People keep looking for Johnny Manziel’s storybook entry into the NFL. Brian Hoyer keeps rewriting the chapters. Today’s Baltimore Ravens / Cleveland Browns game is a matchup of 1-1 teams that split their series last season one game apiece. But for Browns fans in particular, they’ll watch today’s Browns game for reasons they never expected to when the season began.
The story before this season was that today’s Ravens / Browns game would be the last time Hoyer started. Everyone expected Manziel to spring onto the stage in Week 4 and take the reins of the franchise. Hoyer had other plans, and so far he’s delivered on them.
Last Sunday against the Saints, Hoyer completed eight of 11 passes for 78 yards on the final drive and setup the winning field goal. The victory was the Browns’ first home-opening win in years. Hoyer finished 24-of-40 for 204 yards and a touchdown. Manziel played just one series, with two handoffs and an incompletion.
Last season the Browns snapped an 11-game losing streak to Baltimore in November. In that game Cleveland won 24-18 with a different QB, Jason Campbell, throwing three touchdown passes in the Browns’ victory. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco didn’t fare nearly as well, finishing 24-of-41 for 250 yards and as his team’s leading rusher (25 yards).
Flacco will have to play better as you watch today’s Ravens Browns game live. Baltimore will once again be without running back Ray Rice, who was suspended indefinitely by the NFL. Flacco’s poised for a big passing game against the Browns’ dead-last defense, having completed 56 passes for 511 yards and three touchdowns for the season. Although all eyes will be on the Browns’ Hoyer, I expect big numbers from Flacco in today’s Browns game.
You can watch the Baltimore Ravens visit the Cleveland Browns today live on TV on CBS. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00pm EST / 10:00am PST. You can also watch Ravens vs Browns game online free live stream Week 3 using the CBS Sports website or DirecTV’s website. The latter requires you to have an NFL Sunday Ticket MAX package, which requires a subscription. All subscribers can watch the game online free via the DirecTV live stream if they’re stuck using a smartphone, tablet or PC.