The Cleveland Browns pulled off a second-half comeback on Sunday afternoon, stunning the Baltimore Ravens by a final of 13–10, as kicker Andre Szmyt nailed a walk-off 37-yard field goal as time expired. The loss moved the Ravens to 4–2 on the year, 0-1 in the division, and knocks them out of sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
With Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson again sidelined as he continues to deal with an ankle injury. It was backup quarterback Tyler Huntley who was tasked with replicating his impressive performance from just one week ago. Early into the contest it looked as though Huntley was doing just that as the Ravens controlled the first quarter, striking on their opening drive as Huntley found rookie tight end Josh Cuevas from two-yards out. A Browns three and out on their opening possession would lead to another scoring opportunity for the Ravens on their second possession of the game as Huntley would lead the Ravens offense down to Browns 16 yard line. An incomplete pass from Huntley to receiver Rashod Bateman on third down would stall the drive, but kicker Tyler Loop would connect on a 34-yard field goal to give the Ravens a 10-0 lead with 4:37 to play in the first quarter. The Ravens defense was in complete control in the first half dominating Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, and holding the Browns to zero points in the first half.
The second half was a completely different story however as Huntley and the Ravens offense failed to move the ball like they did in the first half, allowing the Browns to stay in the game. A missed 49-yard field goal by Loop early in the fourth quarter would keep the Ravens scoreless in the second half, as momentum began to swing in favor of the Browns.
The major turning point in the game arrived with just under 13 minutes to play in the fourth quarter with the Ravens leading 10-3. Browns linebackers Carson Schwesinger and Tyson Campbell combined to force and recover a Derrick Henry fumble inside Baltimore territory. The Browns would capitalize on the Henry mistake seven plays later with a 2-yard touchdown run by Audric Estime to tie the game at 10.
Despite the lack of offense in the second half and miscues the Ravens still had a chance to win the game after Szmyt missed field goal from 48-yards out gave the Ravens the ball back with 3:44 to play. But another three and out would give the ball right back to Deshaun Watson and the Browns offense who would go on to orchestrate a game-winning drive. With a now tired Ravens defense on the field Watson connected with receiver Jerry Jeudy over the middle for a massive 33-yard gain on third-and-five to put the Browns deep in Baltimore territory with under a minute to play. With no timeouts for the Ravens remaining the Browns were able to work the clock down setting up Szmyt for the walk-off 37-yard kick as time expired to seal the win for the Browns.
It was another double digit blow lead for the Ravens, and one they hope doesn’t come back to haunt them later in the season. It is very clear this team desperately needs Lamar Jackson back and healthy as they cannot afford to continue to lose games especially games within the division. The positive is the Ravens defense has been impressive over the last two weeks especially on Sunday against the Browns despite the loss. If Jackson can return next week fully health and back to form, and this Ravens defense can continue to ascend in a positive direction the Ravens can hopefully gain some much needed momentum that seems to have avoided them through the first six weeks of the season.
The Ravens will return home next Sunday to take on another AFC North rival in the Cincinnati Bengals, as the Ravens look to avoid 4-3, and an 0-2 divisional start.
Injuries:
Rashod Bateman- Shoulder
Game Notes:
Wide receiver Zay Flowers led all Ravens with 66 receiving yards.
Running back Derrick Henry’s 58 rushing yards were his least amount of rushing yards in a game this season.
Safety Jaylinn Hawkins and linebacker Trenton Simpson led all Ravens each with eight tackles.
Punter Ryan Eckley’s seven punts for 346 yards were his most punts and yards in a game this season.
The Browns outgunned the Ravens 237-235.
