BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw four touchdown passes and Baltimore’s defense harrassed Joe Flacco throughout his return to Charm City as the Ravens dispatched the Cleveland Browns 41-17 on Sunday.
After holding Cincinnati to 141 yards in a one-point loss to the Bengals last week, the Cleveland defense limited Derrick Henry to just 24 yards on 11 rushing attempts and forced the Ravens to work.
But the Browns (0-2) were mostly inept on offense. Flacco, the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the Ravens playing his first game in Baltimore as an opposing player, went 25 for 45 for 199 yards and a touchdown, with an interception and a lost fumble.
The Ravens (1-1) led 10-3 at halftime despite having just four first downs and 81 yards of offense. A 41-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins set Baltimore up with first-and-goal from the 1, but an incompletion, a false start, another incompletion and a sack forced the Ravens to settle for a field goal.
Then Flacco forced a pass that was intercepted by Nate Wiggins and returned 61 yards to the 5. Cleveland made Baltimore use all four downs from there, but Jackson finally found Devontez Walker for a 2-yard touchdown that made it 20-3.
Cleveland’s lone TD came on fourth down in the third quarter, when Flacco’s pass was nearly intercepted by Marlon Humphrey, but went through his arms and bounced right to Cedric Tillman for an 18-yard touchdown that made it 20-10. It was the second straight weekend the Ravens were victimized by a fourth-down pass that caromed to an opposing player for a TD.
Baltimore, which blew a late 15-point lead in its 41-40 loss at Buffalo in Week 1, had a better answer this time. Jackson threw a 24-yard scoring pass to Walker with 13:26 remaining in the fourth. Then Flacco fumbled on a sack by Tavius Robinson, and Roquan Smith scooped the ball up and went 64 yards for a touchdown.
Jackson added a 23-yard scoring pass to Hopkins, and the Browns relieved Flacco with rookie Dillon Gabriel after that. Gabriel threw an 8-yard scoring pass to Dylan Sampson with 1:50 to play.
The Ravens also made a big play on special teams in the second quarter when Jake Hummel blocked a punt, giving Baltimore the ball at the Cleveland 24. Jackson threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tylan Wallace to make it 10-0.
Injuries
Cleveland WR DeAndre Carter and Baltimore RB Rasheen Ali left with concussions. … Browns T Jack Conklin (eye, elbow) was inactive. … Baltimore lost LB Kyle Van Noy to a hamstring injury. … Ravens CB Jaire Alexander (knee) was inactive after struggling in the opener. … Baltimore CB Marlon Humphrey injured his groin.
Up next
Cleveland hosts Green Bay next Sunday. Baltimore hosts Detroit in a Monday night game.
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