Ravens vs. Browns staff picks: Who will win Sunday night’s Week 12 game in Baltimore?

Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Sunday night’s Week 12 game between the Ravens (7-3) and Cleveland Browns (6-5) at M&T Bank Stadium:

Jonas Shaffer, reporter

Browns 21, Ravens 20: Welcome back to the AFC North, where predictions aren’t even worth the paper they’re printed on. On offense, the Ravens will have to establish their running game or else risk having Lamar Jackson overrun by pass rushers. On defense, the Ravens won’t have to worry much about Baker Mayfield or Jarvis Landry, but can their front seven hold up against one of the NFL’s best offensive lines? At some point, the Ravens’ success in nail-biters will start to even out. Sunday’s game could be one of those games.

Mike Preston, columnist

Ravens 21, Browns 17: Cleveland will give the Ravens trouble because the Browns have physical interior linemen lines on both sides of the ball. The Browns will be able to get a lot of pressure on quarterback Lamar Jackson but Jackson, assuming he plays, will be the difference in the game. He is superior to Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield and his elusiveness will allow him to make several big plays.

Childs Walker, reporter

Ravens 27, Browns 23: This is one of the most difficult matchups of the year to parse. The Browns could present serious problems with their league-best running game and elite defenders, but they have only played up to their potential a few times this season. They never know what they’re going to get from battered quarterback Baker Mayfield. If the Ravens have a relatively healthy Lamar Jackson, they will pull out a win late.

Ryan McFadden, reporter

Ravens 24, Browns 20: There’s no telling what type of quarterback Baker Mayfield will be on Sunday night. However, Cleveland has an elite rushing attack and defensive end Myles Garrett is going to give the Ravens offensive line problems. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has said numerous times that he doesn’t like to play down-to-the-wire games. Unfortunately for him, this game has the makings for a close finish and the Ravens will need their star quarterback to help them pull out a win.

C.J. Doon, editor

Ravens 27, Browns 24: With health concerns surrounding both starting quarterbacks, this is a tough one to predict. But if Lamar Jackson is back to full strength, he’ll be happy to see the Browns on the schedule. Jackson is 4-1 as the starting quarterback against Cleveland, with 10 touchdown passes and four rushing touchdowns in those games. I’m more confident in Jackson bouncing back from his illness than Baker Mayfield playing through knee, heel and shoulder injuries, no matter how tough they say the Browns starter is. The Ravens will have a hard time blocking Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, but a healthy Jackson will be the difference-maker Sunday night.

Tim Schwartz, editor

Ravens 24, Browns 17: All eyes will be on Lamar Jackson to see how he recovers from his illness, but if history is any indication, he’ll be just fine. In his first game back after testing positive for COVID-19 last November, Jackson led the Ravens to a 34-17 win over the Cowboys and completed 12 of 17 passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns while running for 94 yards and a score on 13 carries. Jackson said Wednesday he’s feeling like himself again — for real this time — so the Ravens will be close to fully healthy for the first time this season and ready to run the ball on what should be a near-freezing night in Baltimore. The Browns defense has kept them afloat and Myles Garrett will continue to make his case for Defensive Player of the Year, but a beat-up Baker Mayfield isn’t in a spot to outduel Jackson.