By Darragh Holland

Monday, Dec. 14 at 8:15 PM ET

ESPN

SPREAD: Ravens, -2.0

This week's Monday night football sees a massive AFC North clash with the Baltimore Ravens traveling to Cleveland to face the Browns.

These are two teams that seem to be forever underachieving the past few years and whenever they threaten to become a legit top team, fall flat on their face.

After blowing out the Tennessee Titans in the first half last week, we started to think this is going to be Cleveland's breakout victory. However, in the second half, Tennessee came roaring back and was very close to completing the comeback, ultimately coming up short.

While the Ravens have had a tougher season than most when it comes to COVID-19, Lamar Jackson hasn’t continued to progress from his early promise and is still very reliant on the team's run game.

He has continually shown that he needs play action to keep his throwing percentages up.

This will work against a lot of teams in the NFL, but as the Ravens have seen the past two seasons, the best defenses will find ways to beat this.

After Baltimore beat Cleveland 38-6 in a beat down in Week 1, we would not have anticipated the teams meeting like this in Week 14 with these records. In the first matchup, Lamar Jackson was throwing the ball with great ease and was looking like the quarterback the Ravens want him to be. Since then, things have slowed down for Baltimore while Cleveland has improved immensely to be now sitting with a 9-3 record and within touching distance of a first playoff berth since 2002.

Baltimore Ravens

After starting the season at 5-,1 the Ravens have really struggled since and have sent 2-4. A win over the sorry Dallas Cowboys in Week 13 was badly needed in order to stop a 3 game losing streak.

They have had to overcome their quarterback getting sidelined due to COVID -- as well as a number of other players -- which lead to the debacle over last week's game against the Steelers.

Add in the fact that three of their five defeats have come against the two best teams in the league (two to the Pittsburgh Steelers and one to the Kansas City Chiefs) then you could make a case that the Ravens are actually better than their 7-5 record suggests.

The other two defeats also came against the Tennessee Titans (Still in the playoff hunt and got to the AFC title game last season) and the New England Patriots (Also a playoff contender and a good team despite the loss of the GOAT).

With a run-in of the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals the Baltimore Ravens will see this game as a massive opportunity to head into the playoffs with an 11-5 record and huge momentum behind them.

Ravens Offense

There’s not much doubt the Ravens need to get some balance on the offensive side of the ball. Having the most rushing yards in the league but the least passing yards in the league wouldn’t inspire confidence for either getting to the postseason, and especially for winning in the postseason.

Lamar Jackson hasn’t progressed into a pocket passer and still relies on his legs to get him out of trouble. With Cleveland having a solid rushing defense, Jackson is going to have to step up and show that he can air things out.

Ravens Defense

The Ravens defense remains solid without reaching the incredible levels they have achieved in the past.

When these teams met in Week 1 they held the Browns to just 6 points and Mayfield to just 189 yards with both a touchdown and an interception.

They also kept Kareem Hunt to just 72 yards, so it will be an interesting battle to see who comes out on top again.

While the Browns offense has improved since that matchup,  they have still not been consistent enough for anyone to have any real confidence in them or for the Ravens to fear.

Cleveland Browns

Heading into last week's game, the Browns had been outscored by 21 points on the season, a shocking statistic for a team sitting with an 8-3 record.

They also only had one win versus a team with a winning record, so it meant last week's win was massive.

While they did stutter in the second half, they did get over the line eventually and the win should be a big morale booster for the team.

There is no doubting the fact that the Browns have been given a generous schedule this year but so far they seem like they are taking advantage of it. After this game, they have the New York Giants and the New York Jets before finishing up with what could be a division deciding game against the Steelers.

So this is a real chance for Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns to step up and show that they are a playoff-caliber team.

Browns Offense

Having the dangerous duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the backfield has helped the Browns to have the second-best rushing attack in the NFL, with the Ravens being number one. This could come down to whatever team can actually mix things up and throw the ball successfully down the field more.

While the Browns are ranked 28th in passing yards they have plenty to improve on themselves, though they do seem to have an advantage over the Ravens.

This could be the key in deciding this game.

Browns Defense

Defensively, the Browns rank 8th against the run, which should give them some confidence going into this one.

Of course, the Ravens bring a different dynamic than a lot of teams as Jackson is so elusive and unpredictable himself along with running backs Gus Edwards, J.K Dobbins and Mark Ingram all together combining for 294 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys.

Expect to see the Browns stack the box and make Jackson beat them by throwing the ball, which he has shown time and time again that he struggles to do.

The Prediction

This game is a really tough one to call as both teams blow so hot and cold.

Seeing as the Browns are solid against the run and the Ravens are so reliant on it, it really is a case of who comes out on top in that regard. If the Browns make Lamar Jackson throw the ball consistently then the likelihood is that the Ravens will struggle to move the ball down the field.

With Baker Mayfield getting a confidence-building first half against the Titans then maybe he will start performing on a more consistent basis. 

Both teams will be getting prepared for run-heavy offenses so it could be the team that can actually mix it up with play action and getting the passing game going that ends up winning this one. Both teams’ records could be seen as being slightly misleading when you see the teams they played so this game really could go either way.

When you factor in the beating the Browns took in Week 1 and the “revenge mission” mentality that can bring, I am going for another close game but the Browns get over the line and really pull themselves away from the pack in the race for that wildcard spot.

AJ’S PREDICTION: Browns 30 - 20

DARRAGH’S PREDICTION: Browns 27 - 20

Darragh is a sports writer for La Tonique.