CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- The Baltimore Ravens left another team searching for answers on offense.
The Ravens posted their second consecutive shutout and third of the season en route to a 12-0 blanking of the Cleveland Browns in an AFC Central Division matchup.
Playing in the city that they used to call home for the second time, the Ravens improved to 3-0 against Cleveland since the Browns re-entered the league last season.
Ravens owner Art Modell, who moved the Browns' storied franchise to Baltimore more than four years ago, was not in attendance. He also did not attend last season's game.
Baltimore forced the Browns into four turnovers and became the first team since the 1985 Chicago Bears to post consecutive shutouts. The Ravens were coming off a shutout over Cincinnati and also blanked the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season opener.
"We threw that at our guys as a challenge and that is no disrespect to the Browns," said Ravens coach Brian Billick about his team going for consecutive shutouts.
"We try to take away the big play and make sure they don't throw the ball over our heads," Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis said. "Brian (Billick) told us the Bears had back-to-back shutouts and they won the Super Bowl."
Matt Stover was the only offense for the Ravens, kicking field goals of 45, 30, 44, and 22 yards. Baltimore is off to its first 4-1 start in franchise history.
"Winning on the road is always tough," Bilick said. "Our defense was magnificent but we were not quite in sync offensively. We probably made more mental errors today than we had all year."
Cleveland (2-3) got a major scare late in the first half, when quarterback Tim Couch went down with a right knee injury. After not playing the final series of the half, Couch returned in the second half.
The Browns did lose starting running back and former Raven Errict Rhett to a sprained foot in the second quarter. He did not return and will be re-evaluated on Monday.
Baltimore got all the offense it needed in the first quarter when Stove capped a short five-play, 23-yard drive with a 45-yard field goal.
Quarterback Tony Banks helped the Ravens set up their second score, completing an 18-yard pass to Jermaine Lewis that put the ball on the Cleveland 6. Stover capped that march with a 30-yard field goal with 11:25 remaining before halftime.
On their next possession, the Browns dug themselves a bigger hole when cornerback Duane Starks intercepted Couch at the 32. Unable to move the ball, the Ravens settled for a 44-yard field goal from Stover for 9-0 advantage.
Cleveland attempted to get back into it late in the first half. Couch completed a 38-yard pass to David Patten, putting the ball on the Ravens' 8. Patten had seven catches for 113 yards.
Couch was drilled on the play by 330-pound defensive tackle Sam Adams and went down with hypextened right knee. Couch limped to the sideline and was replaced by veteran Doug Pederson.
"He hit me high. It wasn't a cheap shot or anything," Couch said. "He was a big guy and just landed on me. It kind of scared me and I feel real fortunate. At first, I thought I was done for the year."
One of the Browns' best scoring chances went by the board as fullback Marc Edwards fumbled into the end zone and cornerback Rod Woodson recovered.
With their defense dominating, the Ravens got their offense in gear on their first drive of the third quarter. Baltimore went 76 yards in 19 plays, a drive that took more than 10 minutes and resulted in Stover's 22-yard field goal for a 12-0 advantage.
Couch found little success on the afternoon and completed 20-of-35 passes for 205 yards and three interceptions.
Cleveland squandered two other scoring opportunities in the fourth quarter, moving inside the Ravens' 10 twice but failing to come away with any points. The game ended with the Browns on the Baltimore 2.
"We had opportunities but we were unable to capitalize on them," said Browns coach Chris Palmer, whose team managed 230 total yards. "We had eight penalties and three interceptions which makes the game more difficult. Even with that we had a chance to win the game."
The Ravens rushed for 188 yards, compared to just 23 from Cleveland. Rookie Jamal Lewis rushed for 86 yards on 13 attempts while Priest Holmes added 82 on 20 carries.
Banks had an unspectacular day and went 18-of-34 for 169 yards with an interception.
"We haven't hit our stride yet," Banks said. "It's a team sport and we didn't come out here thinking a 12-0 victory. We just have to eliminate the mental errors."
