Baltimore vs. Cleveland
Ravens Rally to Win in Cleveland Thanks to Tucker’s Game-Winning Field Goal as Time Expired
After a home loss to Cincinnati and a dominant win in Baltimore over Pittsburgh, the Ravens played their third AFC North game in as many weeks, traveling to Cleveland to play the Browns in a game that could bring plenty of meaning once the season comes to an end when it comes to division records and tiebreakers.
And both teams played like the game carried plenty of meaning, as the lead bounced back and forth several times, culminating with the final lead change as time expired—Baltimore going ahead and winning 23-21 thanks to a 32-yard field goal from Justin Tucker with triple-zeroes on the clock, sending the Ravens to a 2-1 record on the season.
It was the sixth lead change of the game, and the Ravens came up big in crunch time, entering the fourth quarter down 21-17 but holding the Browns (1-2) scoreless in the final quarter while Tucker kicked two short field goals to provide the only points of the quarter in a tough environment.
“To win an AFC North game on the road this year is going to be really, really hard to do. Our guys stepped up and did it; I am proud of our men,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said after the game. “Our defensive coaches did a good job of getting on the chalkboard and figuring out how to get the run game stopped and how to get the three three-and-outs that made the difference at the end of the game.”
PSL City Is Your Ultimate Resource for Baltimore Football Tickets With NO Fees!
The Ravens, of course, were playing without Ray Rice, who was released the week before the Pittsburgh game in Week 2 due to a domestic violence incident that was still casting a pall over the team this week. Matters got worse when running back Bernard Pierce was unable to play due to injury, but Lorenzo Taliaferro stepped up, rushing 18 times for 91 yards and a touchdown, and Justin Forsett added 63 yards on 11 carries.
“[Toliaferro] was downhill running, physical and was hard to tackle. That is an element that is a big plus for an offense,” Harbaugh, who added that he’s hoping Pierce is unavailable to play next week, said.
“We want to establish the run,” Forsett said from the locker room. “You have to when you play on the road and you’re playing a tough divisional game.”
Joe Flacco, who was 19-for-31 for 217 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, came through when it counted, connecting with veteran Steve Smith, who beat Pro Bowl corner Joe Haden for a key reception that led to Tucker’s last-second heroics.
“For those two guys to make the plays that they did in critical situations to give us a chance to win the game—that’s what great players do and that’s what [Smith and Flacco] did,” Harbaugh explained.
“We were staring 1-2 in the face,” Flacco added. “To be able to play the last five minutes the way we are and get another chance and come away with [the win] was huge.”
The Baltimore defense didn’t force Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer into a turnover and didn’t sack him either, but pitching a shutout in the fourth quarter and forcing three three-and-outs down the stretch was a huge accomplishment when it mattered most.
“You’re only as good as the last time you [had a big stop], but we know that this defense is capable of making plays and winning the game,” linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “We were all sitting on the edge of our seat until the field goal went in.”
GAME RECAP
The Ravens started with the ball and drove into the Browns’ red zone but failed to get any further and had to settle for a 38-yard field goal from Tucker to open the scoring at 3-0.
Cleveland responded with a touchdown drive that chewed up six minutes of game clock and ended with a Terrance West one-yard touchdown run to make it 7-3 in favor of the Browns for the first of six lead changes.
After back-to-back punts, the Ravens were back in business with a six-minute drive of their own, going 80 yards and ending with a Flacco touchdown pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who made a big play in his hometown to put the Ravens back on top 10-7, which was the score at the half.
The Browns came out strong in the third quarter, as Isaiah Crowell put an exclamation point on the first drive of the half with 14-yard TD run to put the hosts back on top, 14-10. The Ravens, however, responded with a touchdown drive of their own, ending with Taliaferro’s one-yard TD run to regain the lead.
And the scoring barrage in the third continued on the next drive, as Hoyer started with a 29-yard pass to Andrew Hawkins and finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Miles Austin to give Cleveland a 21-17 edge heading into the fourth quarter.
It was looking bleak when Flacco was intercepted on the second play of the fourth quarter and took over on the Baltimore 30, but the defense made a big play when Crowell was tackled by Courtney Upshaw for an eight-yard loss. Two incomplete passes later, Billy Cundiff missed a 50-yard field goal attempt to keep it at a four-point game.
The Ravens got the ball to the Browns’ 21 but went for it on fourth down while down four points, but Taliaferro was stuffed; Baltimore turned the ball over again. Hoyer then got his team back in field goal range with a 70-yard completion to Taylor Gabriel, but this time, Cundiff missed a 36-yard attempt to keep Baltimore alive.
Flacco drove his team all the way to the Browns’ 3-yard line, but this time, Harbaugh elected to kick a short field goal to cut the lead to one point with five minutes remaining. Baltimore got the ball back with four minutes remaining but faced a fourth down with 2:35 left. Harbaugh chose to punt and got a key third-down stop that likely would’ve spelled doom for Baltimore, which was out of time outs at that point.
Taking over at midfield with 1:58 left, Flacco hit the big 32-yard play to Smith to set up Tucker’s game-winner as time expired.
UP NEXT
After going 2-1 through its first three division games, Baltimore draws an NFC opponent at home next week in the form of the Carolina Panthers, who are also 2-1 after falling 37-19 at home to Pittsburgh today.