The Browns overcome the Ravens 33–31 after trailing 14–1 in the fourth quarter, tightening the AFC North.
MARYLAND — The huge contract that the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson last year has drawn a lot of criticism towards the team.
His performance in the second half against Baltimore demonstrated why they were so keen to acquire the star quarterback, but that won’t go away because of one big game.
After the break, Watson completed all of his passes, and Cleveland executed all of the crucial plays as they overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Ravens 33-31 on Sunday. To win it, Dustin Hopkins made a 40-yard field goal on the last play.
“Very impressive victory away from home against one of the best teams in the league and one of the best defenses in the league,” Watson remarked. “I believe that overall, this team and the offense as a whole—not just me—had a fantastic opportunity.”
With 8:57 left, Watson found Elijah Moore for a 10-yard touchdown pass, cutting Cleveland’s (6-3) deficit to 31-17. After that, in just 41 seconds, Greg Newsome II intercepted a high-arcing pass from Lamar Jackson and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown.
Hopkins’ missed extra point kept the Ravens ahead 31–30, but Cleveland recovered and drove 58 yards for the game-winning kick. The crucial play that restarted the drive was a 17-yard pass to Amari Cooper on second-and-19
.
The Browns had advantages in both time of possession (34:15–25:45) and rushing (178–106), but by the end, Baltimore’s formidable defense was unable to hold onto the lead.
Coach John Harbaugh of the Ravens stated, “That’s something that would have been very valuable in this game to stop the run and get the run game going just a little bit better.” However, we were unable to succeed. We attempted, but were unsuccessful.
Before the 2018 season, Watson was acquired by Cleveland for a large haul of draft picks, and he was awarded a $230 million, fully guaranteed contract. Following accusations of sexual assault and misconduct during massage therapy sessions by over two dozen women, he was given an 11-game suspension by the NFL last season for breaking its personal conduct policy. Browns’ record was 7-10.
Although the Browns’ success is largely due to their strong defense, Watson has missed three games this season due to shoulder issues. However, after trailing 17-9 in Baltimore at halftime, the versatile quarterback went 14 for 14 the remainder of the game. With 213 passing yards and 37 rushing, he was a problem for the Ravens’ highly regarded pass rush.
“He is a fighter. In the second half, he persevered despite an ankle injury, according to Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski.
The four-game winning streak for Baltimore (7-3) was ended, and Cleveland’s victory considerably tightened the AFC North race.
The defenses, who came into the game ranked first and second in the league, had their moments despite the high score. Kyle Hamilton batted Watson’s pass into the air on the second play from scrimmage, and the ball fell right to the Baltimore safety, who returned the interception 18 yards for a touchdown forty seconds into the game.
On his first play against the Browns, undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell, who had no NFL carries prior to rushing for 138 yards on nine attempts the week before, scored on a 39-yard run. Baltimore led 14-0 less than five minutes after that.
The Ravens led 24-9 in the third quarter after Odell Beckham Jr., who was a member of Cleveland from 2019 until his dramatic departure in 2021, outran everyone and caught a pass over the middle from Jackson. However, the Ravens’ defense was unable to get off the field after that.
The Browns covered 75 yards in 17 plays, and Kareem Hunt’s 3-yard touchdown run sealed the over-ten-minute drive. With Watson’s 2-point conversion run, the score was 24–17.
When former Raven James Proche botched a punt, giving Baltimore possession at the Cleveland 12, the Browns were about to regain possession of the ball.
Despite the short field, the subsequent drive was anything but easy: it was prolonged by a Browns holding call on third down. Then a touchdown for Baltimore was ruled back due to holding. Jackson seemed to have intercepted a pass in the end zone, but Cleveland was called for holding again.
At last, Gus Edwards scored on a 1-yard run to bring the score to 31–17. It was by no means ended.
Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett said, “These guys are tough, but down the stretch things start to slow down and guys kind of settled into things and we played the way we had practiced.” “We produced the plays that were necessary.”
The Browns avoided a series sweep after losing 28-3 to Baltimore earlier in the season when Watson was injured. They also closed the gap to within half a game of the Ravens in the standings.
AMID PRESSURE
Watson and Jackson’s mobility was undoubtedly tested. Two of Baltimore’s four sacks came from former Brown Jadeveon Clowney. Cleveland had three, with Garrett scoring one and a half.
As of right now, Garrett has 11 sacks this year. He became one of only six players, along with Lawrence Taylor, Bruce Smith, DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen, John Randle, and Reggie White, to have at least 10 sacks in six straight seasons.
