Ravens 14, Browns 6
Bernard Pierce rushed for a touchdown, Marlon Brown caught a scoring pass and the Baltimore defense didn’t allow a touchdown as the host Ravens defeated Cleveland for the 11th consecutive time.
The Ravens (1-1) were held scoreless for nearly 40 minutes before Pierce capped a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a 5-yard scoring run with 5:13 left in the third quarter. Joe Flacco hit Brown on a 5-yard scoring pass with 8:57 left in the fourth to help send Cleveland to its fifth 0-2 start in six seasons.
The Ravens were torched for 49 points and seven Peyton Manning scoring passes in a season-opening loss to the Denver Broncos, but the defending Super Bowl champions recorded five sacks and held the Browns to 4-for-15 on third-down conversions in their second contest without former defensive stalwarts Ray Lewis (retirement) and Ed Reed (free agency to Houston).
Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden left with a thumb injury and backup Jason Campbell entered with 3:34 left and Cleveland backed up to its 1-yard line. The Browns turned the ball over on downs 33 seconds later at the Ravens’ 28 and Baltimore ran out the clock.
Cleveland received field goals of 21 and 51 yards from former Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff en route to a 6-0 halftime lead. Weeden was 13-of-17 for 158 yards in the half and finished 21-for-33 for 227 yards.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Flacco’s wife gave birth to the couple’s second child about an hour before kickoff. … Ravens RB Ray Rice (36 yards on 13 carries) departed with a left hip injury early in the fourth quarter, while Browns OLB Quentin Groves (ankle) was injured in the first half and didn’t return. … The Ravens are 34-7 in regular-season home games under coach John Harbaugh.