Baltimore vs. Cleveland
Ravens Log Fourth-Quarter Comeback to Beat Browns for 11th Straight Division Win
Following a rough 43-13 loss in Houston and then having to stew over it during the bye week, the Baltimore Ravens came out strong in Cleveland on Sunday, jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
After five Phil Dawson field goals, however, the Browns had a 15-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter. That’s when the Ravens showed some mettle, being able to win on the road even if it was against a team with a losing record.
Joe Flacco connected with Torrey Smith for the go-ahead score with 4:33 remaining, and the Ravens tacked on a late field goal in a 25-15 win over Cleveland on Sunday to improve to 6-2 on the season. It was Baltimore’s 11th consecutive win against an AFC North opponent and 10th straight victory over the Browns (2-7).
"Whew," Harbaugh said. "That was a fight. That's a really good football team. They are well-coached, tough, and physical. They are building something here. They are an up-and-coming AFC North-style team. That was an AFC North battle."
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Much like the team’s first meeting—a 23-16 Ravens win in Week 5 that ended with Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden throwing incomplete into the end zone twice—the game was closer than the final score indicated.
The defense bent but didn’t break, keeping Cleveland out of the end zone even though they got close on five occasions. In addition, a touchdown pass from Weeden to Josh Gordon was nullified by an illegal formation penalty.
That kept the Ravens in the game until the offense could rediscover what it lost after taking a 14-0 lead.
"We were in a lull," wide receiver Anquan Boldin said after the game. "We needed that just to change the tone. We never lost our poise or anything, we just kept trying to make plays. Finally, we did."
That play was a 21-yard pass from Joe Flacco to Boldin from deep in Baltimore territory on what turned out to be the winning drive.
"That was the play we needed to get going," said Ray Rice. "Joe is our quarterback, and he is always so calm under that type of pressure."
On third down later in the drive, Flacco hit Smith at the 10-yard line, and after spinning away from cornerback Joe Haden, Smith won a footrace into the end zone to give the Ravens the lead for good.
"It just came naturally," Smith said about the spin move. "I was just playing. There was one guy back there I knew, so I tried to shake him."
After getting the win, Baltimore can work on correcting what happened to the offense after it was 14-0 and a scoring drought of over 40 minutes of game time ensued.
"We started fast and we finished strong," Harbaugh said. "In the middle, it was a little iffy there. But the thing I'm proud about our guys is that we played with faith and we played with faith in one another."
Flacco, who helped the Ravens improve to 2-2 on the road this season, was 15-of-24 for 153 yards and a touchdown. He talked about how the entire offensive unit overcame the adversity to pull out the comeback win.
"I think everybody does get frustrated, but it's a matter of how you handle it," Flacco said. "You have to deal with it. It's how well can you deal with the frustration and pick yourself back up."
Baltimore’s two first-quarter touchdowns came on runs by Rice and Bernard Pierce. Rice ended up with 98 yards on the day in 25 carries; Pierce ran the ball seven times for 26 yards.
Boldin led the offense in receptions with five and yards with 57. Smith caught four balls for 46 yards, including the game-winning TD.
Weeden couldn’t get the big play the Browns needed. The rookie was 20-of-37 passing for 176 yards and two interceptions (Ed Reed and Cary Williams). He was sacked once (by Dannell Ellerbe).
"We have lots to work on. We had lots to work on last week. We're going to have lots to work on next week too," Harbaugh said. "We're going to try to become a great football team. We're not there by any stretch. We have a chance to get there."
GAME RECAP
The Ravens deferred until the second half after winning the coin toss, and it turned out to be a good move. The defense forced a three-and-out, then the offense embarked on a 70-yard scoring drive, which ended with an 8-yard run by Rice to make it 7-0. Baltimore went to work again after another three-and-out by Cleveland. This time, Flacco started on his own 34-yard-line. Eleven of the next 13 plays were runs, and Pierce scored from 12 yards out to increase the lead to 14-0. The Ravens held the ball for more than 12 minutes in the opening quarter.
Things turned in the second quarter, as the Ravens got just one first down, whereas the Browns had the ball in Baltimore’s red zone three times. Fortunately for the Ravens, Cleveland had to settle for Dawson field-goal attempts each time, and it was 14-9 Ravens at halftime.
Sam Koch punted on each of the first five Ravens’ drives in the second half, and after the fifth one. Cleveland scored two more field goals in that time, putting the Browns ahead 15-14.
Flacco’s touchdown pass to Smith followed, and Flacco connected with Boldin on the two-point conversion attempt to make it 22-15. After Cleveland turned it over on downs, the Ravens added a 43-yard field goal from Justin Tucker for some insurance. Ed Reed’s interception with 2:19 remaining sealed the win.
UP NEXT
The Ravens return to M&T Bank Stadium next Sunday for a date with the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders had a two-game winning streak snapped in a 42-32 loss at Tampa Bay today despite a 414-yard day from quarterback Carson Palmer. Oakland dropped to 3-5 on the year in the loss.