What will be decided in Sunday’s game at Baltimore?

1. The loser in this clash of 7-7 rivals will be officially out of the playoffs and would need an upset in the final week to avoid a losing season.

2. This game will show whether the “old Browns” are able to win the Super Bowl, ditch many of their starters due to the salary cap, and still sport a better team than the “new Browns” have built from scratch over the same time period.

3. This rematch of the Sunday night fiasco on Oct. 6 is a critical chance for Tim Couch to redeem himself and show enough improvement to provide hope for the future.

4. We’ll see whether the Browns’ linebackers are indeed soft, as a Baltimore columnist believes, by whether they can contain nemesis Jamal Lewis, who gained 187 yards in the game at Cleveland.

5. Every game this time of the year is a battle of attrition. The Browns will miss Courtney Brown and Dennis Northcutt, among others, while the Ravens won’t have Ray Lewis, Brandon Stokely, or Chris Redman, three key players in their earlier win. The winner this time may not have the deeper roster, but it will be the one better able optimize its remaining talent, capitalize on mismatches, and adjust its tactics on the fly. In other words, the matchup of Brian Billick (getting hype for Coach of the Year) vs. Butch Davis (still holding the keys to the store) is in the spotlight.