Ravens at Browns
THE STORY: The Baltimore Ravens currently lead the AFC North and are in prime position to take the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They just need to get over the nagging tendency to play down to their competition. The Ravens have looked strong in wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers (twice), San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans, but not so stellar in losing to Seattle and Jacksonville and struggling to beat Arizona. Baltimore has won two straight and has had nine full days off after taking out the San Francisco 49ers in a coaching battle between the Harbaugh brothers on Thanksgiving. The Browns played the Cincinnati Bengals tough last week and are a threat to the Ravens because of their staunch pass defense. Host Cleveland also has a running game again with Peyton Hillis back in the lineup, taking some of the pressure off Colt McCoy.
TV: CBS, 4:05 p.m. ET. LINE: Ravens -6.5, O/U 38
ABOUT THE RAVENS (8-3): Baltimore beat San Francisco by relentlessly pressuring the quarterback, matching a franchise record with nine sacks in the 16-6 triumph. The Ravens lead the league with 38 sacks and 240 sack yards. Baltimore does not seem to have lost a beat without linebacker Ray Lewis, who has missed the last two games with a toe injury. Lewis was held out of practice on Wednesday and is questionable for Sunday.
ABOUT THE BROWNS (4-7): Cleveland leans on its sixth-ranked defense and is especially effective against the pass, holding opponents to an NFL-best 174.7 yards through the air. Where the Browns have struggled is on offense. McCoy ranks 23rd in the NFL with a 78.1 passer rating and has gone over 200 yards once in the last four games. Hillis played last week for the first time since Week 6 against the Bengals and piled up 65 yards on 19 carries. He is probable again for Sunday and has been practicing this week.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Cleveland is without linebacker Scott Fujita, who broke his right hand last week.
2. Baltimore has won six straight in the series.
3. Ravens safety Ed Reed has 10 career interceptions against the Browns.