually harp on this part of things, because it seems like we're always here, but...

Ugly: 2-14 on third down

This isn't just a bad statistic to me. It answers so many questions as to why we failed. Or at least it shines light on a lot of things. When you're struggling this bad on third down, you're:

A. Usually in third and long situations.

B. Your running game hasn't done its job to consistently move the chains or at least put you in third and manageable situations.

C. You're putting too much on rookie quarterbacks.

On the flipside, when rookie quarterbacks are succeeding, the running game is rolling. The running game is rolling downhill, you're rarely behind schedule, the offense is flowing, and everything is simplified for them. And they're playing within themselves and within the system, instead of trying to play hero ball and put the team on their back.

Remember Baker Mayfield in 2018 as a rookie? That's what was happening with him. He was still growing, so the staff went to the running game and simplified the offense for him. They didn't ask too much of him that season. They let him play within himself and within the system.

No, we don't have prime Nick Chubb anymore. Yes, that's a significant drop-off in talent. But last I checked, Jerome Ford, Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson were still on this roster. And I would much rather run it 30+ times a game until things get better under center, than chuck up passes and try to play hero ball. You fit your system around your strengths. And right now, we are extremely green and weak at quarterback.

The Browns did run the ball for over 100 yards. They did average over four yards per carry. But I do not understand why they went away from it. Sure, Baltimore has a tough defense. But they have to stick with it until Gabriel or Sanders matures. If they don't, every defense they'll face will be licking its chops and ready to feast on them.

The Browns need to reestablish their identity as a stout or at least solid running team. If they do, they may not find themselves in so many third and longs where they're forced to ask a rookie quarterback to land haymakers against a seasoned NFL defense for us to have any chance to win.

My thoughts going forward

It's a lost season. And any time it is, I'm sad and frustrated like so many others. I'm passionate, extremely fiery and want to win so badly! More than the vast, vast majority of people!

But tonight, I'm just trying to stay cool. I'm actually in a calm mood even after a loss like this one. I've seen so many losses like this over the years that I'm numb to them.

But going forward, I hope Gabriel is okay. But if he isn't, I want to see if the Browns start Shedeur Sanders the rest of the way. I was not initially in favor of drafting him this past spring. But now that he's here, they should give him a chance.

Let him get several full weeks of practice under his belt, start him often, and protect him well. Then when the final game of the season ends in early January 2026, seriously evaluate his growth. After that, they either roll with him, or they try to find a generational talent in the 2026 or 2027 Draft. There are supposed to be some future superstars in there.

I was encouraged to see a more competitive game tonight. But the next era for the Browns starts now. The front office will have a decision to make. It'll be interesting to see how the final seven games of the season play out.

Statistical Leaders

Dillon Gabriel: 7-10, 68 yards

Quinshon Judkins: 17 carries, 59 yards

Cedric Tillman: 3 catches, 52 yards

Sources

ESPN

Picture Credit

thetouchdown.co.uk