Game in review
Ravens 25, Browns 15
Offense: The Browns outgained the Ravens 290 yards to 282, and rookie running back Trent Richardson rushed for 105 yards on 25 carries (4.2 average). But the offense went 0-for-5 in the red zone. Rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden had a rough outing, completing 20-of-37 passes for 176 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating was 44.4. Thumbs down.
Defense: This unit struggled early in the game and then dominated for most of the second half before folding in crunch time. Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith scored the go-ahead touchdown with 4:26 left, when he caught the ball at the Browns’ 15-yard line, faked out cornerback Joe Haden with a spin move and then beat him to the end zone. Thumbs down.
Special teams: Phil Dawson made field goals of 32, 28, 29, 33 and 41 yards. He has made 23 consecutive field goals dating to last season. Thumbs up.
Coaching: The Browns were disorganized. They burned three timeouts, two in the first half and one in the second half, because of communication breakdowns. Backup running back Chris Ogbonnaya’s illegal formation penalty wiped out Weeden’s 18-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Josh Gordon with 9:29 left in the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-2 from the Browns’ 28 with 3:53 remainin, coach Pat Shurmur elected to go for it instead of punting, even though he had two timeouts and the two-minute warning to work with. Thumbs down.
— Nate Ulrich
