In a sloppy, dingy, error-filled Saturday night affair, the Cleveland Browns defeated division rivals the Baltimore Ravens 13-3.
Cleveland had numerous opportunities to take and extend their lead through mistakes from Baltimore, but mostly didn’t take advantage of them. Had the Ravens been able to take their own chances with any consistency, they probably would have won. Unfortunately it didn’t go that way.
The Browns were averaging south of 5 yards per game and actually lost the fight on aggregate, but they were able to convert one of their red-zone opportunities into a touchdown, and the Ravens weren’t. That was basically the difference in the game.
Nick Chubb was mostly kept in check except for a decent run (18 yards in the second quarter) for most of the game. Deshaun Watson wasn’t efficient (5.8 yards per attempt) or explosive (Cleveland had more than 15 yards in game gain). The Browns couldn’t stop the run to save their lives as Baltimore averaged over 7 yards per carry. And the Browns made their own mistakes, with Cade York missing two field goals, Watson taking three sacks (including one that resulted in a missed field goal) and the team finishing the evening in third place with just 5 of 14.
But the Ravens kept coming up short in goal position, turning the ball inside the red zone twice and inside the field once, and missing two field goals. In the end it was too much for them and the Browns drove away with the win.
Here are a few more things you should know about this game.
Why the Browns won
Mostly because, frankly, the Ravens have repeatedly shot themselves in the foot. It’s not like the Browns did much offensively, and they let the Ravens get into scoring position multiple times only for Baltimore to walk away scoreless.
Why the Ravens lost
They’ve had far too many missed opportunities. On their first drive of the game, the Ravens went for 71 yards in 10 games but walked away with 0 points after Patrick Ricard was stopped on a fourth and 1 try. On their last drive of the first half, the Ravens moved within field goal range, but Justin Tucker shockingly missed a 48-yard attempt. On their opening second-half drive, Baltimore found themselves in the red zone again, only for Tyler Huntley to throw a pickaxe. And after the Browns built a double-digit lead, Demarcus Robinson fumbled on the first game of the ensuing drive. Oh, and Tucker later blocked a 50-yard field goal attempt. And they failed to convert a fourth and fifth near midfield. And, and, and etc.
turning point
The Ravens had a chance to level the game midway through the third quarter, but Denzel Ward took it from them. Baltimore, looking from the 13-yard line at number 3 and 10, lined up with drives to the right and attempted to sneak DeSean Jackson for an oblique route underneath. Ward had other ideas.
This was an all-round poor execution by the Ravens, as Devin Duvernay didn’t get in Ward’s way and knocked him off path to the ball, Jackson didn’t use his body to shield the ball from the defender, and Huntley threw the ball ahead of Jackson and into cover , instead of pinning it to his back shoulder. But it was also a great play from Ward, who read the route all the way and ran right through his man and into the fast lane for selection.
Cleveland would drive down the field for his first touchdown of the game, extending his lead to double digits. The Ravens would never get any closer.
play highlights
Since there weren’t as many points, there weren’t as many big, highlight-worthy games. So, let’s just go with David Njoku hurdling a guy. You know how he does it.
Njoku is an incredible athlete in the middle of a breakout season. He finished that game with 3 catches for 28 yards, which gave him 51, 551 and three touchdowns in his 11 games played that season. He’s nearing his career highs in every category and should soon surpass that mark.
What’s next
The Ravens fall to 9-5 and cede control of first place in the AFC North to the Cincinnati Bengals. Baltimore hosts the Atlanta Falcons for an early afternoon game next Saturday. The Browns improve to 6-8 and are still on the verge of the AFC playoff race. They play host to the New Orleans Saints next Saturday for an early afternoon game.