CLEVELAND — The Browns were staring at an 0-for-October . The only thing standing in the way was Sunday afternoon's game against the Baltimore Ravens .
Quarterback Jameis Winston 's 38-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds remaining lifted the Browns to a losing streak-snapping 29-24 win over the AFC North co-leading Ravens. The win ended a five-game losing streak for the Browns, who improved to 2-6 overall and 1-1 in the division.
The Ravens (5-3, 1-1) had their five-game win streak snapped.
Cleveland was going with a new quarterback because of Deshaun Watson 's Achilles tear, with Winston starting . It's also got a new play-caller , as coach Kevin Stefanski handed over those duties to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.
The Ravens took a 24-23 lead with 2:36 remaining on running back Derrick Henry 's 2-yard run and Justin Tucker 's point-after kick. The Browns then started at their own 31.
Winston completed 5 of his first 7 passes, including a 7-yard pass to wide receiver Elijah Moore to convert a third-and-7 to the Ravens 33. However, right guard Wyatt Teller was flagged for a false start to push it back five yards, then Winston threw what should've been a pick by safety Kyle Hamilton , who dropped the ball.
The next play, Winston dropped back and found Tillman going down the middle of the field, having beaten safety Eddie Jackson . Tillman pulled in the pass and ran into the end zone with 59 seconds remaining for a 29-24 lead.
Winston's two-point conversion pass to Tillman was incomplete. That kept the lead at five as Baltimore took over after a kickoff into the end zone.
Winston was 27-of-41 passing for 334 yards with three touchdowns and a 115.3 passer rating. He did fumble on a strip sack by Hamilton in the first half.
The Ravens moved down to the Browns 24, where they found themselves twice throwing into the end zone. A third-down pass by quarterback Lamar Jackson , who managed to escape the pass run, to wide receiver Zay Flowers in the back of the end zone was knocked away by cornerback Martin Emerson Jr.
The final play, snapped with three seconds left, was an incompletion to the left side of the end zone. Jackson again avoided multiple rushers, but no Raven managed to get open.
Jackson finished 23-of-38 passing for 289 yards with two touchdowns and a 101.8 rating, as well as 46 yards on eight carries. Henry had 73 yards on 11 rushing attempts and the score.
How did the Browns' stunning win unfold? Here's a recap:
Derrick Henry's 2-yard run with 2:36 remaining opened the door for the Ravens to take the lead. Justin Tucker's PAT pushed Baltimore in front 24-23.
The score capped a six-play, 91-yard drive by the Ravens that took 2:19. Lamar Jackson's 22-yard quarterback scramble on the first play and his 29- and 23-yard passes to Zay Flowers were the big plays to help the drive.
Better lucky than good. Dustin Hopkins' 48-yard field goal bounced off the right upright and went through, extending the Browns lead over the Ravens to 23-17 with 4:55 remaining.
The Browns dodged another bullet with another Lamar Jackson pass that wasn't caught. After defensive end Za'Darius Smith put the Ravens in third-and-14 from the Baltimore 15, Jackson ran around to buy time, which allowed Rashod Bateman to get free deep.
The only problem was Bateman couldn't catch the ball, which bounced off his shoulder and fell incomplete.
Browns cornerback Denzel Ward has been downgraded to out for the remainder of the game. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game Ward has a concussion.
The Browns are living right at the moment. Ravens future Hall of Fame kicker Justin Tucker missed a 50-yard field goal with 12:58 remaining to help Cleveland maintain a 20-17 lead.
The Browns led the Ravens going into the fourth quarter.
Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was carted off the field after sustaining an injury with 40 seconds left in the third quarter. Owusu-Koramoah was injured when he went in head-first into the shoulder of Ravens running back Derrick Henry.
Owusu-Koramoah was immobilized on the board while being carted off, raised his right fist to the crowd as he left.
The Browns have hit the 20-point mark for the first time all season as Jameis Winston found Cedric Tillman, who fought his way 22 yards into the end zone with 1:51 remaining in the third quarter. The pass gave the Browns a 20-17 lead over the Ravens.
Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. cleared an evaluation for a head injury. He returned to the bench with his teammates after a stay in the medical tent.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson found tight end Mark Andrews in the front right corner of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown. The score gave Baltimore a 17-13 lead with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter.
Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. remained down on one knee for several minutes after a 25-yard Lamar Jackson to Isaiah Likely pass to the Cleveland 8 with 5:31 remaining. No official word has been given on his status.
Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward left the field and went to the locker room, accompanied by the league observer with 7:41 remaining in the third quarter. Ward spent the entirety of the previous Browns offensive possession being looked at in the medical tent.
Ward is being evaluated for a head injury. He has had five previously documented concussions during his pro career.
The Browns came out of the locker room to open the third quarter and went down the field and took the lead. Quarterback Jameis Winston threw a 23-yard pass to tight end David Njoku, who pulled in the touchdown pass despite having safety Eddie Jackson draped over him.
The score gave Cleveland a 13-10 lead with 10:46 remaining in the third quarter. Winston is 15 of 21 for 176 yards with a touchdown and a 112.4 passer rating.
The Browns announced wide receiver Jaelon Darden had cleared his concussion evaluation. He was back in on the second play of the third quarter.
The Browns announced wide receiver Jaelon Darden was being evaluated for a concussion. Darden had been elevated from the practice squad to the game day roster to primarily handle punt returns.
The Ravens took a four-point halftime lead. The Browns will receive the second-half kickoff.
It took two plays for the Ravens to cash in the fumble recovery. Lamar Jackson completed two passes to wide receiver Nelson Agholor, the final one an 11-yard touchdown with 27 seconds remaining.
The Ravens took a 10-6 lead on the score, their first lead of the day.
The Ravens created the first big momentum change when safety Kyle Hamilton came completely unblocked off the left side of the Browns line and stripped quarterback Jameis Winston. Linebacker Trenton Simpson recovered the ball at the Cleveland 25 with 1:08 remaining in the first half.
The Browns regained the lead with 3:41 remaining in the second quarter when Dustin Hopkins kicked a 33-yard field goal for a 6-3 edge. The drive was aided by a 9-yard catch by Cedric Tillman on third-and-9 from the Ravens 26.
Cleveland nearly had a second third-down conversion, but Jordan Akins couldn't hold onto the third-and-8 pass the play before Hopkins' kick.
Browns defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo's knee injury didn't keep him out too long. He was back on the field at the end of the next Cleveland defensive series, and he nearly blocked the punt of Baltimore's Jordan Stout .
Okoronkwo did spend a little time in the medical tent after the play. However, he returned to the bench shortly after emerging.
Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo went to the locker room shortly after the Browns' defensive series that resulted in Justin Tucker's game-tying field goal. The Browns announced it was a knee injury, and his return is questionable.
The Ravens were at the Browns 20 on their second drive when Derrick Henry ripped off a 39-yard run on the second play of the second quarter. However, Browns defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo's second-down sack of quarterback Lamar Jackson left Baltimore in third-and-21 from the Cleveland 31.
On third down, Jackson found a wide-open Zay Flowers down the right sideline after cornerback Denzel Ward had lost him in coverage. Jackson, though, overthrew Flowers, which led the Ravens to settle for a 49-yard Justin Tucker field goal with 11:51 remaining in the second half to tie the score 3-3.
The Browns took a 3-0 lead into the second quarter over the Ravens. They held a 91-77 edge in yards and a 4-3 edge in first downs.
The Browns' first possession with Jameis Winston as the starting quarterback resulted in points. It was a 28-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins to give them a 3-0 lead with 37 seconds remaining in the first quarter, but it was points.
Winston was 6-of-8 passing for 73 yards and a 102.6 passer rating on the drive. He got away with a near-interception in the end zone when Eddie Jackson dropped a ball thrown right to him — and between two Browns receivers several yards apart.
The Browns took over at their own 10 after the fourth-down stop. Here were the first 11 out for them on offense:
QB: Jameis Winston
RB: Nick Chubb
TE: David Njoku
TE: Geoff Swaim
WR: Jerry Jeudy
WR: Cedric Tillman
LT: Dawand Jones
LG: Joel Bitonio
C: Ethan Pocic
RG: Wyatt Teller
RT: Jack Conklin
The Ravens just methodically marched down the field, save for a holding penalty that pushed them back to the Browns 25, where it was second-and-19. They eventually got to a fourth-and-1 from the Browns 7 and elected to go for it.
