Oct 11, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) scores a two point conversion during the fourth quarter against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Mike Hughes (21) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Nikhil Mehta Sat, October 17, 2026 at 9:30 PM UTC · 5 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ravens are heading to Cleveland to take on the Browns in their first AFC North matchup of the year. Here's how they can come home to Baltimore with a victory despite a second straight absence from Lamar Jackson.
The Browns are fielding a bottom-10 run defense to start the 2026 season, a distant departure from previous units under Jim Schwartz. Injuries to defensive tackles Mike Hall, Mason Graham, and Kalia Davis have only exacerbated the issue. Hall and Davis are not playing on Sunday, and Graham seems more likely to join them after Cleveland elevated two DTs from their practice squad. Even if last year's No. 5 pick plays, he will not be at 100%.
The Ravens found a way to move the ball against a Falcons run defense that led the league entering Week 5 by running away from their imposing interior and attacking their injured edge. That mitigated the burden on Baltimore's injured, re-shuffled offensive line. Declan Doyle will still send Derrick Henry on plenty of outside runs on Sunday, but he should be more confident between the tackles given the Browns' injuries. Getting Tyler Huntley more involved in the run game should also be on the menu. He appeared to have room last week with Henry drawing the Falcons' attention, but rarely kept the ball. The Browns' linebacker will also be flowing to the middle to fortify their weakened line, which should create even more space for Huntley on the outside.
The Falcons were comfortable rushing four, sitting back on coverage, and forcing Huntley to settle for underneath throws. That fit their existing defensive ethos and personnel, and for much of the game, it worked. Between Huntley's indecision from the pocket, drops, and penalties, the Ravens struggled to mount long scoring drives.
Expect a different approach from the Browns. Head coach Todd Monken is plenty familiar with Huntley from his time in Baltimore – and that includes his limitations. The Ravens try to give Huntley easy reads and high-percentage passes that minimize the impact of his relatively underwhelming arm and slow release motion. So the Browns will likely throw press coverage at the Ravens' wideouts and force him to beat them over the top. Underneath defenders will likely be lurking for short, quick blitz-beaters, too, so Huntley will have to be careful when targeting his hot reads.
The Browns' run game has struggled to start the year, and Quinshon Judkins is coming in with an ankle injury. The Ravens defense should be able to control the game on early downs, which will set them up to face their biggest enemy of the 2026 season: third-and-long.
Last Sunday's game in Atlanta was almost comical. Baltimore would find a way to stuff Bijan Robinson and force third-and-long, only for Michael Penix to complete a pass beyond the sticks. Blitzes were not getting home, and coverage broke down after a few seconds. The Falcons kept spoiling the Ravens' best efforts on early downs and extending their drives.
Having Trey Hendrickson back on the field will be a fix of its own. He is by far the Ravens' best individual pass rusher, and in his first three games, he showed a knack for executing line games with his teammates. That latter element has been lacking in his two-week absence, though Mike Green and Nnamdi Madubuike have still made a huge impact on their own.
Those third-and-longs are the optimal time for Jesse Minter's specialized pressure packages. Hendrickson will help, but his teammates need to do a better job of setting picks and freeing each other up for runs at the quarterback. Cleveland's 11.3% sack rate leads the league, which might lend itself to sticking with a four-man rush and keeping numbers in coverage. But with Deshaun Watson's 24.1% pressure-to-sack ratio among the worst in the league ( via Pro Football Focus ), Minter should still throw plenty of blitzes at Watson to get him to hold onto the ball and take costly sacks.
If the Ravens defense can execute on third down, they should be able to hold the Browns at bay throughout the game. But Sunday night's win in Atlanta was a stark reminder of how turnovers can swing a game. The Falcons' early fumble-return touchdown forced the Ravens to play from behind for virtually the entire game, while Kyle Hamilton's overtime interception sealed the victory.
Hamilton knows better than any other Raven the importance of finishing turnovers. He has infamously dropped several interceptions throughout his career, including an absolute sitter against the Browns in 2024 that would have won the game. Instead, it fell through his hands and Cleveland won on a late score.
Contrast that with Hamilton's play this year, which featured a fumble he forced and recovered on his own before last week's pick. Every member of the defense needs to take advantage of turnover opportunities in the same way. Giving the Ravens offense shorter fields could help them build up a bigger lead early on and position Huntley and Henry to chew clock in the second half.
React to every touchdown, turnover and fourth-down decision alongside fellow Ravens fans in real time.
Download the SB Nation app on iOS or Android .
Source: Sports
0 Comments