A Divisional Game That Could Alter the AFC North
Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan, USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns (5-3) head to Baltimore, Maryland to take on the Ravens (7-2) in a divisional game that could really shake up the AFC North. While this game may not shake up the division or even the AFC as a whole, an upset could lead to other teams in the division to dethrone Baltimore or ruin another AFC team’s playoff hopes.
Lamar Jackson without a doubt is playing like an MVP but nobody is discussing his fumble rate. Jackson is completing 71.5% of his passes, for 1,954 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions, which are very good statistics. Jackson has 10 total fumbles and six lost fumbles in nine games…that’s more than one fumble per game.
There are two quarterbacks with similar fumble stats; Minnesota Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs and New York Jets QB Zach Wilson. Dobbs has 11 fumbles and six lost in nine games and Wilson has eight fumbles and five lost in nine games. Dobbs quarterbacked the worst team in the NFL in terms of record before getting traded to Minnesota and Wilson is preventing the Jets from winning the division, when all he needs to do is play at an average level.
Granted, neither of these QB’s have Jackson’s passing statistics or skill as an NFL player, but is Jackson really the MVP?
Jackson is still going to be a problem for this Cleveland defense, even though they allow the least amount of yards per game, at 234.8. While the Browns average the third least amount of points allowed per game at 17.4, the Ravens lead the league in points allowed per game at an impressive 13.8 clip.
Over the last three seasons, the Browns are (2-3) against the Ravens, but this season’s loss in week 4, Deshaun Watson wasn’t playing for the Browns.
Cleveland can upset the Ravens at home if they get out to a lead and force Jackson to beat them with his arm. The Browns are best when they can establish their run game and even with Baltimore’s stellar run defense, Cleveland can expose it with a combination of Kareem Hunt and Jerome Ford if they can manage to get out to a lead.
This is a divisional game so anything can happen. It may not be as tall of a task for the Browns as people think. With the Ravens atop of the division and all three teams below them at (5-3), it’s important for Baltimore to win as many of their divisional games as they can.
Will the Ravens improve to (8-2) and sink the Browns lower in the North, or will Cleveland upset Baltimore on the road and make the North even more interesting than it already is?
