Joe Flacco is 13-1 in his career against the Browns, but Sunday’s game presents a new kind of challenge for Flacco.
He’s not sure who’s going to catch his passes. One of the guys expected to be in the Ravens’ wide receiver rotation wasn’t even on the team a week ago.
The Ravens are expected to be without top receiver Steve Smith Sr. due to a back injury. Breshad Perriman, drafted in the first round last spring to complement Smith and become a deep threat, still hasn’t played due to a knee injury and is out indefinitely.
Starting tight end Crockett Gillmore didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday with a calf injury that also kept him out last week. If Gillmore is out again, that would make rookie Maxx Williams the primary tight end.
There’s more. The Ravens got slot receiver Michael Campanaro involved early in last week’s win over the Steelers, but he suffered a back injury and was placed on injured reserve. That prompted the team to trade with the Rams to acquire Chris Givens last weekend.
The good news? The Ravens finally got the run game going with Justin Forsett last week, and that overtime win in Pittsburgh was played on Thursday night. The 1-3 Ravens have had extra preparation this week to get Givens caught up and to get Flacco reps with likely starting receivers Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown.
Smith has 29 receptions, and Forsett is second on the team with 12. Aiken and Brown have combined for 19. Flacco targeted Smith 47 times in the first four games; only Julio Jones has been targeted more.
“It’s going to be a little bit challenging for us on offense, but it’s just the way it is,” Flacco said. “We wouldn’t want it any other way. These are the guys that are going to go out there and make plays for us, start making a name for themselves and help us win, so I’m excited about it.”
The Browns have given up more than 900 yards passing in the last three weeks, so maybe Flacco’s excitement is legitimate. There’s certainly an opportunity for the likes of Aiken and Brown to make a name for themselves, and both have big-game experience. But neither has had an opportunity like Sunday brings.