The Browns headed into a tough environment against the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday, set to face an AFC North division rival for the second time this season.
Yet, the Browns overcame early struggles on both sides of the ball for the comeback win Sunday. They stunned the Ravens 33-31 with a game-winning 40-yard field goal from K Dustin Hopkins, capping a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback.
With the win, the Browns are 6-3 on the season and are tied for second in the AFC North with the Steelers.
Key Moments:
The Browns fell into a hole early, as QB Deshaun Watson threw an interception on the second play of the game, which S Kyle Hamilton picked off and returned for a touchdown to put the Ravens up 7-0 less than a minute into the game. The struggles continued on the defensive side of the ball, as less than five minutes into the game, RB Keaton Mitchell cut outside and ran for 39 yards for a touchdown and put the Ravens up 14-0 with 10:13 left in the first quarter.
Yet, in the second half, the tide began to change. The Browns offense found the end zone in the third quarter following a 17-play scoring drive. RB Kareem Hunt rushed into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game, and then Watson ran in for the two-point conversion to get the Browns within one score.
To start the fourth quarter, the Browns gave up another critical turnover, as James Proche III muffed a punt and the Ravens recovered the ball. The turnover set the Ravens up in the red zone, which they then turned into a touchdown on a 1-yard run from RB Gus Edwards.
The Browns offense continued to fight. With 9:04 left in the fourth quarter, Watson started to run, and threw a short pass to WR Elijah Moore who found the end zone for the touchdown. That touchdown was Moore's first of the season, and it put the Browns back within one score of the Ravens.
The defense followed suit. On the Ravens next drive, DE Ogbo Okoronkwo deflected QB Lamar Jackson's pass and CB Greg Newsome II came down with the ball for the interception. Newsome returned the ball 34 yards for the touchdown. However, Hopkins missed the extra point, so the Ravens held onto a one-point lead, 31-30 with about 7 minutes left in the game.
Then, after a critical defensive stop, with 3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Browns down by one point, Hopkins lined up for a 40-yard field goal attempt. As the ball sailed through the uprights, the Browns were able to celebrate the game-winning field goal in a pivotal division showdown.
Player of the Game:
Deshaun Watson
After the interception in the first drive of the game, Watson's second-half performance rallied the Browns offense for the comeback. He threw 14 of 14 in the second half, connecting with his receivers and tight ends to move the ball down field. He also found WR Elijah Moore for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Watson finished the game completing 20 of 34 passes for 213 yards, one interception and one touchdown, with a 74.8 passer rating on Sunday.
Stat of the Game:
The Browns defense held the Ravens to 106 net rushing yards. The Ravens entered Sunday's game leading the league in total rushing yards this season with 1,443, and they average 160.3 rushing yards per game.
What does it mean?
This was a critical win for the Browns for a multitude of reasons. This was an important comeback win to showcase what Watson can lead the offense back from a deficit, as well as the level of resiliency from the defense.
The Browns have back-to-back weeks against AFC North opponents beginning with this Ravens' game and then the Steelers in Week 11. With the win over the Ravens, the Browns are now tied with the Steelers for second place in the division. They head into Week 11 with another rivalry matchup at home against the Steelers.
What's next?
The Browns will host the Steelers on Nov. 19 at Cleveland Browns Stadium at 1 p.m. ET.
