Baltimore vs. Cleveland
NFL Referees Return to Work in Ravens’ Thursday Night Victory Over Browns
The big takeaway from M&T Bank Stadium Thursday night—besides the Baltimore Ravens’ 23-16 win over the Cleveland Browns to improve to 3-1—was the return of the NFL officials after the end of the three-week lockout that saw replacement officials working NFL games.
One day after the officials and the NFL came to a working agreement, fans cheered as they came onto the field during pregame warmups.
Head coach John Harbaugh agreed with the fans’ assessment, even though there was the usual back-and-forth between the officials and coaching staff.
"Welcome back to the officials. Good to have them back," Harbaugh said. "These guys are really good. The communication was good. I didn't agree with every call, but they were excellent."
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The game had a similar scenario that we saw in the final game of Week 3 Monday night when Seattle needed a touchdown in the final seconds to win. The Ravens were leading 23-16 when Browns rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden had to shots to either tie or win the game.
The first try was incomplete from the 33-yard line, but a personal foul penalty was called on Baltimore’s Paul Kruger, which gave the Browns one more opportunity. That final untimed down also resulted in an incomplete pass, extending several streaks for the Ravens.
Baltimore now has 13 straight home wins and 10 consecutive victories in their division—both of which lead the NFL. It also marked their ninth win in a row over the Browns. Cleveland is now 0-4 for the third time since re-entering the league in 1998.
"I thought our secondary made plays that had to be made, especially at the end there when they were knocking at the door," Harbaugh said. "Cary Wiliams was the difference in the game with the interception return for a touchdown."
The Ravens led 16-10 with the Browns driving in the third quarter when Williams made the game-changing play, intercepting Weeden and running the ball back 63 yards to extend the lead to 23-10 and providing what ended up being the winning points.
Offensively, Joe Flacco put up some big numbers with 356 yards on 28-of-46 passing with a touchdown and an interception. Flacco also ran in for a touchdown. Torrey Smith caught Flacco’s TD pass among his six catches for 97 yards. Anquan Boldin led the team with nine grabs for 131 yards.
Running back Jamal Lewis, who played for both the Ravens and Browns, was inducted in the team’s Ring of Honor before the game.
Back to the return of the officials: in a rare show of public support, Ravens fans gave the officiating crew a standing ovation when referee Gene Steratore said before the coin toss, “Good evening, men. It’s good to be back.”
The era of replacement referees came to an end on Wednesday night, as the officials came to an agreement with the NFL two days after the league was embarrassed over the end of the Monday Night Football game between Green Bay and Seattle.
In what has been dubbed as the “Fail Mary,” Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw into the end zone at the end of regulation trailing by a score of 12-7. Packers cornerback M.D. Jennings had two hands on the ball with Seahawks receiver Golden Tate having one hand on it. Two officials converged on the pile with one ruling a touchdown and the other signaling an interception. The ruling on the field was eventually called a touchdown and upheld via replay review. The NFL admitted that offensive pass interference also should’ve been called on Tate.
GAME RECAP
The Ravens won the coin toss and elected to defer, kicking the ball off to Cleveland to start the game. The defenses dominated early, forcing a punt on each drive in the first quarter—with the exception of Baltimore’s second drive when Flacco was intercepted by Craig Robertson, ruining Baltimore’s first trip into the red zone.
After a scoreless first, Flacco made up for his turnover in the team’s next trip inside the Browns’ 20-yard line. After a first and goal from the 9 turned into second and goal from the 18 after a penalty and a negative play, Flacco connected with Smith down the middle for a touchdown. Justin Tucker missed the first kick of his career on the PAT, so the score was 6-0. Tucker converted on a 45-yard field goal attempt on Baltimore’s next drive to extend the lead to 9-7.
Batlimore’s next drive ended in a punt, and Sam Koch pinned the Browns deep at their own 6-yard line. No matter—Weeden drove the Browns 94 yards in 11 plays. The highlight was a 43-yard catch by Greg Little, and the drive ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Trent Richardson to make it 9-7 at halftime.
The Ravens opened the third quarter with an excellent drive, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown run by Flacco to put Baltimore ahead 16-7.
After Cleveland responded with a Phil Dawson 51-yard field goal, it was 16-10. Tucker couldn’t extend the lead when he missed a 47-yard field goal, so the Browns had good field position and a chance to take the lead.
But on third and 5 from the Ravens’ 43, Weeden threw short to intended receiver Travis Benjamin. The pass was picked off by Cary Williams and returned 63 yards for a back-breaking score.
Entering the fourth quarter up 23-10, the Ravens allowed two Dawson field goals that trimmed the lead to 23-16. The Browns took over with 1:05 left from their 10-yard line, but the two passes into the end zone at the end of the game didn’t convert.
UP NEXT
Baltimore hits the road for the second time this season and looks for its first win away from M&T Bank Stadium when it plays at Kansas City a week from Sunday. In the meantime, the Ravens will enjoy a mini-bye. The Chiefs improved to 1-2 with an overtime win at New Orleans last week and hosts the San Diego Chargers this weekend.