Turns out, the Ravens will see Josh McCown once again under center in Cleveland this week.
Browns starting quarterback Robert Griffin III has been placed on injured reserve. He reportedly has a broken bone in his shoulder, which will sideline him for at least eight games.
“Robert will do everything in his power to rehab and get healthy, but Josh McCown is on this roster for a reason and we have great confidence in him,” Jackson said. “He is more than capable.”
The Ravens are well aware of what McCown can do.
He lit up Baltimore’s secondary last year in a 33-30 overtime win for the Browns in Week 5, completing 36 of 51 passes for 457 yards and two touchdowns. It was a Browns franchise record for passing yards in a single game.
“He’s been on fire against us,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “I just remember this guy having no conscious and just throwing the ball in there and completing passes against us. So we have a lot of respect for him.”
The Ravens did a much better job against McCown in their second meeting of the season in Cleveland, holding him to 212 yards and one touchdown in a Ravens win.
McCown is known for his solid decision making. He threw four interceptions last season in eight starts. The Ravens didn’t cause any turnovers facing him, though they sacked him five times.
He’s a different quarterback from Griffin, who is more mobile and likes to scramble. Baltimore’s secondary is coming off a spectacular Week 1 performance against the Bills and Tyrod Taylor, holding him to just 111 yards passing. Taylor and Griffin have similar styles.
Baltimore had faced Griffin once in 2012 when he was a rookie with Washington. Griffin went 15-of-26 for 242 yards and one touchdown before former Raven Haloti Ngata hit his knee, which began a series of health issues for Griffin.
The Ravens’ advance scouts had, no doubt, been preparing to face Griffin again four years later.
“It changes the way you approach the quarterback part of it, but [Head Coach] Hue Jackson is still the offensive coordinator and we have tons of respect for Hue Jackson,” Harbaugh said. “Hue Jackson is a ringmaster, so to speak. He’s very creative.”
