NFL Thursday Night Football tonight hits the NFL Network with the winless Cleveland Browns facing the misfortune of playing at the 2-1 Baltimore Ravens. Watch a free live stream of the Thursday night game via the links at the end of this post.
The regular referees are returning tonight after three weeks of bad calls, fan outrage, and a Monday night debacle that could have serious implications later on in the season. Expect them to get a huge ovation, at least until a call that doesn’t favor the Ravens is issued. The bottom line is everyone from the players to the fans to the owners are glad to have the real deal back in the pinstripes and calling games.
The Ravens rebounded from a tough and substitute referee-impacted loss in week two at Philadelphia to beat New England last week by a narrow margin of 31-30. With the win, Joe Flacco and his Ravens have now won 13 straight at home and aim to make it 14 tonight despite the short week.
On the other side of the ball, the Browns are 0-3 and looking to break into the win column. Rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden has struggled thus far with six interceptions in three games. Some say he’s due a breakout game. Others think Ray Lewis and the Ravens defense will continue his rough start in the NFL.
The key for the Ravens will be to not go into this game overconfident. On paper they should win and win easy, but these kind of “trap” games have befallen many a favorite before. Just ask the Patriots about when the Arizona Cardinals came into town a few weeks ago. With the real refs back and normalcy expected to return, it’s too hard to ignore the odds of the Ravens walking away with a win.
Watch the NFL Thursday Night Football free online live stream of the Cleveland Browns taking on the Baltimore Ravens by heading to NFL.com. You can alternately check out this website for a free online stream option. Kickoff gets underway at 8:20 EST/5:20 PST on the NFL Network.
