Baltimore vs. Cleveland

Ravens Off to 2-0 Start to the Season After Forcing 5 Turnovers in 24-10 Win Over Browns in Home Opener

The years go by and the names and faces change, but the Baltimore Ravens defense always seems to be ferocious. While they were not able to duplicate their shutout that they pitched in Cincinnati last week, the Baltimore defense again forced five turnovers in a 24-10 victory over Cleveland in the home opener at M&T Bank Stadium. 

The Ravens (2-0) have two wins in the AFC North after the first two weeks of the season. After missing the entire preseason with a sore back, quarterback Joe Flacco doubled his passing output by going 25 for 34 for 217 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He was 9 for 17 in his season debut in the 20-0 win at the Bengals in Week 1.

But while Flacco's performance was encouraging, the defense stole the show for the second-consecutive game.

"[Our defense] is confident that they'll make a play and make a stop, and that's what you want from a really good defense," head coach John Harbaugh said after the game. "We were able to force our opponents into mistakes, and that made a big difference for us." 

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Browns rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer did not have a banner day. He left the game for a brief time with a migraine—a condition that he said he's dealt with in the past, but not in a game since high school. The Ravens intercepted him three time and recovered a fumble from the former Notre Dame QB. Kevin Hogan played parts of the second and third quarter and also threw an interception.

"[Five turnovers] is an amazing thing to accomplish, but we want to keep pressure on in every phase," Harbaugh said. "When you do that and play sound football, you have a chance to force them into mistakes." 

Offensively, Javorius "Buck" Allen ran for 66 yards and had five receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown. Ben Watson had eight catches for 91 yards, Terrance West added a rushing touchdown, and Jeremy Maclin caught a TD pass from Flacco in the win. 

"[Flacco] had a really good week of practice, and I think it has to do with the fact that he's getting [the feel for] football again. He's getting a feel for the game and how to play it, so it's probably just a natural thing," Harbaugh said.

Flacco said that he felt like he did last week, and it was just how the game played out that gave him more chances with the football.

"I felt perfectly fine to do stuff last week," Flacco said about his 17-pass effort against Cincinnati compared to 34 today. "I think I am progressing week to week and feeling a little bit better, but I didn't feel too much differently on Sunday come game time than I did last week." 

Third-year running back Allen had a positive day after getting lost in the shuffle a bit last season. He had a 37-yard run to set up a touchdown before halftime that really impressed the head coach.

"This is exactly what I expected from him when we drafted him. He and I have had these conversations a lot, and to see that come to fulfillment from his hard work is great," Harbaugh said. "To come up with that run at the end of the half, that's a big-league play." 

"I believed in my preparation, I believed in my work ethic, and I never got down on myself," Allen explained after the game. "Yes, [I was disappointed that I didn't score after the long run,] but we got the win and we scored on the drive. I'm not a selfish person at all, so live to see tomorrow."

All the talk after the game was the defense forcing 10 turnovers in its first two games, but linebacker Terrell Suggs was quick to remind everyone that no one in the locker room is celebrating any accomplishments after Week 2.

"We have won two games. We don't have the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. We have not won the division. We have not clinched a playoff berth …the standard is very high here, and we did some things that we are kind of kicking ourselves in the butt for," Suggs said in an effort to keep his unit grounded.

On a negative note for the Ravens, six-time Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda suffered a fractured left ankle and is out for the season. 

GAME RECAP

After Suggs forced a fumble and a turnover by sacking Kizer on the Browns' second possession, the Ravens turned that first turnover into points following West's four-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 Ravens. 

Eric Weddle intercepted Kizer on Cleveland's next turn with the ball, but Flacco threw his only pick to give the ball back. Following a Cleveland punt, Flacco then engineered a drive that ended with a nine-yard TD pass to Allen to make the score 14-0.

Hogan threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to David Njoku, as the Ravens gave up their first points of the season with 4:56 remaining in the second quarter. With 15 seconds to go in the half, Allen busted out his 37-yard run that saw him get tackled at the 2-yard line. After using their final timeout, the Ravens went for it with five seconds remaining and were rewarded for their aggressiveness when Flacco found Maclin for a two-yard TD, making the score at halftime 21-7. 

The teams just traded a field goal each in a defensive-minded second half, making the final score 24-10. Lardarius Webb and Brandon Carr both recorded interceptions off Kizer in the final two quarters.

UP NEXT

The Ravens head back on the road to play the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3, but instead of going to Florida, Baltimore will be heading to England to play their first-ever game in London on Sunday as part of the NFL's International Series. Baltimore has won nine of their last 12 meetings over the Jags going into this contest. 

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