Ravens head coach John Harbaugh gives Browns high praise

Although they were 0-2 at the time, head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, John Harbaugh, had high praise for the Cleveland Browns

After Baltimore stomped the Browns in Week 2, 41-17, Harbaugh took to the media to share his beliefs that the division rival was goin to be good this season.

“I’ve said it before, [the Browns] are going to win a lot of games this year,” he said.

That game against the Ravens, Cleveland's passing offense looked horrific and they were unable to find the endzone many times. Led by quarterback Joe Flacco, they passed for 218 yards on 28-for-48 through the air. Rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel added on 18 yards and a score on 3-for-3 passing.

The rushing attack dashed for 115 yards on 22 carries, with rookie Quinshon Judkins being the only real threat. He put 61 yards down on the ground on 10 attempts.

Flacco ended the game with two turnovers, a fumble and interception, and consistently struggled to hit wide receivers. He also could not move much in the pocket and was sacked twice.

What Harbaugh had to have been referencing was Cleveland's defense.

The defensive unit for the Browns held two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and the rest of the Ravens offense to 242 yards. While being the best rushing defense in the NFL, Cleveland kept Derrick Henry in-line with 11 carries for 23 yards. Outside of Henry, they only allowed 22 yards.

While these comments came across as empty praise initially, Harbaugh may have had real reasons behind it.

Since Week 2, the Browns are undefeated.

Yes, that's just one game. However, that game came against the Green Bay Packers who were 2-0 and highly touted to be one of the best teams in the NFL.

The Browns' defense maintained their strong start to the season, holding the Packers to 81 yards rushing on a high-volume 31 attempts, and kept quarterback Jordan Love in check with 181 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The pick for Cleveland came from safety Grant Delpit late in the game to flip momentum, marking the first interception for the defense this season.

They ultimately walked the game off with a 55-yard field goal from the leg of Andre Szmyt, 13-10.

Just like Harbaugh, the Packers head coach, Matt LaFleur, followed up Sunday's game with kind words for the team that just beat his squad.

“They did a helluva job,” LeFleur said. “They were ready to play. They were gassed up. I knew it was going to be a challenge."

He believes that Cleveland's first two games showed how good they are as well, highlighting that the final score of Week Two was misleading.

"I mean, if you look at what they did the first two weeks of the season vs. a really good Cincinnati offense, versus a really good Baltimore offense …," LeFleur continued. "When you look at it, I think that (41-17) score was totally misleading, when you watch just the natural progression of that game. They had a fumble return for a touchdown; they were picked down to the five-yard line.

"I knew going into this, it was going to be a dogfight, and it was going to be a challenge.”

The Cleveland fanbase may not always have complete faith in the team they see come running out of the tunnel at Huntington Bank Field, but respected coaches around the league certainly do.

Heading into Week 4 against the Detroit Lions, the Browns sit 2-1.

The two sides will clash on Sunday, Sept. 28 with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. from Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.

Over the last 25 games, the Lions lead the series 19-6. This is the first time the two teams have met since November 21, 2021, where the Browns won 13-10 at home.