Cleveland Browns vs. Ravens Week 6: Winners and losers in key victory

Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens is a pivotal game. So far, Cleveland hasn’t faced a good team. Which means every one of their wins has been against weak to mediocre teams.

So this is a good team among the Ravens. Can the Browns probably beat the best team in the division? A win in Cleveland would prove that they can stick with talented clubs and perhaps secure a playoff spot this year. But it starts in Baltimore.

The Browns entered the game with a 3-2 record while the Ravens were 4-1. Before kickoff, both teams had numerous players on their injured list, so new players were dotting both sides of the ball for each team.

Ultimately, Cleveland was outplayed by Baltimore for most of the game, but came back and won the game on a 37-yard field goal by Andre Szmyt to make it a 13–10 victory for the Browns. The victory moved Cleveland into a tie for first place in the AFC North division, although the Browns held the tiebreaker against the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

So who played well for the Browns? Who hasn’t done it?

Week 6 Winners – Brownies:

Persistence – The Ravens dominated the game, but in the fourth quarter, Cleveland was still only one point ahead. That’s because Baltimore scored all of its points in the first quarter and then its offense was shut down. The Browns were able to score the tying touchdown on a rare Derrick Henry fumble, then got within field goal range to win the game late. In the 1980s, the Browns played similar games and were crowned the “Kardiac Kids.” With four wins that were all come-from-behind victories this year, we now call this group the “Myocardial Vascular Adolescents.”

The games that won the game – Baltimore kicker Tyler Loop missed a 49-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. Ravens running back Henry fumbled on his next possession. Fourth-and-2 delay-of-game penalties against Baltimore with 2:08 left became a punt. The third-and-5 miscommunication between safeties Jaylinn Hawkins and Malachi Starks on who was supposed to take the cross route from Browns wideout Jerry Jeudy with 42 ticks left in the game turned into a 33-yard gain in field goal range. What do all these things have in common? These are all Baltimore mistakes.

WR Jerry Jeudy – All week, the media and Browns fans have been debating whether to trade Jeudy before next month’s trade deadline. The subject came and went. Jeudy not only fought Baltimore, but he also bailed out the Browns. In the second quarter, on a second-and-4 with 8:32 left before halftime, quarterback Deshaun Watson hit Jeudy for a 14-yard gain while the Browns offense didn’t move at all. With 4:36 left, Watson found Jeudy again for 13 yards to convert a third-and-6 in Baltimore territory. Then came the decisive moment during the last journey. Jeudy led all receivers with 69 yards on four catches and caught all four targets touched. Nice work.

LB Carson Schwesinger – The kid was everywhere. He was a little lazy in tight end coverage, but his tackling skills were on full display. Early in the first quarter, he collided with Henry for a three-yard gain that shook the stadium. Rhino vs. Ram. As the first quarter drew to a close, Baltimore quarterback Tyler Huntley found Henry for an outlet pass, but Schwesinger pinned the talented back for just a two-yard gain. In the second quarter, Henry was bottled up inside and headed to the corner, only for Schwesinger to knock him down for no gain. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Huntley faced a third-and-22 and found tight end Josh Cuevas as Schwesinger tackled him for an 11-yard gain instead of moving the sticks. Henry’s fumble was caused by Schwesinger, which proved to be a crucial play in the contest. Then, with 2:57 left, Huntley was kicked out of the pocket and took off needing eight yards, but instead found Schwesinger after gaining six. Baltimore then went for it on a fourth-and-2, but a delay of game penalty set them back and forced a punt. Schwesinger finished with a game-high 13 total tackles.

Defense -Baltimore seemed like a runaway train at the start of this one. They took a 10-0 lead in their first two possessions. But as the second quarter began and Cleveland’s offense struggled, the defense put on a brisket to cook and smoked for the duration of the game. As noted, Schwesinger played a terrific game, as did his partner in crime, linebacker Quincy Williams, who had six tackles, a second-quarter sack and two quarterback hits. Defensive tackle Sam Kamara nailed Henry for a loss of two yards in the second quarter and down one late in the third quarter. Cornerback Denzel Ward broke up a pass to wide receiver Zay Flowers early in the second quarter. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins dropped Henry for a 1-yard loss before halftime, then suffered a sack in the second quarter.

