CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat the Baltimore Ravens 13-10 on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field, with Andre Szmyt kicking a 37-yard field goal as time expired to lift Cleveland into a share of first place in the AFC North. Baltimore scored all 10 of its points in the first quarter and was shut out the rest of the afternoon by a Cleveland defense that carried the day.
The Browns had almost nothing going offensively early, finishing the first half with just 46 total yards after falling behind 10-0. Cleveland finally got on the board on the first drive of the second half, when Szmyt connected on a 48-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 10-3 and give the home crowd reason to believe a comeback was possible.
The turning point came early in the fourth quarter, when linebacker Carson Schwesinger forced a fumble by Ravens running back Derrick Henry in Baltimore territory. Cleveland recovered at the Baltimore 35-yard line, and running back Audric Estime, who had joined the team earlier in the week, finished the short drive with a 2-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 10-10. Schwesinger finished with 13 tackles to go with the forced fumble.
Szmyt had a chance to put Cleveland ahead late, but his 48-yard attempt with 3 minutes, 44 seconds remaining sailed wide left. The defense held once more, and quarterback Deshaun Watson led the final drive, connecting with Jerry Jeudy for 33 yards on third-and-5 to the Baltimore 29. After an initial longer attempt was blocked but Baltimore was flagged for offside, Szmyt drilled the 37-yarder on the next try as the clock hit zero.
Watson finished 16-of-26 passing for 164 yards and added 29 rushing yards on eight carries, while Jeudy led Cleveland receivers with four catches for 69 yards. For Baltimore, Tyler Huntley, starting again in place of the injured Lamar Jackson, completed 19 of 31 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown, and the Browns limited Henry to 58 yards on 17 carries.
Head coach Todd Monken said afterward that the defense is playing well but that the offense still has not played its best football, a point borne out by a first half that produced five punts and no points. Even so, the result was the one Cleveland needed most: the Browns improved to 4-2, moved to 2-0 in division play, and joined Baltimore and Pittsburgh in a three-way tie atop the AFC North, the first time Cleveland has held a share of first place this late in a season since 2014.
The win also ended a three-game losing streak against Baltimore and sets up a road test next at the Tennessee Titans. Baltimore, now also 4-2, returns home to face Cincinnati. For one Sunday in Cleveland, though, a defense that gave up nothing after the first quarter and a kicker who redeemed a late miss at the final gun had delivered first place.
Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY