Baltimore, MD (92.3 The Fan) – In what was supposed to be a potential coming of age game for the Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Ravens showed them they haven’t arrived just yet.
But they’re close. Very close.
The Ravens hung on for a 26-24 victory in front of over 70,000 raucous fans at M&T Bank Stadium to clinch their fifth AFC North title.
“It’s great for those young guys to feel this,” interim head coach Gregg Williams said. “There’s no doubt in my mind there will be games like this in Cleveland with this good, young team. Eventually, that’s what will happen.”
Baker Mayfield, in just his 13th NFL start, made history by breaking the league’s rookie touchdown passing record held by Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson with a 1-yard throw to receiver Antonio Callaway with 3:24 to play in the fourth quarter.
“It’s pretty special to me, considering some of the other guys that are on that list,” Mayfield said. “But it’s not just me, even though I get credit for the record. A lot of guys helped me. On the offensive line, the running backs and receivers, this is their record too.”
It was his third TD toss of the afternoon marking the fourth time this season he’s done that, but it was his third interception of the game – made by Ravens cornerback C.J. Mosely – on a fourth-and-10 from the Baltimore 39 that sealed the division title for Baltimore.
“We knew they would blitz us on every play, that is there M.O.,” Mayfield, who completed 23 of 42 passes for 376 yards, said. “They were giving us one-on-one match ups all over the field. The play that hurt was the pass to [Jarvis] Landry.”
Landry also lamented that play late in the second quarter that saw a ball go through his hands and hit his facemask deep over the middle.
Mayfield was able to hook up with Landry on a 48-yard strike with 12:27 left in the third quarter and his first TD of the day came with 8:22 on the clock in the opening quarter when he found former Ravens receiver Breshad Perriman wide open in the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
It was Perriman’s second touchdown catch in 3 weeks.
Mayfield also set a new rookie franchise passing record – surpassing Brandon Weeden’s 3,385 yards passing in 2012 by finishing with 3,725 yards.
Mayfield threw some dimes Sunday, including balls to Antonio Callaway that went for 36 yards and to Jarvis Landry on the near sideline that went for 19. Tight end David Njoku boxed out on a 42-yard catch in the third quarter.
Rookie running back Nick Chubb fell short of the coveted 1,000-yard threshold finishing with 24 yards on 9 carries. Chubb had the mark with a 10-yard run on a second-and-11 with 4:02 remaining in the first quarter but lost it and later got it back before losing it again in the fourth quarter when he was dropped for a 5-yard loss.
Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, if he stays healthy, is going to be difficult to deal with twice a year. His speed, deceptiveness and elusiveness tormented the Browns all afternoon and into the evening.
Jackson ran for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns and he also passed for 179 yards in the victory.
Baltimore racked up 121 yards on the ground in the opening quarter alone and finished with 296 yards led by Kenneth Dixon’s 117-yard effort.
With 1:50 left in the first half the officials interjected themselves again when they prematurely blew a Lamar Jackson fumble dead because they ruled Jackson scored a touchdown by reaching the ball over the goal line. But replay showed the ball never got to the goal line before he pulled it back and Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi poked the ball free for safety Jabrill Peppers to scoop up and race the length of the field with.
Instead of 7 points, the Browns got the ball at their own 7. Call it highway robbery.
“I wish it would have gone different at the end of the half on the defensive touchdown, but that is what it is,” Williams said. “We made a really good, nice play down there on the goal line and [Jabrill Peppers] scooped it up and was gone in the other direction, but they blew it dead. At least we got the ball back on the challenge on that.”
Cleveland’s offense went a quick 3-and-out and Greg Joseph didn’t come close on a 45-yard field goal try at the half gun that could’ve cut the Ravens lead to 10.
