CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Someone shook the snow globe in the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium and the Browns might have shaken up the AFC North.
The Browns defense forced a pair of turnovers, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker missed a pair of field goals and Cleveland held on for a 13-3 win Saturday evening.
Here are our Top Takeaways from a snowy, less than well-played but still a Browns win.
1. They may burn the film of this one, but it was your typical AFC North in December dog fight. Plus, wins are wins.
2. The Browns move to 6-8 to keep the playoff talk on life support. The odds are heavily not in their favor regardless if they win out.
3. Cleveland did the Bengals a huge solid Saturday. The Ravens falling to 9-5 now puts Cincinnati in the driver’s seat for the AFC North race.
4. Thank you cards to John Harbaugh for not running more against the Browns depleted linebacker corps. Baltimore out-gained the Browns on the ground 198-143 but could have had so much more had they not had Tyler Huntley throw it 30 times. Huntley by the way completed 17 of those passes for 138 yards and an interception.
5. This was not the Justin Tucker pass the torch to Cade York game, that’s for sure.
6. Tucker had a really bad day. Tucker missed wide left on a 48-yard field goal as time expired to end the first half keeping it a 6-3 Browns advantage. With 14:02 remaining in the fourth, Browns defensive tackle Jordan Elliott elevated to block Tucker’s 50-yard try to preserve Cleveland’s 13-3 advantage. “It was more that I was able to squeeze through the gap between the long snapper and the guard and tried to flip me giving me more elevation to get my hand on it,” Elliott explained. “It is cool to block him, but it’s about helping the team get the win, and that is the biggest thing. It is not about all that.”
7. York fared just a tad better. With 10:49 remaining and snow falling, York shanked a 38-yard field goal wide left to keep it a 10-point game, 13-3. York had hit earlier from 47 and 23 yards. Baltimore failed to capitalize, ultimately turning it over on downs at their own 46 after Huntley’s pass to James Proche II was dropped on fourth-and-4. York also pushed a 48-yard try wide left with 4:24 remaining. “It really was not that bad,” York said of the weather and field conditions. “A little windy, the snow came in. Had nothing to do with anything that happened. Honestly, thought I was handling it really well and kicking it well until that fourth quarter.”
8. Nick Chubb was a workhorse once again. Chubb churned out 99 yards on 21 carries. “We knew it was going to be tough sledding versus them,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Had our opportunities to make a couple of plays.
Especially late in the game, really proud of the guys. We get into big, big people and run the ball, and the ability to do that in that moment is very impressive.”
9. Deshaun Watson completed 18 of 28 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown in the cold conditions. His rating was 91.5. The win meant quite a bit to him. “It was fun. It was great,” Watson said. “It was a great fun game on the lake, especially in the fourth quarter when it started coming down and swirling around. It didn’t bother me. My job was going out there, competing and making plays, getting the ball to the guys that needed to get it, taking care of the ball and letting Chubb and Kareem [Hunt] tote the ball. It was fun to be out there. My first home game was a victory, and it was special. Many more to come.” After kneeling down to run out the final seconds, Watson let out a huge scream as he walked by himself on the field for a few moments before joining in the post game congratulations. “It was just me soaking in the moment and just releasing all of the energy and happiness that I had in myself,” Watson said. “I just wanted to kind of yell that and scream that out. I feel like everyone needs that every once in a while.”
10. Myles Garrett wrecked the Ravens’ comeback try with 4 minutes remaining in the fourth with back-to-back sacks, giving him 13.5 on the season. After a scoring review, Garrett’s second sack was split with Perrion Winfrey.
11. In the third quarter the Browns defense took the ball away twice. First, cornerback Denzel Ward made a sensational play beating Desean Jackson for the football at the 9 to thwart a Ravens scoring threat. “It showed who we can be,” Garrett said of the win. “We just have to put it all together. Tonight, it came all together with (CB) Denzel Ward getting the pick, us stepping up and starting to stop the run more efficiently and JJ coming downhill and pressuring the ball. Coming down to the end of the game and the D line closing the show.”
12. Cleveland’s 12-play, 91-yard drive in the third quarter turned the tide in the game. Chubb kept the drive alive with a 2-yard run on fourth-and-1 at the 9 before Watson found Peoples-Jones, who came out of the backfield, made the catch, curled inside before running into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown and a 13-3 Browns lead with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter. “They played zone coverage and the corner is sitting back,” Watson said. “I gave DPJ the ball. That is what I need to do is just give our talent and our offensive guys opportunities to make plays in space. Once I gave them to him, he made that play, the defense overran it and he got into the endzone. It was a great play by DPJ, a great route and me just pitch and catch and keep giving him the ball and opportunities.”
13. The route on the touchdown to Peoples-Jones is practiced daily since OTAs and it paid off. Peoples-Jones, who caught four passes for 31 yards and the score, used his body to screen off the defender while making the catch and turning up field across the goal line. “It was a great play call. We went out there, and we executed,” Peoples-Jones said.
14. The defense created its second turnover on the ensuing Ravens possession. Huntley completed a 14-yard pass to Demarcus Robinson.
Safety John Johnson III punched the ball out right before Robinson hit the ground and Johnson recovered the ball at the Baltimore 25. “It showed who we can be. We just have to put it all together,” Garrett said. “Tonight, it came all together.” Unfortunately, the offense was unable to capitalize again because of a holding penalty and a sack to force a punt on fourth-and-17.
15. Give Stefanski credit for keeping it simple on his two fourth down calls. The first saw Stefanski call a basic handoff to Chubb for two yards when one was needed. Jacoby Brissett was sent on the field for another fourth-and-1, and he picked up 2 on a QB sneak. See, this football thing isn’t as hard as the Browns make it out to be sometimes.
16. Once again the Browns showed everyone their potential. It’s a shame this team hasn’t played like this all season or else we’d be having a much brighter outlook on things as January nears. “You can’t think like that. You can’t think about the ifs, ands or buts,” Garrett said. “At the end of the day, we are where we are and we still have a chance. Control what we can control. We beat the Ravens, and now we just have to focus on next week. Just go 1-0.”