Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens: 5 Things to Watch
By Andrew Kim
Will the Ravens passing game be more involved with Joe Flacco against the Browns cornerbacks?
Even though Joe Flacco was not involved as much as he was coming off a back injury, Flacco threw nine completions out of 17 passing attempts for 121 passing yards for one touchdown but threw one interception. Flacco played the role of game manager well in week one, but with the improved Browns defense, he should be more involved and take a few deep shots to his receivers.
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If the Ravens can run the ball well and more efficiently, he won’t have to do the latter, but I think Wallace, Maclin, and Perriman should have bounce-back games against the Browns secondary.
Flacco showed some rust, but I think he will have a better statistical game in week 2.
With Michael Campanaro as questionable for the Ravens home opener, Chris Moore might be involved as a returner and as a depth wide receiver.
The Ravens only have Chris Matthews as the other depth receiver while the starters should get a lot of playing time and opportunities to make big plays against a weaker Browns secondary. Perriman and Wallace should get more looks on the outside as they only had one catch each and even though Maclin had two catches for 56 yards and a touchdown, he was still one of the most productive receivers based on per snap analysis, according to Pro Football Focus.
Even though they did not pass that much in week 1, the game plan probably won’t change if they can run the ball effectively but if not, expect some deep shots on a few play action passes on Sunday.