The Ravens totally destroyed the Cleveland Browns yesterday.  Joe Flacco was outstanding again in this game as he completed 25 of 35 passes for 342 yards with 1 TD pass.  The running game was split between Willis McGahee and Ray Rice who were each effective running the football.  McGahee carried the ball 7 times for 67 yards (9.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Rice carried the ball 11 times for 48 yards (4.4 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 4 passes for 27 yards (6.8 avg).  Derrick Mason was the key weapon in the passing game for the Ravens yesterday as he caught 5 passes for 118 yards (23.6 avg) with a TD.  The Ravens finished up with 479 total yards (142 rushing, 337 passing) in this game.

The defense was outstanding as usual for the Ravens in this game.  Dawan Landry (S), Ed Reed (S), Domonique Foxworth (CB) and Brendon Ayanbadejo (LB) each had 1 interception apiece in this game!  The Ravens held the Browns to 186 total yards of offense (71 rushing, 115 passing) in this football game!   The Ravens are now 3-0 on the season sitting atop of the AFC North.

The Browns don’t match up too well with the Ravens.  Last season the Ravens swept the Browns but a combined score of 65-37!  For the Browns to have any chance in this football game they need to forget the run and come out throwing the football.  The Ravens are allowing 290.0 yards passing per game this season and they have been vulnerable downfield.  Braylon Edwards has the size and speed to exploit the Ravens’ secondary but the issue here is time for Brady Quinn to throw the football.  He has been sacked 9 times in the first two games of the season and the Ravens like to blitz.  LBs Jarrett Johnson and Terrell Suggs both like to blitz coming off the team bus so the offensive line will have to do a good job of keeping them out of the backfield.

The Baltimore Ravens will likely attack the Browns with a balanced attack although they will be tempted to just pound the ball with the running game against them.  After all, the Browns are allowing 205.5 yards rushing per game (5.6 ypc) so far this season.  Ray Rice (144 yards rushing) and Willis McGahee (123 yards rushing) have shared the load in the running game for the Ravens and that will likely continue this week with both players wanting 100 yards.  One of the things making QB Joe Flacco so effective this season has been the fact that he moves the ball around to different receivers in the passing game.  7 different players have five or more catches for the Ravens already this season.  That poses a problem for the Browns as they will likely have to play single coverage on everyone.  The Browns must get back to blitzing on passing downs as they had 4 sacks in week #1 and none last week.  Still, Flacco has only been sacked two times this season so getting to him will be tough.

PREDICTION:  BALTIMORE RAVENS 27, CLEVELAND BROWNS 13

34-year old inside linebacker Ray Lewis is playing like a kid 10 years younger than he is.  He has made 18 tackles, had 4 tackles for a loss, he’s forced a fumble and defensed a pass already this season.  He made the game winning tackle last week drilling Darren Sproles in the backfield on a 4th and 2 play.  Lewis is a big part of the reason that opposing teams are only averaging 41.0 yards rushing per game and 2.2 yards per carry.  Lewis looks like he will be returning to the Pro Bowl this year.

30-year old WR Kelley Washington is the Ravens’ secret weapon in the passing game so far this season.  He has caught 7 passes for 101 yards (14.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Before this season, Washington played in 54 games in his NFL career and he caught 73 passes for 896 yards (12.3 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Good health might be the real reason that Washington is living up to the ability everyone thought he had when he came into the league.  A neck injury early in his career almost ended it but Washington has proved that hard work and perseverance pays off.

The Baltimore Ravens are averaging 164.0 yards rushing per game this season and a big reason for that has been 2nd year RB Ray Rice’s play.  Rice has carried he ball 27 times for 144 yards (5.3 ypc) and he has also caught 7 passes for 58 yards (8.3 avg).  Rice has yet to get into the end zone this season but it won’t take much longer for him to get there.  Look for him to continue splitting carries with Willis McGahee as the Ravens try to stay balanced on offense this year.

The Ravens have traded 25-year old OLB Prescott Burgess to the Patriots for a conditional 7th round draft pick.  Burgess played in both games for the Ravens last season and he has 2 tackles.  He played 3 years for the Ravens appearing in 10 games and making a whopping six tackles.  This will likely turn out to be a good trade for both teams.

The Baltimore Ravens have signed 26-year old TE Tony Curtis.  Curtis played in 16 games (6 starts) for the Cowboys last season and he caught 8 passes for 32 yards (4.0 avg).  He has now played 3 years in his NFL career appearing in 36 games (6 starts) in which he has caught 11 passes for 50 yards (4.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Curtis will be the #3 TE behind Todd Heap and L.J. Smith who is hurting right now.

The Ravens won a tough game on the left coast yesterday.  Joe Flacco was solid in this game completing 17 of 26 passes for 190 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  Willis McGahee led the way for the Ravens in this game with 15 carries for 79 yards (5.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.   He also caught 2 passes for 10 yards in this game.  Ray Rice was also busy carrying the ball 8 times for 36 yards (4.5 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 46 yards (9.2 avg).  WR Kelley Washington had a breakout game for the Ravens with 58 yards on 4 catches (14.5 avg) with a TD.  The Ravens finished up with 311 total yards on offense (130 rushing, 182 passing) in this game.

The defense made plays when it had to for the Ravens.  Ray Lewis led the way for the Ravens on D with 12 tackles including his final one which won the game.  Safety Dawan Landry (11 tackles, interception) and OLB Terrell Suggs (5 tackles, 1.5 sacks) also pitched in on D for the Ravens yesterday.  The Chargers finished up with 474 total yards in this game (53 rushing, 421 passing).  The Ravens are now 2-0 on the season and they are sitting on top of the AFC North by themselves.

The Baltimore Ravens have long been known for their outstanding defense, but it was the offense that was the most impressive part of the Ravens week one victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.  The defense did play well, but Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense racked up a franchise-record 501 total yards.

The Chargers did not look very good in their opener, as they edged out a win over the improved Oakland Raiders.  They also lost their star running back LaDainian Tomlinson in that game as he sprained his ankle. This doesn’t matter that much though, as the Chargers’ Darren Sproles did just about everything for the Chargers last week.  He will be the biggest challenge for the Ravens defense, as Phillip Rivers did not look very good last week.

I’m expecting the Ravens to make a statement in this game and I think they are going to win pretty easily.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Ravens 27, Chargers 17

Nothing makes a young QB feel safer than having a good TE to throw to and the Ravens have one in Todd Heap.  Heap was banged up most of last season despite playing in all 16 games but he appears healthy now.  Heap caught 5 passes for 74 yards (14.8 avg) with a TD in the season opener against the Chiefs.  Without a real go-to WR look for Heap to get a lot of action this season for the Ravens and that’s a good thing.