The Baltimore Ravens needed all 60 minutes to knock off the Browns in Sunday's 23-21 win over Cleveland. Our takeaways:
- Joe Flacco came into the game with an outrageous 11-1 mark against Cleveland, but this isn't the Browns team he's used to frying with ease. Mike Pettine's defense kept the quarterback at bay while holding the Ravens to just 4-of-12 on third downs. Baltimore, though, turned the table on the Browns -- who beat the Saints with a game-winning field goal last week -- with a two-minute drive capped by Justin Tucker's 32-yard boot as time expired.
- Flacco leaned on his tight ends early, but that strategy took a blow when Dennis Pitta left in the second quarter after re-injuring the hip he fractured last season. Pitta was taken to a nearby hospital after crumbling awkwardly to the ground on a pass from his quarterback. It's a devastating loss for Gary Kubiak's offense.
- The Ravens didn't miss Bernard Pierce -- or Ray Rice for that matter -- on Sunday. After pounding Pittsburgh for 157 yards last week, they piled up another 160 against Cleveland, sustaining drives with a combination of Justin Forsett and rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro. Across the way, the Browns continued to lean on rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell, as Cleveland's ground game got a pair of touchdowns from their first-year runners.
- An illegal formation by West nullified a well-designed bit of trickery from the Browns. After Johnny Manziel entered the game for a handoff, the rookie passer appeared to leave the field. Instead, Manziel hung at the fringes of the sideline, taking off to haul in a 39-yard pass from Brian Hoyer. The penalty, though, wiped it out.
- Hoyer's ball placement is vastly improved from his ugly preseason. Starting 16 of 17 on the day at 11.6 yards per throw, the Browns quarterback -- who finished 19 of 25 for 290 yards -- was far from the liability many sold him as.
- Hoyer leaned heavily on Jordan Cameron during his two full starts last season, but the Pro Bowl tight end isn't seeing as many looks this season. Andrew Hawkins -- with 87 yards off a team-leading 11 targets -- has emerged as Hoyer's go-to man over three weeks.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps the Falcons' lopsided win over the Bucs and previews every other game in Week 3.
