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          NFL Nation

          Pitta expects more hostile road atmosphere

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterSep 18, 2014, 10:00 AM ET
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              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
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          OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens are historically one of the most-hated teams that play at Cleveland's FirstEnergy Stadium every season. There is bitterness that remains even though it's been 18 years since Art Modell relocated the team to Baltimore.

          This time, when the Ravens play at Cleveland on Sunday, emotions could be running even higher. It marks the Ravens' first road game since the video surfaced showing Ray Rice punching Janay Palmer, now his wife, in that elevator.

          Even though Rice is gone from the team, there could be more ill will against the Ravens than usual.

          "We always anticipate it being hostile," tight end Dennis Pitta said. "And with everything that’s gone around in this organization and in the NFL, we expect that to be ramped up a little bit. So, it won’t come as a surprise if it is.”

          This was expected to be Rice's first game back when he was originally suspended for two games. But the Ravens cut Rice and the NFL then suspended him indefinitely on the day the latest video was released.

          Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs doesn't buy into the notion that the Rice aftermath will create a more raucous road atmosphere for the team.

          "We’re not too worried about that," Suggs said. "We know we’re going to be hated. This is the NFL. Every team is going to hate you."

          The Ravens have typically fared well in Cleveland, where they hold a 10-5 all-time record. They've won five of their last six games there, but they lost last season when playing on the road was a challenge.

          Their road record was 2-6 in 2013 (their worst in coach John Harbaugh's six seasons), with their only wins coming at Miami and Detroit. Half of those road losses were by a field goal.

          "Getting that confidence for us has been seeing how we do in a hostile environment," defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said. "Getting a win up there [in Cleveland] would be huge for our team."

          The Ravens went 0-3 on the road in the division, and they haven't won away from home in the AFC North since November 2012 at Pittsburgh. There's a feeling in the Ravens' locker room that they need this road win after dropping a home game to the Cincinnati Bengals in the opener.

          "All good teams have to be able to go on the road and win, and certainly that’s a challenge we’ll face this week," Pitta said. "Personally, I like playing on the road. I think it’s fun to be able to go into an environment where people don’t really like you."