Coach Pat Shurmur’s winless Cleveland Browns humbled 16-23 by Baltimore Ravens – NFL Recap
The Cleveland Browns’ winless streak has now been extended to four games after they were humbled 16-23 by the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, September 27, at M&T Bank stadium.
It was a total one-sided story from beginning to end as the Browns looked in misery at all positions. Quarterback Brandon Weeden was better in comparison with his previous three performances, but overall failed to impress the onlookers.
His pass completion rate was less than 50 percent on the day as he could manage to finish 25 out of 52 passes for 320 yards. Running back Trent Richardson who is a great potential remained below the mark and gained only 47 receiving yards on 17 carries.
On the contrary, Flacco ripped through Browns’ weak defence and came out with the impressive record of 28 for 46 for 356 yards. He kept the pace of his game very high, proving that he really loves run offence as he has often pointed out.
Wide receiver Torrey Smith, who had overcome a personal family tragedy in a game earlier to lead the Ravens to the much-needed win over the New England Patriots, was equally good in the Browns game. He took six catches for a tally of 97 yards. His performance
was matched by young receiver Anquan Boldin, who ran for 131 yards on nine catches.
Also, kicker Justin Tucker left an impression on the field with a perfect 45-yard goal that actually gave the Ravens a defining lead of nine points into early part of the game.
Tucker has replaced Billy Cundiff and since his arrival in Baltimore he has become one of the most successful kickers in the league. He does not miss many goals, which is an area where the Ravens have suffered in the past.
With the win the Ravens have stretched their home-win spree to 13 consecutive games that began in the past season, and also consolidated their position 3-1 in the American Football Conference (AFC) North. The Cincinnati Bengals, who are playing their next
and fourth game of the season versus Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday, are just behind them with 2-1 record.
So while it was an excellent teamwork from the Ravens, the Browns struggled in individual capacities as much as they did as a team. Coach Pat Shurmur did not have a clue how he should help the team to put up some fight and come up with a competitive score.
The result was very much expected as Browns are yet to find rhythm because of lack of experience. They have rookies at all key positions who are more prone to mistakes which are not new to them as all rookies commit them more frequently, while the Ravens,
on other hand, have one of the most experienced line-ups in the league.
In spite of the fact that a majority of Ravens said they were not comfortable with playing Thursday night games, they did not allow the hatred to play to their weakness.
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