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Rice Expecting ‘Prideful’ Browns Defense

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Running back Ray Rice has already checked the weather forecast for Saturday’s game at M&T Bank Stadium against Cleveland.

It’s supposed to be a little cold, but sunny.

In other words, it’s not going to be the rainy mess that Rice says dictated the Ravens’ heavy run game in Cleveland earlier this month.

For that reason and more, it may not be right to assume Rice will feast on the Browns’ defense like he did last time.

“We had to run the ball in that game,” Rice said. “Coming into this game, we know Cleveland is a prideful bunch. They’re not going to just let you walk over them.”

Rice ran 29 times for a career single-game high 204 yards and a touchdown in the Ravens’ 24-10 win over the Browns on Dec. 4.

He ran for 30 yards on Baltimore’s first offensive play from scrimmage. After the Browns got on the scoreboard for the first time in the third quarter, Rice busted loose for a 67-yard run on the next play to set up a touchdown that essentially sealed the game.

Rice’s performance, which earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, is still fresh in the Browns’ minds.

“I give those guys credit; they whooped us up front,” linebacker D’Qwell Jackson said. “They just out-manned us. But, when we went back to the film, it’s never as bad as you think it is.”

Jackson said that it wasn’t that the Ravens’ offense was doing anything complicated. It was just that Cleveland’s young defensive front was jumping out of gaps trying to make plays to stop Baltimore’s onslaught. That over eagerness left them even more vulnerable.

Since that game, the Browns have tightened up their run defense. They held Pittsburgh running back Rashard Mendenhall in check with 76 rushing yards. They limited Arizona’s Beanie Wells to 51 yards.

Overall, Cleveland’s rush defense is still ranked 31st in the league, allowing 145.4 rushing yards per game.

Head Coach Pat Shurmur and Jackson, who is second in the NFL in tackles (138), are expecting the Ravens to give Rice a heavy load once again.

“We kind of know how they’re going to attack us,” Jackson said. “We figure they will come in to make that game plan easy and just try to run the ball, and guys are aware of it. And then it’s just up to us to hold up to the challenge.”

The Ravens feel they know what to expect as well. Asked if he anticipates more attention this time around, Rice said “absolutely.”

“Anybody would after having a game like that,” Rice said. “It’s all going to be about execution, but we know that they are going to put a nice edge on their defense, have a safety down, whatever they got to do to get the job done.

“Nobody is going to line up and let you just run over them. It’s going to be a fight.”


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