Running back Derrick Henry lined up as the wildcat quarterback, but never had a chance. Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II swarmed him for a 3-yard loss at the Cleveland 10.
The Browns won the toss and deferred. Baltimore took the ball to start.
Here were the first 11 out for the Browns on defense:
DE: Za'Darius Smith
DT: Dalvin Tomlinson
DT: Shelby Harris
DE: Myles Garrett
LB: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
LB: Mohamoud Diabate
LB: Devin Bush
LB: Nathaniel Watson
S: Grant Delpit
CB: Denzel Ward
The Ravens officially ruled cornerback Marlon Humphrey out for the game in Cleveland. So, too, was his expected replacement, first-round pick Nate Wiggins .
Both are due to injury. However, wide receiver Zay Flowers will be active for Baltimore.
The other inactive players for Baltimore were running back Rasheen Ali , outside linebacker Adisa Isaac , center Nick Samac and outside linebacker David Ojabo.
The Browns officially announced Sunday what most everyone knew Friday , that Dawand Jones was going to be starting at left tackle against the Baltimore Ravens.
Jones all but announced himself on Friday that he would be taking the place of Jedrick Wills Jr. in the starting lineup against the Ravens. Wills was ruled out due to a knee injury.
Also made official was Wyatt Teller's return at right guard. Teller was activated from the injured reserve list on Saturday, clearing the way for him to start.
The only healthy scratch for the Browns among their six inactive players was defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson , who has now been inactive for three consecutive games. Recently-signed quarterback Bailey Zappe will be the No. 3 emergency quarterback.
The other four inactive Browns — safety Ronnie Hickman (ankle), Wills, running back Jerome Ford (hamstring) and linebacker Jordan Hicks (rib, elbow, triceps) — had all been ruled out on Friday.
QB Bailey Zappe (3QB)
S Ronnie Hickman
RB Jerome Ford
LB Jordan Hicks
T Jedrick Wills Jr.
DT Quinton Jefferson
Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
Play-by-play: Tom McCarthy
Analysts: Ross Tucker and Jay Feely
Sideline: Amanda Balionis
TV channel: CBS WOIO-TV (Channel 19)
Stream: Paramount+ and NFL+
Announcers: Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst), Jay Feely (analyst), Amanda Balionis (sideline reporter)
The Cleveland Browns Radio Network will carry the game, with Andrew Siciliano (play-by-play), Nathan Zegura (analyst) and Je'Rod Cherry (sideline reporter) on the call. Among the affiliates in the Akron-Canton area are WAKR-AM 1590, WONE-FM 97.5, WHBC-AM 1480, WQKT-FM 104.5, WKRK-FM 92.3, WKNR-AM 850 and WNCX-FM 98.5.
The Cleveland Browns Radio Network's call can also be streamed at Cleveland Browns.com , as well as the Browns mobile app. It's also available on Sirius XM radio , with channel 225 carrying the Browns feed.
The Browns also have a Spanish-language broadcast, with Rafael "Rafa" Hernández-Brito (play-by-play) and Octavio Sequera (analyst) on the call. Games will be streamed on La Mega Cleveland , as well as heard on WNZN-FM 89.1 in Lorain and WVKO-FM 103.1 in Columbus.
Tickets for Sunday's game on StubHub can be purchased on StubHub from $11 before fees.
It's a sunny day in Cleveland, with the temperature at kickoff expected to be near 58 degrees, according to the National Weather Service . Light and variable wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.
Browns: LB Jordan Hicks (ribs, elbow, triceps), out; S Ronnie Hickman (ankle), out; RB Jerome Ford (hamstring), out, OT Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee), out.
Ravens: RB Rasheen Ali (ankle), out; RB Keaton Mitchell (knee), out; CB T.J. Tampa (ankle), out; CB Marlon Humphrey (knee), doubtful; WR Zay Flowers (ankle), questionable; DL Travis Jones (ankle), questionable; CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring), questionable; CB Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness), out.
Cleveland dropped to 1-6 on the season with a 21-14 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals , its fifth consecutive loss. The story of the game was quarterback Deshaun Watson suffering a season-ending Achilles tear late in the first half.
The Ravens improved to 5-2 on the season with a 41-31 win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Monday night in Tampa. Baltimore scored 34 straight points to go from down 10-0 in the first quarter to up 34-10 after three quarters.
