The NFL is far from a sprint, and with some weeks feeling like a marathon, the Ravens are set to return to the drawing board.
John Harbaugh’s group looked like the best team in the league through one half, then melted down, as Baltimore was outscored 24-14 in the second by Cleveland, as the Browns pulled off the 33-31 upset as time expired.
The Ravens abandoned the run and their defensive principles en route to a shocking 33-31 loss to the Browns at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Kevin Stefanski’s team (6-3) moved within a game of the Ravens (7-3), who’ll look to rebound ahead of a massive AFC North matchup against the Bengals (5-4) on Thursday night.
With fans perplexed and disappointed after the late fourth-quarter meltdown, here are the studs and duds from Sunday’s loss.
Dud--OC Todd Monken
Monken spent all week talking about Keaton Mitchell deserving more snaps, only to give the undrafted rookie 3 carries and 4 touches overall.
Mitchell accounted for 64 yards and a touchdown on the day, but his lack of usage down the stretch is criminal.
Stud--Keaton Mitchell
The undrafted rookie has 202 total yards and two touchdowns on his last 11 touches of the football.
Mitchell had 2 carries for 34 yards and a score, and 1 catch for 32 yards.
Stud--Jadeveon Clowney
Stud--Roquan Smith
Ray Lewis had 14 solo tackles in a game three times during his career, and on Sunday, Roquan Smith may have shattered that more, with a reported 14 solo tackles, and 21 tackles overall on the day.
Stud-Zay Flowers
The young rookie has been the most consistent wide receiver on the team, and he logged 5 catches for 73 yards (14.6 AVG).
Stud--Kyle Hamilton
Hamilton logged 8 tackles, 2 passes defended and a beautiful pick six of Deshaun Watson early in the first quarter.
Dud--Ravens 4th quarter defense
The Ravens allowed 373 yards and 16 points in the fourth quarter, and were outphysicaled during a 17-play touchdown drive that lasted more than 10 minutes. Cleveland ran for 178 yards, and operated as the tougher team down the stretch.
