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A year ago, the Ravens went into Cleveland as heavy favorites. They’d won five games in a row. The Browns had lost five straight. Momentum, it seemed, would take care of the rest.

But games in this series follow their own logic. In a Week 8 stunner, Browns backup quarterback Jameis Winston outplayed Lamar Jackson, safety Kyle Hamilton dropped a would-be game-ending interception late in the fourth quarter, and the Ravens left Huntington Bank Field with a confounding 29-24 loss.

On Sunday, the Ravens (4-5) will head back to Cleveland (2-7) as heavy favorites. They’ve won three games in a row. The Browns have lost five of their past six. Any lessons to be learned, then?

“I think the way we started the [2025] season offered the biggest lesson of all,” Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith said Wednesday. “I’m not worried about last year, because it’s a completely new team, a completely new group. We can’t focus on last year and what happened last year.”

But it is a useful reminder: Sweeps in this series are rare. The Ravens haven’t beaten Cleveland at home and on the road in the same season since 2020. And after starting this season 1-5, with their lone win coming against the Browns, the Ravens can’t afford another series split.

Here’s what to watch in their Week 11 game in Cleveland. All stats are courtesy of Sports Info Solutions and the NFL’s Next Gen Stats unless otherwise noted.

1. Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has never been shy about blitzing. Not even when the quarterback he’s blitzing is Jackson.

Over the Ravens’ past three games against Cleveland, Jackson’s seen 13.3 blitzes per game and an overall blitz rate of 36%, which would rank as one of the NFL’s highest this season. In their Week 2 meeting, Schwartz sent five or more pass rushers after Jackson on 12 of his 33 drop-backs. In those situations, Jackson was pressured seven times and sacked once but went 6-for-11 for 56 yards and two touchdowns in the 41-17 win.

Asked Thursday whether he expected defenses to blitz him more when he’s coming back from an injury — Jackson missed practice Wednesday because of knee soreness — he laughed.

“That’s cool with me,” Jackson said. “I’m cool with it. We’re going to see.”

Jackson’s shown a quicker trigger in his first two starts since returning from a hamstring injury. From Weeks 1 to 4, he fired passes in 2.5 seconds or less on 43.2% of his attempts. In the Ravens’ wins over the Miami Dolphins and the blitz-happy Minnesota Vikings, that share of quick passes jumped to 55.8%.

Overall, Jackson has completed 21 of 29 quick-pass attempts for 198 yards and a touchdown since Week 9.

“He can do so many different things, and that’s one of the things he can do,” coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. “So it didn’t surprise anybody. It shouldn’t surprise anybody. It didn’t surprise anybody that has been watching him as a player that has to defend him, that he’s able to get the ball out against the blitz. You guys made a big deal about the whole thing [last week], but it wasn’t to us. He’s been doing really well against that stuff, and that’s pretty par for the course for him, actually.”

2. The Ravens had a season-low 2.1 yards per carry in their Week 2 win over Cleveland, finishing with 45 yards on 21 attempts. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Thursday called the level of production “unacceptable.”

“There’s no other way to put it,” he said. “Really, nothing to do with Derrick [Henry], per se, other than it’s not good enough. Just like if we don’t throw the ball well enough, or if we’re not good enough in the red zone. It doesn’t matter what area of the game — it’s unacceptable, and you have to fight to fix it, and we have. And that happens. This is the NFL; you have good teams, good defenses, but we’ve got to do a better job running.”

Henry struggled in particular. He finished with 29 rushing yards after contact — but just 23 yards total. He was contacted at or behind the line of scrimmage on eight of his 11 carries, and his longest run went for just 8 yards.

Cleveland’s front is formidable enough to render the Ravens’ offense one-dimensional once again. The Browns’ run defense ranks second in both success rate, according to analytics site RBSDM.com, and yards per carry allowed (3.6). The team has given up more than 100 rushing yards in a game just four times this season.

The Ravens’ best hope for explosive runs might come on pass plays. Over Cleveland’s past two games, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields combined for six scrambles for 75 yards.

3. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey will miss Sunday’s game as he recovers from finger surgery. He picked a good week to sit out: The Browns have one of the worst passing infrastructures in the NFL.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel lacks the arm strength to challenge defenses downfield. On throws of at least 10 air yards, he’s 17-for-47 (36.2%) for 285 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. On throws of at least 20 air yards, he’s 2-for-8 for 44 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

His receivers don’t make life much easier. Of the 103 qualifying players in ESPN’s tracking metrics, which evaluate receivers by their route-running ability, hands and after-the-catch productivity, the highest-ranked Browns target is rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr., at No. 89. Tight end David Njoku is 96th. And wide receivers Isaiah Bond and Jerry Jeudy are tied for last.

Cleveland’s offensive line isn’t any more reliable. The Browns have allowed a pressure rate of 41.2% this season, tied for the NFL’s third-worst mark. Gabriel was sacked six times Sunday in their 27-20 loss to the Jets, who were playing their first game since trading away star defensive lineman Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner.

“We definitely have to make sure we take [away] his first read, make him uncomfortable, and then when he gets ready to take off, we cannot let him escape the pocket and extend drives,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said Thursday.

4. The Ravens’ advantage on offense is obvious. Their advantage on special teams might be even more pronounced.

After another solid showing Sunday against Minnesota — Jordan Stout averaged 48.6 net yards per punt, rookie kicker Tyler Loop made four of five field goals, and rookie cornerback Keondre Jackson had a crucial forced fumble on a kickoff return — the Ravens rank fifth in special teams efficiency, according to FTN. They finished last season ranked 23rd in the opponent-adjusted DVOA metric, by far the team’s lowest ranking since 2011.

Cleveland’s special teams, meanwhile, are last in the NFL in efficiency. The Browns allowed a 99-yard kickoff return and a 74-yard punt return for touchdowns within a one-minute span in the first quarter of their loss to the Jets. Kicker Andre Szmyt is 12-for-15 on field goals, and Corey Bojorquez is last in the NFL among qualified punters in net average (35.9 yards).

“Nobody’s going to lay down for us,” Ravens special teams coordinator Chris Horton said Thursday. “We have to go out there and we have to execute. Just a few weeks ago, you talk about the guys that were playing, they’re young guys. So there is a process. There’s growth, and every week, I’m just seeing these guys just get better and better and better and better and better. It’s starting to show. It’s starting to show. So we approach the games in the weeks the exact same way, no matter how the week was, whether we played good or bad. Through praise or disgrace, we are the same people, because we know who we are and what we’re capable of.”

5. With a win Sunday, the Ravens would return to .500 for the first time since Week 2 and fortify their standing in the AFC North.

At 5-5, the Ravens would have about an 81% chance of winning the AFC North, according to The New York Times’ playoff simulator. Even at 4-6, they’d still be favored over the Steelers (64%), who’ve lost three of their past four games.

The Ravens can get some help from another AFC North sweep this weekend. If the Cincinnati Bengals (3-6) knock off Pittsburgh (5-4) again, the Ravens’ three-peat odds would rise to about 86% with a win over the Browns.

A win for Cincinnati at Acrisure Stadium would revive the Bengals’ hopes of their own late-season run, especially with quarterback Joe Burrow and defensive end Trey Hendrickson due to return in the coming weeks. But a victory in Pittsburgh would lift Cincinnati’s playoff odds to just 6%, according to the Times. A grueling schedule — from Week 12 to Week 15, the Bengals will face the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots and the Ravens twice — and a terrible defense will dim their postseason dreams for now.