The Cleveland Browns just lost to the Cincinnati Bengals for the first time in a long time, and they will try to bounce back as they face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15 and play spoiler. The Browns still have a faint chance of making it to the playoffs, but they are really more like spoilers right now entering their last several games. A win here will deal a big blow to the Ravens' hopes of finishing on top of the AFC North. Here are our Browns Week 15 predictions as they take on the Ravens.
Will Deshaun Watson finally succeed against John Harbaugh and an ailing Ravens squad? Keep in mind that Watson is still winless since taking over as the Browns' quarterback from Jacoby Brissett.
As for the Ravens, given the injuries to Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley, Baltimore may start undrafted rookie quarterback Anthony Brown under center. If it comes to that, the Ravens offense, which still has playmakers like JK Dobbins and Mark Andrews, has a difficult task ahead of them.
Although Cleveland's chances of making the playoffs are fading, it is still in the running and has a reasonably winnable schedule to finish the regular season. The first step towards maybe slipping into the postseason for the Browns, who are in a must-win position, is to defeat Baltimore at home.
That will be easier said than done, though, especially since Watson has struggled through two weeks. He has, in fact, registered just a 48.3 QBR coupled with a 59.4 completion percentage. He also has a 1-1 record in his first two starts. It does take some getting used to playing at game speed, but since Watson has no room for error, he must perform at the level expected of someone with a $230 million deal.
With all these in mind, here are our four bold predictions for the Browns in their Week 15 game against the Ravens.
🐶 🆚 🐦#BALvsCLE | #Browns pic.twitter.com/6B1p1Mrt87
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 15, 2022
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4. DPJ reaches triple-digits again
Browns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones had a career-high 114 yards in a Week 14 defeat against the Bengals. In Week 15, Peoples-Jones will try to maintain his momentum against the Ravens.
This should be a favorable matchup for DPJ as the Ravens have had trouble stopping opposing wideouts in 2022. Watson is expected to try more deep throws as he becomes more at ease, which will help downfield playmakers like DPJ, along with Amari Cooper.
We expect DPJ to reach triple-digits in air yards again here as he emerges among Watson's primary downfield targets.
3. Browns ground defense struggles some more
Maybe Cleveland's biggest area of concern this season has been its run defense and tackling. To illustrate, the Browns rank 26th and have the third-worst run defense according to PFF. In fact, they allow 4.8 yards per carry. That poses a serious problem when playing Baltimore's run-heavy attack.
Take note that teams led by John Harbaugh often dominate weak run defenses, therefore the Ravens should trample the Browns on the ground in Week 15. JK Dobbins made his way off the injured list last week, and despite not being at full strength, he still managed to rush for 120 yards and put up an average of 8.0 yards per carry. Gus Edwards was also productive last week (13 carries, 66 yards), and the Browns will find it difficult to contain both of them.
We foresee Cleveland giving up 200+ rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
2. QB Deshaun Watson gets going
Watson's performance over the past two weeks hasn't been fantastic, as we already noted. As the Browns' defense and special teams dominated in Week 13's victory over Houston, he didn't need to do much. He also struggled last week against Cincinnati, when Cleveland played with more maturity.
With a 55.6 offensive rating through his first two games, Watson has been rated as a below-average QB by PFF. Comparatively, Jacoby Brissett has the eighth-best offensive grade among quarterbacks this year (82.2). Make of that comparison what you wish.
Making a QB change this late in the season should assist the offense. Instead, it has hampered Cleveland's attack even if it is still in the playoff hunt. Objectively speaking, we just haven't seen that. That said, Watson's trajectory should go upward with each passing week.
He won't be stellar here, but he should show signs of getting things going. We have him putting up 250+ total yards and one touchdown.
1. Browns let Ravens escape with a win
Lamar Jackson's health is the key factor in all of this. Meanwhile, even with Watson at the helm, the offense for the Browns has been just too uneven. As such, even a depleted Baltimore unit should still have enough to outplay Cleveland.
Watson's offensive struggles upon his return were anticipated, but he has been playing worse than expected for the Browns. On the other end, after defeating Pittsburgh last week, Ravens backup Tyler Huntley has the ability to win again on the road.
If Anthony Brown makes his first career start, the Browns have a golden chance to get win No. 6. Still, that's not automatic given how up-and-down Cleveland's play has been. In all likelihood, however, we anticipate Huntley to pass the league's concussion protocol after he participated in a restricted practice on Tuesday.
Do not be shocked if the Browns' tenuous postseason chances are dashed in a home loss. That's a result of their failure to stop the run and Watson's erratic play.
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