The games between these teams have a lot of meaning to the fans of Cleveland who are still bitter about Baltimore stealing their team.  The Browns made the fans happy sweeping the Ravens last season by a combined score of 60-43.  For the Browns to beat the Ravens again they need WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen Winslow to have huge games.  That will be easier said than done as the Ravens had little trouble shutting down Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the season opener.  The Browns must pass the ball early meaning that Derek Anderson must protect the football against a very aggressive defense.  If Anderson is effective that will open up some running lanes for Jamal Lewis who is also off to a slow start this season.

The Ravens will keep the ball on the ground with Willis McGahee, Le’Ron McClain and rookie Ray Rice against a Browns’ defense that is allowing 142.0 yards rushing per game and 4.6 ypc.  The Browns’ defense has also been pretty awful against the pass (242.0 yards per game) but the Ravens’ won’t likely take the training wheels off of rookie QB Joe Flacco in this game. 

PREDICTION:  CLEVELAND BROWNS 17, BALTIMORE RAVENS 13

The Browns have lost starting DE Robaire Smith for the season due to a ruptured Achilles Tendon.  He started both games for the Browns this season and he had 5 tackles.  Smith started all 16 games for the Browns last season and he made 56 tackles, had 4 sacks and he defensed 2 passes.  Robaire Smith is a good run defender for an end so he will be missed.  Shaun Smith will enter the starting lineup either at end or nose tackle.  Smith has played in both games for the Browns this season and he has made 6 tackles and he has a sack.  Smith played in 15 games (11 starts) for the Browns last season and he made 62 tackles, had 2 sacks and he defensed 3 passes.  The Browns’ defensive line depth takes a hit with Shaun Smith moving into the starting lineup but the starting lineup shouldn’t suffer much.

Questionable coaching and terrible offense doomed the Browns last night.  Romeo Crennel’s time management was some of the worst in recent memory as he tried to come into Herman Edwards’ class of ineptness screwing up at the end of the first half and the end of the game.  Derek Anderson completed 18 of 32 passes for 166 yards with 2 pickoffs in this game.  Jamal Lewis got his work in but that was about it for him.  Lewis carried the ball 19 times for 38 yards (2.0 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 28 yards (9.3 avg).  Kellen Winslow was one of the only players on offense that looked like he wanted to beat the Steelers as he caught 7 passes for 55 yards (7.5 avg).  Braylon Edwards had another game of dropping the football at will as he caught 3 passes for 32 yards (10.7 avg).  The Browns finished up with only 53 yards rushing on 25 carries (2.1 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 32 passes for 155 yards.

The Browns’ Defense played good enough to win last night.  Safety Michael Adams (8 tackles) and DE Corey Williams (8 tackles, 1/2 sack) led the way for the defense last night.  But, NT Shaun Rogers was inspired as he made 6 tackles and had a sack.  He pummeled Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker on a lot of plays last night.  The Steelers finished up with 117 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 19 passes for 164 yards.  The Browns are now 0-2 on the season and Romeo Crennel is now 0-7 against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers have owned the Browns lately winning 9 in a row against them and outscoring them 65-35 in the two games last season.  The Steelers will run the ball with Willie Parker (138 yards rushing, 3 TDs) against a Browns’ defense that allowed 167 yards rushing (5.4 ypc) last week against the Cowboys.  It will be up to NT Shaun Rogers and the linebackers to deal with Parker in the running game.  Look for the Steelers to run a lot of play action off of the running game if it’s established with Roethlisberger looking deep to Santonio Holmes.  The Steelers will also put a lot of pressure on the safeties of the Browns using Hines Ward and Heath Miller on the short stuff.

The Cleveland Browns have to get back to what worked last season and that was running the football and throwing it downfield.  Jamal Lewis ran well last week but the Browns fell behind too quickly to get him involved in the offense.  They likely won’t let that happen again tomorrow.  The Browns will likely use quick drops against the Steelers who had 5 sacks last week against the Texans.  With that in mind TE Kellen Winslow should be the Browns’ top target in the passing game.  Braylon Edwards had the worst game of his NFL career last week as he dropped twice as many passes as he caught.  He will be looking to redeem himself tomorrow night.

PREDICTION:  PITTSBURGH STEELERS 30, CLEVELAND BROWNS 20

The Browns have lost starting strong safety Sean Jones for the next several weeks due to arthroscopic right knee surgery.  This is a gigantic loss for the Browns’ defense as Michael Adams will likely replace him in the starting lineup and he’s nowhere near as much of a playmaker as Jones is.  Jones had 6 tackles in the first Browns game this season against the Cowboys.  In 4 years for the Browns, Jones has played in 49 games and he has made 236 tackles, has defensed 26 passes, has 1 sack, forced 1 fumble and he has 10 interceptions.  This was another bad break for the Browns at the start of the season.  It appears that starting free safety Brodney Pool will return for this game after missing the season opener due to a concussion.