The Baltimore Ravens will continue the 2026 regular season with the second leg of a two-game road stint against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6, and the difference in the game could come down to how an individual player performs when it matters most or over the course of the game by capitalizing on their opportunities when presented with them.
With a win, the Ravens improve to 5-1 and would further strengthen their hold on the top spot in the AFC North division standings. A loss would, at worst, tie them for second place with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals if they both win on Sunday.
Here are four players who could wind up tilting the scales in favor of the Ravens and first-year head coach Jesse Minter.
WR Ja'Kobi Lane
The polarizing third-round rookie will be making his long-awaited return to the lineup after being activated from injured reserve on Saturday following a full week of practice. Lane was the unquestioned star of the Ravens' training camp and preseason, making highlight-reel catches on a daily basis by showing off his impressive hands and catch radius. His regular-season debut was cut short in Week 1 after he suffered a fractured wrist and had his first career touchdown negated by a penalty.
His size and length will make him a dangerous weapon in the red zone, a mismatch in one-on-one contested catch situations and an alluring target underneath when the Ravens need to pick up a first down and the opposing defense is too busy keying in on Zay Flowers, who is having a sensationally productive start to the season.
DT Travis Jones
Even though the Browns rank in the bottom half of the league in rushing offense and top running back Quinshon Judkins is out with an ankle injury, they'll still look to establish some sort of ground game. The fifth-year veteran will be key in ensuring Todd Monken and Co. can't gash them between the tackles by taking on and defeating double teams. He did a great job helping lead that charge against one of the best rushing attacks last week and will need to do so again versus one of the worst.
TE Nick Vannett
The 11th-year journeyman veteran made his Ravens debut last week and played 19 offensive snaps in place of fellow blocking specialist Durham Smythe, who suffered a season-ending torn Achellies in Week 4. With fourth-round rookie Matthew Hibner out for this game due to a hand injury, Vannett will almost certainly see the field even more often in this game, especially as lead blocker on the edge or from the backfield, an area he shined in limited action against the Atlanta Falcons.
DB Malaki Starks
The second-year pro has been a tackling machine over the past two weeks for the Ravens defense after struggling mightily in that aspect of the game at the start of the season. He led the team with a season-high 10 tackles last week, tying his single-game career high, and it marked the first game of his career with multiple tackles for a loss. He'll help limit yards after the catch, snuff out underneath routes and can bring the heat as a blitzer.
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