Win the turnover battle
Although the Ravens lost their Week 1 game, they put 40 points on the board and showcased their high-powered offense. In Week 2, the Browns will need to limit the opportunities of the Ravens' offense by forcing them to turn the ball over.
Baltimore was up 40-32 against the Bills with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter when the Bills' defense forced Henry to fumble, giving the ball back to Buffalo. The Bills went down and scored to get within two points before they eventually kicked a field goal to win 41-40. The turnover played a factor in the win, stopping the Ravens from running the clock down.
Takeaways were a rare occurrence for the Ravens last season, turning the ball over 11 times in 2024 and seldom giving opponents extra possessions. This season, the Browns' defense has made it one of their goals to increase their takeaways, especially their interceptions, after having four interceptions and 12 total takeaways in the 2024 season. After not getting one against the Bengals in Week 1, the Browns' defense is aiming to make the Ravens' offense make a mistake in Week 2.
"In general, just getting takeaways is tough but we have to find a way to take it away," CB Denzel Ward said. "As good as we play, there's still more things that we could get better at and one of those areas is takeaways. We played well, played decent in this past game, but we have to take that ball, so we didn't play good enough."
By getting takeaways, it helps the Browns win the turnover battle; however, winning the battle also takes the Browns' offense playing a clean game as well. Giving the Ravens extra possessions, especially a Ravens' offense that averaged more than 30 points per game in 2024, is important for the Browns to keep or take the lead.
In Week 1, QB Joe Flacco threw two interceptions – one in the third quarter and the second with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter that ended their final offensive drive. They know the importance of securing those passes to limit offensive giveaways, working throughout the week to correct those mistakes.
"We just got to continue to build the rhythm and the timing with the rest of the group," offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said. "That counts for Joe as well to make sure that we continue to build the rapport, to sync up some of those plays that are really close to hitting, that just found a way to not last Sunday."