If you were to tell me that the Cleveland Browns would be 3-2 by the time they would face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6, I wouldn’t have believed you. The loss to the New York Jets was predictable for those who saw it coming, but many believe that the loss was more of a lost opportunity for the Browns to showcase that things have changed.
Granted, this Cleveland team is young in terms of age and comes with minimal expectations. However, Sunday’s divisional tilt against the Ravens should be considered a litmus test.
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As of now, Baltimore looks to be the clear favorite to win the AFC North. On paper, the team appears to be better than last season. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is still there, but the question remains whether he will play this Sunday. Running back Derrick Henry is still an issue, and wide receiver Zay Flowers has started to emerge in Baltimore’s passing game.
Flowers was added to the injury report on Thursday, something to watch.
The Ravens offensive line, which has shuffled chairs in the interior, has some weaknesses that can be exploited. Defensively, the unit is talented, but like the offense, it has weaknesses that can be exposed.
Baltimore is not a perfect team by any means, but they are the standard of what the Browns hope to be. It’s not a secret that the Ravens are a playoff-level team that can be a Super Bowl contender if everything clicks for them. For Cleveland, it’s more about proving that they can compete with the playoff-level teams, no matter who is on the field, in Week 6.
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It’s not a question of whether the Browns are ahead of schedule, but if they want to start entertaining the “is this team a playoff team” conversation, it starts on Sunday. It’s not a must-win for Cleveland, but they have to show they are competitive enough to hang with the upper echelon of the AFC.
What will you think if the Browns beat the Ravens in Week 6? Will it be defining in any way?
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