Still 0 for the season
BALTIMORE — Just two weeks ago, the Baltimore Ravens had lost four straight and were working on their second offensive coordinator of the season.
Now they’re alone in first place in the AFC North and coming off their most lopsided victory in two years.
After the Ravens (5-4) used an impressive second half to roll past the winless Cleveland Browns 28-7 on Thursday night, Joe Flacco took stock of the situation and smiled.
“It feels good. It’s Thursday night and we’ve got the weekend off,” the quarterback said. “It’s a lot of fun being part of winning football. It’s one of the toughest things to do in the world, to win a game in the NFL.”
Oh, don’t the Browns know it. Cleveland has lost the first 10 games of a season for the first time since it joined the league in 1950, and inched closer to joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only 0-16 team in NFL history.
They’re down, but the Browns haven’t quit.
“There are better days ahead for this group,” said tight end Seth DeValve, who scored Cleveland’s lone touchdown. “We are not flinching and we are not giving up. These guys are working hard every day to get a win.”
DeValve’s first NFL touchdown gave the Browns a 7-3 lead in the second quarter, but Flacco threw two touchdown passes in the third and another with 6:21 left to provide the Ravens with their second successive win.
It was the first time this season the Ravens were involved in a game decided by more than eight points. It was also their most lopsided win since a 20-10 victory over Cleveland on Dec. 28, 2014.
Some things we learned about the Ravens and Browns:
Despite tearing his left biceps last month, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs continues to excel.
After Cleveland inserted backup quarterback Josh McCown midway through the third quarter, Suggs beat his man and hit McCown’s arm as he threw, setting up an interception by teammate Jerraud Powers at the Browns 40.
In the fourth quarter, Suggs stripped McCown to force a fumble recovered by Baltimore.
“I’ve been around for 14 years, but I still feel young,” Suggs said. “I have played with a torn biceps before. I have come back from a torn Achilles before. So I guess it’s just in my DNA. My mom and dad did something special when they made me.”
