BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns got some really good news on the injury front Monday as the focus quickly turns to the 7-2 Baltimore Ravens.
Here’s our top Brownie Bites a day after the Browns’ 27-0 rout of the Cardinals.
Good news – Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. suffered an injury to his right MCL Sunday, but the injury is not season ending according to head coach Kevin Stefanski. Wills will be placed on injured reserve after being carted off with an air cast on his right leg in the third quarter of Sunday’s win. “Jed's played some really strong games for us,” Stefanski said. “I thought he was playing well in that last one [Sunday] as well. So disappointed for him, but I know he'll work really hard and we'll get him back out there.” Backup offensive tackle James Hudson, who replaced Wills during the game, is expected to assume a starting role in Wills’ absence for at least the next four weeks. Stefanski declined to say if they will consider moving rookie Dawand Jones, who took over at right tackle after Jack Conklin was lost for the season, to the left side and have Hudson work on the right. “We'll work through all those things this week,” Stefanski said.
No time to celebrate – Coming off one of the most dominating performances in years, there’s no time for the Browns to celebrate. Not with the 7-2 Ravens, who are perched atop the AFC North, looming. “We got our hands for this week, but we're definitely prepared for it,” safety Juan Thornhill said. Baltimore blew out the Seahawks 37-3 Sunday as Lamar Jackson continues to put together another MVP caliber season. “Lamar has been, I feel like, pretty dominant his whole career,” linebacker Sione Takitaki, who had an interception against Arizona, said. “Obviously he got the contract, so he's pretty dominant this year. He's showing that he's still one of the best in the league and he's just one of those dynamic players where he's going to throw the ball, but he's also going to use his legs. And so when teams game plan for him, you got to account for his legs and him running. So like I said, we're going to have to get back to the details this week, focus in, have a great week of practice. We've got a good challenge ahead.” The Ravens beat the Browns in Week 4 28-3 with Dorian Thompson-Robinson having to make an emergency start. “Every team, you kind of change as the season goes on, so I'm sure they're going to be doing things a little bit differently,” Stefanski said. “I know you always have guys in and out of the lineup on both sides, so matchups may be different in certain areas. So those are the things that we'll get started on this afternoon.” The Browns rank No. 1 in fewest yards allowed while the Ravens are the top scoring defense in the league. “We always see the top defenses like, and we see the Ravens defense up there, so we're going to be competing with those guys as well,” Thornhill said. “If they get a takeaway, we're going to try to get one as well. So that's what we're going to try to do. We're going to compete with them as we're competing with the Ravens offense as well.”
Hunt for the end zone – Kareem Hunt might not be piling up yards, but he’s scoring a lot of touchdowns since re-signing with the Browns in late September. Hunt scored again Sunday on a 3-yard run to cap off the scoring against the Cardinals. “You watch Kareem play, he plays hard, he runs hard, he's good in the pass game,” Stefanski said. “So he has done a nice job for us in short yardage situations, goal line situations. Obviously as you know, it takes everybody, you got to block and open up holes and that type of thing, but he puts his nose down, he's running really hard for us.” In six games Hunt has rushed for 196 yards and is averaging 3.3 yards per carry.
Best in the biz – Cornerback Denzel Ward collected his second interception of the season against Arizona and he has nine pass breakups this season. “The best cornerback in the league. I can simply say that,” Thornhill said. “The ball going his way, guy's not catching the ball. I mean, Denzel's been preparing hard each and every day, perfecting his craft, and it's starting to show. Guys can't get open, if the quarterback throws it his way, you don't know if you're going to complete it or he's going to come down with the ball. So Denzel, he's been doing a heck of a job with everything, and I just hope he continues to do what he's been doing and leading us.”
Proche’s debut – The Browns might have finally found a punt returner. James Proche, elevated from the practice squad, returned six punts for 55 yards with a long return of 17 yards but Stefanski wouldn’t commit to him keeping the job long term. “We'll see how it goes this week, but I thought he made good decisions, got vertical, so we'll see,” Stefanski said. Proche would’ve had more yards and a higher average per return had it not been for a few holding penalties.
Tough division – If the playoffs were to start next weekend, the entire AFC North would be in. Baltimore would be the No. 2 seed. 5-3 Pittsburgh is No. 5 thanks to the Week 2 win over the 5-3 Browns that drops Cleveland to sixth while 5-3 Cincinnati is the No. 7 seed. “We try not to look at all the stats and where we're slotting,” Takitaki said. “[It’s a] Tough, tough conference. You know what I mean? We're going to have to put our best foot forward every week.”
Bouncing back – Stefanski improved to 18-6 as Browns head coach following a loss with Sunday’s win over Arizona. “You hope not to lose any of them,” Stefanski said. “You're trying to go one and oh each week players do a good job of keeping the focus on the current week. Whether you win, lose or draw the previous week, it really can't affect the next one.”
Injury report – Aside from the Wills update, receiver Marquise Goodwin is in concussion protocol and it remains to be seen if cornerback Greg Newsome II, who was inactive due to a groin injury suffered at Seattle, will return to practice Wednesday.