So what should we expect from the Browns this Sunday against the Ravens? Click here to see what our writers project as the score of today's game.
Provided by BetMGM.com ; access USA TODAY Sports Scores ad Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3 p.m. ET Saturday.
Moneyline (ML): Browns +345 (bet $100 to win $345) | Ravens -445 (bet $445 to win $100)
Against the spread: Browns +8.5 (-110) | Ravens -8.5 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U): 45 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Today is the 51st all-time regular-season or playoff meeting between the Browns and the Ravens, which dates back to 1999, when Cleveland was awarded an expansion franchise to replace the former one which had moved to Baltimore in 1996 to become the Ravens. Here's a look at the series between the Browns and Ravens.
Series record (regular season and playoffs): Ravens lead 36-14
Series record (regular season): Ravens lead 36-14
Playoff record: N/A
Series in Cleveland (regular season and playoffs): Ravens lead 17-8
Series record in Cleveland (regular season): Ravens lead 17-8
Series record in Cleveland (playoffs): N/A
Series record in Baltimore: Ravens lead 19-6
Series record in Baltimore (regular season): Ravens lead 19-6
Series record in Baltimore (playoffs): N/A
Last meeting: Browns won 33-31 in Baltimore on Nov. 12, 2023
Series streak: Browns won the last meeting
QUARTERBACKS (3): Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Bailey Zappe, Jameis Winston
RUNNING BACK (4): Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford, D'Onta Foreman, Pierre Strong Jr.
WIDE RECEIVER (4): Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, Jamari Thrash, Cedric Tillman
TIGHT ENDS (3): Jordan Akins, David Njoku, Geoff Swaim
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9): Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin, Michael Dunn, Germain Ifedi, Dawand Jones, Ethan Pocic, Jedrick Wills Jr., Zak Zinter, Wyatt Teller
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (9): Myles Garrett, Shelby Harris, Maurice Hurst II, Quenton Jefferson, Isaiah McGuire, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Za'Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, Mike Hall Jr.,
LINEBACKERS (7): Devin Bush, Khaleke Hudson, Winston Reid, Jordan Hicks, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Nathaniel Watson, Mohamoud Diabate
DEFENSIVE BACKS (11): D'Anthony Bell, Grant Delpit, Martin Emerson Jr., Ronnie Hickman, Rodney McLeod, Cameron Mitchell, Greg Newsome II, Mike Ford Jr., Denzel Ward, Tony Brown II, Juan Thornhill
SPECIALISTS (3): Corey Bojorquez, Dustin Hopkins, Rex Sunahara
The Browns only used one elevation for the game against the Ravens. That was used on wide receiver Jaelon Darden, who now gives the Browns five wide receivers on the active roster for the game.
Darden has appeared in 27 career games, including six with the Browns. He has registered 68 career punt returns for 667 yards (9.8 average) and 27 kickoffs for 565 yards (20.9 average).
Sunday, Sept. 8: Home vs. Dallas Cowboys, L, 33-17
Sunday, Sept. 15: At Jacksonville Jaguars, W, 18-13
Sunday, Sept. 22: Home vs. New York Giants, L, 21-15
Sunday, Sept. 29: At Las Vegas Raiders, L, 20-16
Sunday, Oct. 6: At Washington Commanders, L, 34-13
Sunday, Oct. 13: At Philadelphia Eagles, L, 20-16
Sunday, Oct. 20: Home vs. Cincinnati Bengals, L, 21-14
Sunday, Oct. 27: Home vs. Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Nov. 3: Home vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Nov. 10: BYE WEEK
Sunday, Nov. 17: At New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., FOX
Thursday, Nov. 21: Home vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:20 p.m., Amazon Prime
Monday, Dec. 2: At Denver Broncos, 8:20 p.m., ESPN
Sunday, Dec. 8: At Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m., CBS
Sunday, Dec. 15: Home vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m., CBS
Thursday, Dec. 19: At Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m., Amazon Prime
Sunday, Dec. 29: Home vs. Miami Dolphins, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Saturday, Jan. 4 OR Sunday, Jan. 5: At Baltimore Ravens, TBA, TV TBA
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns end losing streak with win vs Ravens, Lamar Jackson