Defensive end Adin Huntington had back-to-back passes that forced Huntley to throw early as the half was winding down, which became a miss. Defensive end Jared Verse caught Henry for a 1-yard gain early in the third quarter. Defensive end Isaiah McGuire was sacked with 57 seconds left in the third quarter. Then finally, the Browns needed a defensive stop when Baltimore got the ball back with 3:40 remaining, an eternity in the NFL. Williams tackled Cuevas for just two yards; Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren picked off Flowers for an incompletion, but dropped a safe interception late in the fourth stanza. As time became sparse, Huntley rushed and was forced out of bounds by Schwesinger, needing eight yards and gaining only six. A Baltimore penalty forced a punt and the Browns offense trotted down the field once again.

The defense came to play. After Baltimore’s offense built a 10-point advantage, the Browns’ defense stopped them. On their third possession and until the end of the game, the Ravens: punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, FG missed, fumble lost, punt, punt.

Week 6 Losers – Frownies:

CB Myles harden – Too often, Harden was insulted and faked. So how many balls could he have hit or even intercepted if he had simply turned his head and found the ball in flight? He had two batted balls and could have had double figures. Three tackles.

Efficiency at the third level – Anytime an offense struggles to convert third downs, they become more of a punt team. The defense needs the offense to stay on the field longer. Five out of 16 is absolutely atrocious.

Use of tight ends – It was a game tailor-made for the talents of tight end Harold Fannin, but he only scored three goals throughout the game, with one reception for nine yards. Understand this. Then tight end Blake Whiteheart had just one target and caught it for eight yards. That was all. Wasn’t this offense supposed to involve 12 or 13 people?

Offensive line – These sacks and penalties kill any momentum generated by the offense. Name a time/quarter where Watson was not drained from the pocket on handoffs. The Ravens defense came in rain for the majority of the game, except in the final quarter for some reason. Rookie right guard Austin Barber is overmatched on most passes. Most of the pressure came from the gut, but left tackle Spencer Fano and right tackle Tytus Howard had issues blitzing linebackers. Stunts were the giant killers of this game. On multiple occasions, the Browns’ O-Line blocked three men on two defenders, with one guy looping a free throw over Watson, who faced heavy pressure in the first half. The Ravens defense had five sacks, three QB hits and 13 pressures. Watson ran for his life several times during most of the deaths.

Rushed passage – Where is it? The Ravens started under center for the majority of the game. The pass rush was minimal at best, although Cleveland had three sacks. But Huntley had plenty of time and didn’t throw an interception.

Racing game – OK, we understand. The Browns’ top three running backs are all out, forcing Cleveland to start Jaleel McLaughlin, who started the year on the practice squad, and Audric Estime, who Cleveland claimed from the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad. Both players give it their all, but that still doesn’t mean the Browns have a running game. 93 total yards gained, 29 of which were the quarterback running for his life.

Week 6 Milk Bones – How can we still have chickens when every bar and restaurant has a chicken dish?

Michael Burton – One run, two yards and a converted first down on fourth-and-1 early in the third quarter. If you have a job to do, you better do it.

QB Deshaun Watson – Magnificent on the last drive of the match to put himself within range of a field goal. And to be fair, Watson’s 164 passing yards were the result of him repeatedly throwing and trying to find an open man on the run instead of a clean pocket where he could survey the field. He had eight carries for 29 yards, but it looked like he was running a little for his life. I went 16 for 26 with zero TDs and zero picks. QB rating of 79.6.

K André Szmyt – The missed 48-yard field goal would have given Cleveland a nice cushion, but they pushed it to the left by hitting the outside of the ball instead of the center. Made another 48 yards in the third quarter for the Browns’ first points of the game, and then, of course, the game-winner.

Penalties – It wasn’t the worst match, but several were just at the most inopportune times. Six penalties accepted for 45 yards is actually an improvement.