HAVING A BALL WITH BALTIMORE

By STEVE KING

The Baltimore Ravens are scoring points in droves.

As such, for the Browns to have a chance to beat them – again, to sweep the season series – when they meet on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium, they are going to have to do a lot of things well, not the least of which has a lot to do with their offense and nothing at all to do with their defense.

That is, with the best defense being a good offense, the Browns are going to have to control the ball, move the chains, drain the clock and score points while all the while keeping the Baltimore offense on the best.

Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens said exactly that the other day.

When asked what the Browns can do to slow down the Ravens offense, he said, “Make first downs. You continue to make first downs. You get a new set of downs. You continue to hold on to the ball. It is all about creating, executing and converting on third downs. Keep control of the ball, no short fields, no turnovers – things that win games, especially since they have a knack of controlling the football.”

That all makes sense. That type of plan works every time it’s executed. But can the Browns, with an offense that looks good sometimes but more often than not struggles to be consistent, do it? That’s the big question.

It will obviously be a big test – and a good one – for the Browns, and if they can pass it – if they can play keep-away from Baltimore – then it would be a big step forward for them. Much of that, obviously, will be determined by what quarterback Baker Mayfield does. In the very least, Mayfield, the offense and the Browns overall have to come out of this disappointing season with some momentum. There could be plenty generated on Sunday.