OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens returned to practice Wednesday in Owings Mills, turning the page from their tough Sunday night loss to the Buffalo Bills as they prepare to face AFC North division rival Cleveland Browns—and the return of Baltimore icon Joe Flacco.
WATCH: Ravens prepare for emotional homecoming as Joe Flacco returns to Baltimore
"He's iconic, I think, in Baltimore football history, you know, and so respect that and admire that and still keep in touch with him," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "Except not this week."
For Flacco, the return to Baltimore carries special significance after spending more than a decade with the Ravens.
"I mean, listen, I got to play them a couple of years ago, but going back to Baltimore is definitely a little bit different story," Flacco said. "It is somewhat surprising, honestly, that I've been gone for a decent amount of time now. So, you know, the fact that I haven't had a chance to go back is a little surprising. I have nothing but love for the people in that facility and the people in that city."
Don't let age and mileage fool you. As the Ravens prep for the Cleveland Browns and 40-year-old Joe Flacco in his 18th season, they know they're going up against a quarterback still playing at a high level.
"He operates the passing game really well," Harbaugh said. "He does a good job with all the play action stuff. He's going to get them in the runs they want to get in. Props to cool Joe."
Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy echoed that sentiment.
"I mean, he's still cool Joe in the pocket. "He still has a beautiful spot-tight spiral," Van Noy said.
Defensively, the Ravens must improve from their Week 1 performance when they gave up 497 total yards of offense to the Bills.
"You have a lot of guys that care about football, and for myself, it wasn't my best performance personally, so I just wanna do whatever I can to get better this week and get back out on the field," Van Noy said.
Ravens safety Malaki Starks emphasized the team's commitment to improvement.
"We got a really good team, and guys want to play football. We got a bunch of guys who want to go play football, who wanna be a part of one program, and I'm blessed to come to a place like this," Starks said.
The Ravens offense could be in for a tough day. The Browns' defense was smothering in Week 1, only giving up seven yards in the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals.
"This is a tough matchup. They've got a great defense, and we got to be ready to go to be able to play against that," Ravens tight end Mark Andrews said.
Harbaugh acknowledged the challenge ahead.
"Watching the tape, obviously they bring it like they always do—physical aggressive defense, smothering type of a defense, man coverage, mix it up, run out and play zone, try to disguise on you a little bit," Harbaugh said. "Heavy pass rush, very talented defense."
Both teams are looking for their first win of the season. The matchup is set for Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium with kickoff at 1 p.m.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting.
