Lamar Jackson, high-flying Ravens hit road against AFC North rival Browns reeling from Watson injury

Updated Oct. 25, 2024 1:47 p.m. ET

Associated Press

Baltimore (5-2) at Cleveland (1-6)

Sunday, 1 p.m., EDT, CBS

BetMGM NFL Odds: Ravens by 9.

Against the spread: Baltimore 4-2-1; Cleveland 2-5.

Series record: Ravens lead 36-14.

Last meeting: Browns beat Ravens 33-31 on Nov. 12, 2023.

Last week: Ravens beat Buccaneers 41-31; Browns lost 21-14 to Bengals.

Ravens offense: overall (1), rush (1), pass (6), scoring (T1).

Ravens defense: overall (23), rush (1), pass (32), scoring (26).

Browns offense: overall (32), rush (28), pass (30), scoring (29).

Browns defense: overall (13), rush (15), pass (11), scoring (18).

Turnover differential: Ravens plus-1; Browns minus-3.

Ravens player to watch

RB Derrick Henry has literally hit the ground running in his first season with Baltimore. He leads the league in yards rushing (873), TDs (8), yards per carry (6.5) and defenders flattened. Henry is coming off a 169-yard performance, which included an 81-yard run on Monday night against the Bucs. Henry has had a run of at least 25 yards in each of his past six games.

Browns player to watch

QB Jameis Winston takes over the NFL's worst offense a week after Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury. Winston has made 80 starts, but this will be his first since 2022 with New Orleans. His experience, energy and leadership are key as the Browns try to keep things together in a season spiraling.

Key matchup

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson vs. Browns defensive front seven. Jackson is having another MVP-caliber season and as he goes, so goes Baltimore's No. 1-ranked offense, which is averaging 31.1 points and 461 yards per game. Cleveland's best chance to stay in the game will be containing the elusive Jackson, who has an uncanny knack of escaping trouble and turning a probable sack into an improbable gain.

Key injuries

Ravens: CB Marlon Humphrey (knee), who is tied for second in the league with four interceptions, got hurt in Monday's game and was limited this week. Fellow cornerback Nate Wiggins (shoulder) also missed practice time.

Browns: Watson's injury ended his third season with Cleveland and raised more questions about his future with the team. ... LT Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) is out. Coach Kevin Stefanski said Dawand Jones, who has started at right tackle, could be an option to take Wills' spot with Jack Conklin at right tackle. ... C Ethan Pocic (knee) and LB Jordan Hicks (elbow/triceps) missed practice time this week. ... RG Wyatt Teller (knee) should return after missing four games. ... RB Ronnie Hickman (ankle) and RB Jerome Ford (hamstring) will miss their second straight games.

Series notes

Two intertwined franchises meet for the first time this season. ... Owner Art Modell moved his franchise from Cleveland to Baltimore in 1995, a move that remains a sore spot for some bitter Browns fans. ... The Ravens have dominated, winning 11 in a row and 18 of 20 in a stretch from 2008-17. ... Cleveland has won two of the past three matchups. ... The most recent meeting was a thriller as Watson completed all 14 passes while leading the Browns to the comeback win sealed on Dustin Hopkins' 40-yard field goal as time expired.

Stats and stuff

The Ravens have won five straight. ... Jackson threw five TD passes against Tampa Bay, his fifth career game with five TDs and no interceptions. ... Jackson's 118.0 passer rating leads the league. He's thrown 15 TD passes and just two picks. ... Baltimore has had more than 450 yards of offense in all four road games. ... The Ravens can become the first team since the 1960 Green Bay Packers to have at least 150 yards rushing yards in each of its first eight games. ... Henry has struggled against the Browns, rushing for just 184 yards on 60 carries (3.1 average) and one touchdown. ... Baltimore's offense is averaging an absurd league-best 7.2 yards per play. ... Baltimore’s 12 runs of at least 20 yards are the most in the league and the Ravens are tied with Philadelphia with three rushes of at least 50 yards. ... The Ravens have been nearly perfect on third-and-1 situations, converting 11 of 12. ... Baltimore has gone 10-2 in past 12 road games. ... Baltimore has made the most of its trips ’into the red zone, scoring 75.9% of the time with 22 TDs on 29 tries inside the 20. ... Ravens coach John Harbaugh is 25-7 vs. Cleveland. ... It's been another rough week for the Browns in the aftermath of Watson's injury, which was followed by some fans cheering when the embattled QB went down. The crowd's negativity didn't sit well with many of his teammates. ... Winston will make his 81st start since being drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2015 by Tampa Bay. ... Browns coach Kevin Stefanski turned over play-calling duties this week to first-year coordinator Ken Dorsey. Stefanski had resisted making the change, but decided to mix things up with his team — and especially his offense — in search of a spark. ... The Browns are the only team not to score 20 points in a game this season. ... Browns TE David Njoku tied a career-high 10 catches last week for 76 yards and a TD. ... Browns RB Nick Chubb played last week for the first time since suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 last year and scored a TD in his return. Chubb is expected to get more touches this week. ...DE Myles Garrett has gone without a sack for three straight games. He has 8 1/2 in 12 games against Baltimore, and at least one each of the past six games. ... Browns CB Denzel Ward leads the league with 12 passes defensed. He's the only player to be credited with at least 10 pass defenses in the last seven seasons.

Fantasy tip

Playing the Browns seems to bring out the best in Ravens TE Mark Andrews. He's had some of his top games against Cleveland, with 50 catches for a career-best 665 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games.

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