The Baltimore Ravens travel to FirstEnergy Stadium Monday night to face the Cleveland Browns in an AFC North matchup. The Browns have lost five straight going into Monday night's game, and head coach Mike Pettine will look for his team to turn it around against the Ravens. Baltimore is coming off a close win over the Rams last Sunday but will need backup quarterback Matt Schaub to step up now that Joe Flacco is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Schaub will make his first start since Dec. 29, 2013 after practicing the entire week with the first team. "He looked good. He looked really good," said head coach John Harbaugh, via the Ravens' website. "Matt has got his strengths, and every player has got different strengths. That's an interesting thing, whether it's the quarterback position or whatever position. Matt brings a unique skillset to the table and does a really good job with the things he does well."
The Ravens arguably have dealt with the most injuries of any team in the league, at least at their key positions. Ravens running back Justin Forsett suffered a broken arm last Sunday and is also done for the season. They also lost their top wide receiver earlier in the year when Steve Smith Sr. tore his Achilles. Harbaugh will look to establish a strong ground game with Schaub in at quarterback, and running back Javorius Allen will see plenty of carries on Monday night.
Allen is averaging 3.9 yards per carry but has yet to score a rushing touchdown this season. Following Forsett's injury last week, Allen rushed for 67 yards and caught five passes for 48 yards. The Ravens will need a strong ground game against the Browns, as Harbaugh will try to control the time of possession.
The Browns will also be making a change at quarterback this week as Josh McCown will start against the Ravens. Pettine made the decision after news arose that quarterback Johnny Manziel had lied to the coaching staff and spent the bye week out at clubs in Austin, Texas, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "You never want to regain a job this way, so to speak," said McCown, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It's not just Johnny. If any teammate were to go through that, you'd be not disappointed in them, but for them. You don't want to see anyone going through something like that. We're in that room together, and we want the best for people."
While McCown would have rather earned the job with his play, he will have to show the coaching staff and Browns fans why he belongs on the field Monday night. The 36-year-old quarterback has put up some good numbers this season and has thrown for 1,897 yards with 11 touchdowns to four interceptions.
The Browns offense will look for McCown to step up against Baltimore, and linebacker Karlos Dansby is the leader of Cleveland's defense. Dansby leads the team in tackles with 79 total tackles and also has two interceptions as well as a forced fumble this season. The Browns' top linebacker will look to put his team in the right positions on Monday night as it will look to dominate a depleted Ravens offense.
Both teams are dealing with major changes this week. Whether it's injuries or off-field reasons, both the Ravens and Browns will look like different teams Monday night. It looks to be an interesting matchup, and whichever team's backup quarterback plays better could steal the win. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Ravens' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Browns' radio broadcast, go here.
