OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens delivered exactly what their fans wanted to see in Sunday's home opener, crushing the Cleveland Browns 41-17 behind stellar performances from their defense and special teams.
After a disappointing Week 1 showing, the Ravens' defense and special teams units stepped up in a big way, creating scoring opportunities throughout the game and helping mask early offensive struggles.
"The blocked punt, the punt return, and then the two defensive plays that set up scores. You're talking about 24 points that got set up by special teams and defense," said Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. "You have to look and say that's probably the difference in the game, right?"
Coach John Harbaugh speaks on the Ravens' dominant win over Browns
The Ravens' non-offensive units provided crucial field position and scoring chances when the offense couldn't find its rhythm early on.
"It was tough sledding and that wasn't just coming our way in terms of field position or in terms of just opportunities for plays or things like that," coach Harbaugh said.
Cleveland's defense made life difficult for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense, particularly in the first half. But the two-time MVP quarterback found ways to make his usual magic happen, completing 19 of 29 passes for 225 yards and 4 touchdowns.
"A couple of times there were plays that were, I think, really in trouble. And he bailed him out, and probably 3 of his big plays were plays that he made something out of absolutely nothing and made a bad play into a great play," said coach Harbaugh.
The performance wasn't flawless. Baltimore struggled significantly on the ground, managing just 45 rushing yards on 21 attempts as Cleveland focused heavily on stopping the run.
"I would say they were quote unquote blitzing the run. It wasn't a blitz call, but it's a blitz reaction to the run," coach Harbaugh said. "Those guys were coming downhill immediately and they were all close to the line of scrimmage to start with."
The Browns' aggressive run defense opened opportunities for overlooked receivers like Tylan Wallace and Devontez Walker, who combined to score 3 of the team's 4 offensive touchdowns.
"Everybody wants to contribute. Everybody wants their opportunity. They want their shot. And it really doesn't matter where you are on the roster," said coach Harbaugh.
Through the first two games of the season, the Ravens have scored 40 and 41 points respectively, totaling 81 points to lead the NFL. They'll look to continue their high-scoring ways when they face the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football.
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