Ravens Are Unanimous Pick to Win in Cleveland
The Ravens are one of the hottest teams in the league heading into Sunday's game in Cleveland to face a Browns team that is 2-7 and has lost five of its past six.
If recent history is any indication, however, the disparity in the AFC North rivals' records doesn't necessarily mean much. The Ravens will be in for a dogfight at the home of the Dawg Pound.
The Ravens (4-5), who beat Cleveland, 41-17, in Week 2, haven't swept the season series since 2020 despite winning 14 more games than the Browns over the past four seasons. Moreover, Baltimore has lost three of the past four meetings in Cleveland.
Suffice it to say the Ravens, who are a 7.5-point favorite, aren't overlooking the Browns as Baltimore looks to extend its winning streak to four games and get back to .500.
The pundits believe the Ravens will keep their momentum going, as all 57 we sampled picked them to win.
Here's what pundits are saying about the game:
The Ravens win a hard-fought game.
ESPN’s Ben Solak: "I'm a little worried about this game for the Ravens. … Cleveland's defense has been way better at home, [and] it is a divisional game. This Ravens offense is still very herky-jerky. … I like the Ravens to win but would not be surprised if this is still a close one in the fourth quarter."
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio: "I feel like this is going to be one of those games where the Browns find a way to dig deep and keep it close at home."
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec: "The Ravens have lost in Cleveland in three of the past four seasons, so this game isn't a walkover, by any means. But Baltimore is suddenly playing well in all three phases, and Cleveland is so limited offensively. I think the Ravens break this game open late."
Rookie QB Dillon Gabriel is in store for a tough day against a surging Ravens defense.
The Athletic’s Vic Tafur: "He's completed more than 60 percent of his passes once in seven starts, and if you made a video of the season's worst 50 passes, Gabriel might have half. Either way, the Ravens' roll continues."
ESPN’s Mina Kimes: "When defenses send a blitzing defensive back, [Gabriel] is dead last with a QBR of 4. There is one in Baltimore you may have heard of (Kyle Hamilton) who likes to come. Just in general, I think the Ravens are going to blitz [Gabriel] a lot."
The Browns offense won't be able to keep up with the Ravens offense.
The Baltimore Banner’s Childs Walker: "Despite the Browns' overall struggles, their defense remains a top-five unit and gave the Ravens fits in September. Myles Garrett isn't the guy you want to face when your franchise quarterback is nursing a sore knee and playing behind a shaky offensive line. All that stipulated, it's impossible to pick the Browns, because they can't move the ball efficiently or score enough to keep pace with a legitimate NFL offense."
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski: "With how poor Cleveland is playing on offense, it's difficult to imagine the Browns generating much of anything, while Lamar Jackson and Co. are good enough to put up points even against Jim Schwartz's stingy defense."
Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley vs. Browns EDGE Garrett is a matchup to watch.
Pro Football Focus’ Thomas Valentine: "Stanley has played well in 2025 — but when the two went face-to-face in Week 2, Stanley gave up five pressures and two sacks against Garrett, with the Browns' star recording an 89.6 overall PFF grade. Garrett will be looking for more of the same in Week 11."
Ravens WR Zay Flowers will record his first 100-yard receiving game since Week 1.
ESPN’s Seth Walder: "Flowers has quietly had a nice season with 2.6 yards per route run, which ranks sixth among all WRs with at least 100 routes in 2025."
| Source | Prediction | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| ESPN | 11 of 11 panelists pick Ravens | |
| USA Today | 6 of 6 panelists pick Ravens | |
| NFL Network | 10 of 10 panelists pick Ravens | |
| Sporting News | Ravens 24, Browns 13 | “The Ravens are back to feeling it with Lamar Jackson and his weapons and they need to keep clicking with Derrick Henry, likely to be contained by a tougher Browns run defense at home. Baltimore's defense has gotten much better vs. the pass of late and it will be just fine vs. Dillon Gabriel.” — Vinnie Iyer |
| CBS Sports | 8 of 8 panelists pick Ravens | “The Ravens have come to life with Lamar Jackson back, but they are playing consecutive road games. It won't matter. The Browns have a good defense, but the offense is limited. The Ravens and Jackson will win it, but it's close thanks to the Cleveland defense.” — Pete Prisco |
| Sports Illustrated | 7 of 7 panelists pick Ravens | |
| Baltimore Sun | Ravens 28, Browns 20 | “If it wasn’t a road divisional matchup, Sunday might have been a field day for the Ravens. They’ll still eek out a win and get to .500 on the year.” – Sam Cohn |
| Baltimore Banner | 6 of 6 panelists pick Ravens | “The Ravens’ defense enjoyed its only early-season success against Cleveland and is playing far better now. Rookie Dillon Gabriel is more mobile than Joe Flacco, who started in Baltimore, but hasn’t been able to punish opponents downfield. The Ravens know they can’t afford to slip up, and they won’t.” – Childs Walker |
| NFL.com | 5 of 5 panelists pick Ravens | “It's honestly scary to know Baltimore's offense hasn't been close to its best yet. Then consider the defense is rounding into form and hasn't surrendered more than 19 points in any of its last four games. Look, we know Myles Garrett will make his plays. I can't say the same for the rest of the Browns, especially on offense. I fully expect Baltimore to be in control for most of this game.” — Brooke Cersosimo |
| Pro Football Talk | 2 of 2 panelists pick Ravens | “The Browns are better at home than they are on the road, but still not good enough to upset a surging Baltimore team.”— Mike Florio |
Pundits Decide Whether Ravens Are Contenders or Pretenders
The Athletic’s Mike Jones sorted out which teams are contenders and which are pretenders. The Ravens landed in the former category.
