The Morning After: Baltimore

Blogger's note: Due to time constraints Monday, I am writing this post Tuesday, two mornings after the game. If this causes any inconvenience, please feel free to pretend it's still Monday. I'm sure your boss won't mind if you show up at work on Saturday pretending it's Friday.

Ravens 16, Browns 3
Record: 2-3
Divisional record: 0-2

It was kind of like watching the Indians during the last week of the season. Performance anxiety to the nth degree.
For the first time since the season opening loss to Cincinnati, the Browns played tense, reeled from their mistakes, and looked disturbingly like last year's team, incapable of regrouping after falling behind.
Trent Dilfer, it appears, plays better when nobody expects him to play well, including himself. If Dilfer begins pressuring himself, he turns into Jeff Garcia.
This was a classic "statement" game in Dilfer's mind. A chance to prove to Ravens coach Brian Billick that he screwed up royally by ditching him after Baltimore's Super Bowl season in 2000.
Instead, Dilfer looked as bad as Elvis Grbac, Kyle Boller, Chris Redman or any other quarterback Billick has trotted out.
The tone of the game was set on the first play from scrimmage, when Dilfer mishandled a snap from center Jeff Faine and lost the fumble. It set up the only touchdown pass of the game for either side.
The Ravens, a penalty-prone team that Billick was rumored to be losing control of, went back to basics against the Browns, focusing on aggressive defense and run-based offense. It worked, as Ray Lewis played a big role in overmatching the Browns' offense. Lewis followed an unnessecary roughness call in the third quarter with an interception of yet another hurried, flailing pass from Dilfer. Total, Dilfer was sacked four times as the Browns offensive line looked as helpless as last year's, incapable of stopping the relentlessly blitzing Ravens.
On offense, Baltimore used the running back tandem of Jamal Lewis and Chester Taylor to control the clock for all but the start of the third quarter. The effectiveness of the running game, particularly Taylor, also allowed Ravens QB Anthony Wright to pick and choose his pass attempts, minimizing the possibility of another Baltimore QB implosion.
If you're going to beat the Ravens, you have to force them to pass. The Browns didn't, and probably couldn't, do that.
After one series, it was obvious the Browns don't match up well with the Ravens. The Browns don't blitz well on defense, don't handle the blitz well on offense, and can't run the ball. I am not looking forward to the season finale in Cleveland.

Up next: Detroit, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET.