The Ravens walked into Week 6 with a 10-0 lead and still found a way to make it miserable. Baltimore fell to the Browns, 13-10, in a game that had all the familiar Cleveland-road frustrations baked right in.
For a few minutes, it looked like the Ravens might cruise. Then came the stall.
Then the missed Tyler Loop field goal. Then the Derrick Henry fumble.
Then the offense going cold for long stretches and eventually losing its grip late.
The biggest takeaway from the day is obvious: Baltimore needs Lamar Jackson back, and it needs him back now.
Tyler Huntley’s three-game winning streak is over, and Sunday looked nothing like the calm, efficient backup version the Ravens had leaned on. He started fast enough, but once the offense went stale, the whole operation tightened up.
Huntley couldn’t make Cleveland pay for crowding the box, and that gave Henry little room to work. When the throws did come, the accuracy wobbled too much.
He missed a few he should have delivered.
That matters even more with Cincinnati and Buffalo next. Huntley has been capable, but this wasn’t a performance that can carry Baltimore through tougher opponents. Jackson changes the entire picture.
The ground game wasn’t much help either. Baltimore had some early pop, but the real issues kept showing up between the tackles. That part of the run game has been a problem all season, and it showed again here.
Emery Jones Jr. had a rough day dealing with Cleveland’s defensive front. He couldn’t hold up against the power, and stacked boxes made life brutal for everyone behind him.
Henry often looked like the first man the Browns wanted to hit, because that’s exactly what happened. When he’s met immediately and can’t build any speed, the play dies on contact.
This wasn’t just about one blocker, though. Short-yardage situations and interior runs have been a recurring mess for Baltimore. The consistency simply isn’t there.
The defense did its job for most of the afternoon. Cleveland went just 5-for-16 on third down, and for a team that has lived through too many third-down collapses, that part had to stand out. For nearly the entire game, the Ravens defense looked like the unit people expect it to be - organized, physical, and capable of getting off the field.
But the late lapse was costly. Jerry Jeudy got loose in the final minute, and that coverage bust ended up deciding it. Still, the defense held up for about 58 minutes, and the real problem was that the offense left it hanging.
There were bright spots from the rookies, too, and not just the one everyone already knows about in Vega Ioane. Ja’Kobi Lane came right back into the mix after missing four games with a fractured wrist and wasted no time making himself useful.
He got rolling on the opening drive, handled his downfield blocking well, and kept showing up when Huntley needed a target. He finished with 4 catches for 40 yards.
Josh Cuevas had the kind of day that can change a player’s role fast. With Matt Hibner out, Cuevas stepped in, blocked well, caught his first career touchdown, and added a 30-yard grab on a clever Declan Doyle design.
On the play, Cuevas lined up at left guard, then released into the route for a big gain. It was one of the sharper wrinkles Baltimore had all day.
The defensive backfield shuffle may have settled something, too. Chandler Rivers got his shot, but the fifth-round rookie hasn’t done enough. Baltimore turned back to Keyon Martin in dime packages, and Martin looked like the answer.
He made impact plays in bunches. Late in the second quarter, he knocked away a pass for KC Concepcion on first down, then came through with a sack on the very next snap to wipe out the drive. He also drew a pass interference penalty in the fourth quarter that looked more like a strong play than a bad one.
Martin brings heat every time he steps on the field, and that edge shows up fast. If he keeps playing like that, the Ravens may have found their dime guy.
In Other News...
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Dickersons situation is part of a wider buzz around the Eagles, whose recent struggles have prompted speculation about whether they could listen on a move. Nothing has been announced, and for now it is still just a possibility, but the idea of Cleveland looking to bolster its interior line before facing Baltimore is the kind of subplot that can linger all week. [Read more 🡒]
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Schwesinger, the 2025 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, has already established himself as a notable presence for Cleveland after a rookie season filled with production. The fine stems from unnecessary roughness tied to helmet use in the Browns Week 5 game against the Jets, and it lands just as the Ravens are preparing for another divisional test against a defense that has leaned on him heavily. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Have A Clear Path In Cleveland If Two Problems Get Fixed
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Baltimores bigger concern may be on the other side of the ball, where getting off the field has to become a priority. The Browns have been vulnerable enough in pass protection to put extra stress on Deshaun Watson, and the Ravens have the kind of rush presence to make that a problem if they can sustain pressure. If Baltimore can clean up third-down defense and keep the Browns from extending drives, the combination of a steadier run plan and a disruptive front could make this one fit the Ravens far better than the early absence of Jackson suggests. [Read more 🡒]