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After officially clearing the concussion protocol on Thursday, December 15, 2022, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley was cleared to play against the Cleveland Browns in Week 15. He was removed from the final injury report and will be the team’s starter under center in place of 2019 league MVP, Lamar Jackson, who was ruled out for the second straight game with a knee injury.
Opposing defenses are usually excited and licking their collective chops when it comes to facing a backup quarterback, especially when the starter is a generational talent like Jackson. Luckily for the Ravens, their top No. 2 at the position is just as dynamic and electrifying as their No.1 in the eyes of Browns star pass rusher Myles Garrett.
The three-time Pro Bowler spoke highly of the third-year pro who will be making his second straight start and the sixth of his career on Saturday when the two teams faceoff at FirstEnergy Stadium for an AFC North showdown.
“He’s fast, he’s elusive, he’s a lot of things that Lamar is,” Garrett told reporters on December 15, 2022. “He just needs a little bit more polish and I think he can be that capable of a player if he gets a chance somewhere.”
This won’t be Huntley’s first time filling in for Jackson against the Browns and Garrett vividly remembers the first. In Week 14 of last season in the second meeting of the year between the two teams, the former undrafted free agent came in and finished the game after Jackson went down with the ankle injury that would ultimately end his 2021 campaign.
While Garrett made his fair share of plays in that game including a strip sack that resulted in a clutch fumble that he returned 15 yards for a touchdown, he reflected on how well Huntley played as he nearly led the Ravens to a come-from-behind win. In just three-quarters of action, Huntley went 27-of-38 for a career-high 270 passing yards and a touchdown and added another 45 yards rushing on six attempts.
He was so slippery and elusive that Garrett compared him to a chicken covered in honey as with the way he made so many of their defenders miss in behind the kind of scrimmage as well as the open field.
“Athletically, (he’s) one of the top guys in the league,” he said. “We have to prepare for that, try to keep him in the pocket like we would Lamar and treat him with a lot of respect.”
Top 3 Ravens Storylines for Week 15 vs. Browns
Will the Ravens stay in front of the Bengals in the division standings?
The race for the AFC North crown is likely going to go down to the wire and be decided when the Ravens and Bengals faceoff for the second and possibly final time this year in the regular season finale Week 18. They are undefeated within the division this season with wins against all three of the other teams.
A victory in Cleveland on Saturday would complete the season sweep of the Browns since they beat the 23-20 in Week 7 and it would keep the Ravens on track to be in a position to win the division for the first time since 2019 in the last week of the regular season.
Will the defense prevent Deshaun Watson from finding a groove?
The Browns’ three-time Pro Bowl quarterback has looked anything but with his overall performance in his first two games back from suspension. However, in the second half of Cleveland’s loss to Cincinnati in Week 14, Watson began to show some signs of improvement and comfortability in the team’s offense.
The Ravens’ defense will need to continue to play as dominantly and smothering as they have been for the last month and a half for four quarters on Saturday to prevent the still athletically gifted Watson from knocking off even more rust after nearly two years off from regular season action.
He still finished his second game back with a solid stat line of 26-of-42 for 276 passing yards and one touchdown to one interception and ran for 33 yards on six carries. Earlier in the week, Ravens All-Pro Cornerback Marlon Humphrey said that the defense intends to give him a “not-so-soft welcome” to the division. Watson is 0-2 against the Ravens since entering the league in 2017 and will be facing the team for the first time since getting traded from the Houston Texans.
Will the offense continue to get back on track?
Despite having been forced to play both of their backup quarterbacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens showed a lot more promise and progress in the offensive side of the ball in Week 14. They recorded their second-highest rushing total of the season with 215 yards and were led by third-year running back J.K. Dobbins who made his glorious return from injured reserve.
According to Pro Football Reference, the Browns’ run defense ranks among the bottom of the league in rushing yards (11th with 1,665), touchdowns allowed (tie-fourth with 17), yards per carry (tie-sixth with 4.8), and rushing first downs allowed (11th with 94). The Ravens’ offense rank in the top 10 of each of those categories and will be poised to have a strong performance on the ground and dominate time of possession.
Key Ravens Matchups for Week 15 vs. Browns
Ronnie Stanley v. Myles Garrett
This will battle between the two All-Pro players will be the top individual matchup to watch in this game that could be one of the biggest deciding factors in this game. Stanley has historically performed well against Garrett but is coming off his first game back since suffering an injury to his surgically repaired ankle and was a limited participant in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday before getting a rest day on Thursday. That being said, the Ravens will likely be keeping the ball on the ground for the vast majority of this game while Garrett is an elite pass rusher with 12 sacks in 12 games this year, he isn’t nearly as stout against the run.
Roquan Smith v. Nick Chubb
The Ravens have the second-best run defense in the league behind only the San Fransico 49ers and the two-time All-Pro has been leading the charge for their front seven since being acquired at the midseason trade deadline from the Chicago Bears. In the first meeting between the two teams this season, Chubb was held to 91 rushing yards with a long of 22 and caught two passes for 16 receiving yards. Making sure his impact on the game is limited will be both Smith’s and the entire unit’s primary objective since the Browns’ offense flows through him.
Marlon Humphrey v. Amari Cooper
The Ravens All-Pro cornerback will be looking to bounce back from a rough game in coverage against the Steelers’ top wide receivers by locking up the Browns’ leading receiver and his fellow University of Alabama alumnus. Cooper is dealing with a hip injury that limited him to just one practice on Thursday but Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said that he is “going to go” on Saturday so the matchup should be fun to watch when they inevitably cross paths on Saturday. In the first meeting, Cooper caught three of his four targets for 74 yards and averaged nearly 25 yards per reception. Expect to see him and Humphrey have some physical battles down the field at points during the game.
Kyle Hamilton v. David Njoku
The Ravens’ top overall pick in this year’s draft didn’t have as rough of a day in coverage as Humphrey in Week 14 but he did allow his first touchdown since Week 2 going up against Steelers stud tight end, Pat Freiermuth. He will be getting another tough test this week with the Browns’ under-athletic starting tight end who has performed well and made some big plays against the Ravens in the past.
Hamilton has the length, strength, and athleticism to keep up with and limit Njoku’s impact in the Browns’ passing game and while he will likely be the primary defender assigned to him when the defense is in man coverage, the responsibility will be shared went they go to zone or both on high leverage downs. In the first matchup with the Ravens this year, Njoku caught all seven of his targets for 71 receiving yards before exiting the game with an ankle injury. Hamilton and Co. will need to do their best to neutralize him better than that if they want to avoid an upset.
Marcus Williams v. Deshaun Watson
The Ravens’ prized offseason acquisition missed the first meeting between the two teams while on injured reserve with a dislocated wrist. He made his return to the lineup in Week 14 and didn’t waste any time making his presence felt by recording his fourth interception of the season in just his sixth game of the season. If Watson continues to show signs of rust, Williams has the range and ball skills to make him pay dearly for errant passes that sail over the heads of their intended targets.
Final Prediction
The Ravens’ defense will make life miserable for Watson from start to finish, sacking him three or more times and scoring their first touchdown via an interception return for a touchdown. On offense, the Ravens will continue to lean on their resurgent rushing attack rush for 200 or more yards for the second game in a row and the fourth time overall this season. Huntley has an efficient day as a passer with a pair of touchdowns and only a handful of incompletions and Dobbins will rush for over 100 yards again while Chubb is held to under 70 yards on the ground and less than 100 yards from scrimmage altogether.
Final score: 24-13
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