Baltimore clinches No. 1 seed in AFC
Ravens lock up home-field advantage with a 31-15 victory over the Browns.
CLEVELAND – The road to the Super Bowl will go through Baltimore.
The Ravens locked up homefield advantage with a 31-15 win over the Browns on Sunday, securing the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC for the first time in franchise history. Baltimore (13-2) has now won 11 consecutive games.
The Browns, meanwhile, fell to 6-9 with the loss and were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Consider that in Week 4 in Baltimore the Browns defeated the Ravens 40-25. Cleveland has won just four times since then.
Here are three key takeaways from Sunday’s game:
1. A rapid reversal. For 28 minutes, the Browns’ defense managed to contain quarterback Lamar Jackson and slow a Ravens offense that has been on a roll for months. Then Baltimore got the ball back just before the two-minute warning in the first half, and all of that changed. The Ravens flipped the metaphorical switch and scored twice before halftime on a pair of quick-strike drives sandwiched around a questionable decision by the Browns to throw on three consecutive plays and preserve clock time for Baltimore.
The sequence proved to be backbreaking for Cleveland, but it also illustrated the challenge of facing a team like the Ravens: Opponents can keep them under wraps for the bulk of the game and still get burned. The Browns’ offense failed to capitalize on opportunities provided by the defense, including a Jackson fumble in the first quarter. And it ultimately came back to cost them.
Jackson, a favorite for league MVP, threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He also led Baltimore with 103 yards rushing.
2. Key win might have come with notable loss. Ravens running back Mark Ingram, a Pro Bowler who has arguably been among the most valuable offseason additions in the league, left Sunday’s game with what the team described as a calf injury. Coach John Harbaugh said after the game there were no structural issues with Ingram’s calf and described it as cramping. The Ravens’ run game finished with 243 yards. Gus Edwards had 66 yards and Justice Hill 19 on just three carries. Regardless of how his calf feels, Ingram could rest for two weeks. Next week’s finale at home against Pittsburgh does not matter to the Ravens. And the entire team gets to sit out the first weekend of the playoffs thanks to its bye.
3. Spotlight now on Freddie’s future. Freddie Kitchens has become as easy target for Browns fans amid a disappointing season, prompting questions about whether he could be one-and-done as the head coach in Cleveland. Those questions certainly won’t go away after Sunday’s performance. While the expectations in Cleveland this summer might have been a bit unrealistic, Kitchens took a bit of a risk by embracing the hype and welcoming outside talk about a deep playoff run. Now, the offense has failed to jell, Baker Mayfield has shown clear signs of regression and the Browns’ front office will have to decide if it has seen enough growth in Year 1 under Kitchens to warrant a Year 2.