"The lone team with a sub-.500 record on this list has won three straight and appears to have finally found itself after a tumultuous start to the season," Jones wrote. "Health regained, quarterback Lamar Jackson has directed Baltimore's offense to 27- and 28-point outings in each of the last two weeks, and Derrick Henry appears to have gotten back on track, averaging 97 rushing yards in his last four games after managing just 37 per contest in the previous four.
"Meanwhile, the Ravens' much-maligned defense appears to have turned the corner, holding teams to an average of 14.5 points in the last four games (a 3-1 stretch) after surrendering 35.4 per outing during the 1-4 start to the season. The Ravens have also recorded eight turnovers in the last four games after managing only two in the first five. They have a chance to build momentum entering the postseason, where they'll rank among the most dangerous teams."
The only other AFC teams Jones deemed contenders were the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. Surprisingly, the Buffalo Bills, who were regarded as one of three AFC heavyweights along with the Ravens and Chiefs entering the season, fell into the pretender group after losing to the Miami Dolphins last week.
If the season ended today, neither the Ravens nor the Chiefs (5-4) would make the playoffs, while the Bills (6-3), who trail the first-place Patriots (9-2) in the AFC East, would be the sixth seed.
However, ESPN's Marcus Spears said the Ravens, Chiefs, and Bills are all contenders because of their quarterbacks.
"Will we be surprised if Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Patrick Mahomes lost their minds for a three-four-week span once they get in the playoffs? Nobody would be shocked," Spears said on "The Rich Eisen Show." "The only problem with them is they have to play each other.
"Lamar Jackson in the playoffs I know hasn't been great, but we know what he's capable of. We've seen Josh Allen play to the highest level [in the playoffs] and still lose with 13 seconds on the clock. And I'm not going to waste my time talking about No. 15 in Kansas City."
Jackson Should Be in MVP Conversation if He Leads Ravens to Playoffs
As Spears said, the Ravens can never be counted out as long as Jackson is on the field.
Jackson has the eighth-best odds (+2500) to win the MVP award, but FOX Sports’ Henry McKenna believes Jackson should get strong consideration for his third MVP trophy if he leads the Ravens to the playoffs after a 1-5 start.
"The 2025 Ravens aren't a playoff team without Lamar," McKenna wrote. "What he's about to do — what everyone expects him to do — is truly spectacular. And if he does it, it should put him in the MVP conversation yet again."
McKenna noted that Jackson's evolution as a quarterback was on display in his return to action the past two weeks after missing two games with a hamstring injury.
"That's what we've come to expect from Jackson, a chameleon who can attack defenses in any and every way," McKenna wrote. "For a long time, it was impressive to watch him as a dual threat. But now, his knowledge and experience have brought a new depth to Baltimore's offense. It's rare to see a defense that fools him, which is a big reason why he has an absurdly low interception percentage this year (.7%), just like last year (.8%). Blitzes don't phase him, because he's so fast to get the ball to his hot route — or to scramble for a big play."
A Bunch of Players Have Had a Hand in the Defense's Turnaround
The trade last month that brought safety Alohi Gilman to Baltimore has been the catalyst for the defense's remarkable turnaround. His presence allowed the Ravens to unleash the versatile Hamilton and take some pressure off first-round rookie safety Malaki Starks, who has an interception in each of his past two games.
Those three aren't the only players who have been making an impact on a defense that has held the past four opponents to 19 points or fewer.
The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker specifically mentioned defensive tackle Travis Jones, second-round rookie outside linebacker Mike Green, and fourth-round rookie inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan as key contributors.
"Jones, who was hampered by an ankle injury earlier in the season, has been healthy of late and wreaking havoc," Wacker wrote. "His 21 pressures, including six this past Sunday, per Pro Football Focus, lead the team by a wide margin and his four quarterback hits and four tackles for loss are already as many as he had all of last season. He also has two pass breakups, which is just one shy of what he had for his career.
"After Green went without a sack in his first six games, he has registered 1 1/2 over his past three. He has also caused problems in other ways, including against the Vikings when he tweaked his rush to collide with and alter the route of receiver Justin Jefferson, who was lined up in the backfield, resulting in just a 3-yard scramble from quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Green finished the game with four pressures, second-most on the team. Buchanan, meanwhile, has seen a steady improvement in his defensive PFF marks even while playing slightly fewer snaps after being forced into a bigger role when Roquan Smith suffered a hamstring injury in Week 4 and missed the next two games."
Ebony Bird’s Connor Burke said veteran cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who signed a one-year contract reportedly worth $1.255 million this offseason, has also played a significant role.
"In seven games, he has registered a 73.7 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus. That mark ranks 12th in the NFL among 109 qualifying cornerbacks, and his 76.1 coverage is fifth-best," Burke wrote.
The addition of Awuzie has added significance this Sunday with cornerback Marlon Humphrey sidelined with a finger injury.
"He has quietly made his presence known all season, but with him taking on a larger role in Cleveland, he has the perfect chance to cement his claim as the steal of this past offseason," Burke wrote.
