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CLEVELAND — Tight end Mark Andrews scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 35-yard trick run play, and the Ravens overcame a shaky passing performance from quarterback Lamar Jackson to beat the Cleveland Browns, 23-16, for their fourth straight win Sunday.
On a fourth-and-1 in field goal range, with the game tied at 16 and less than three minutes remaining, Andrews lined up under center, as if he were preparing for a “tush push” carry. Instead, he spun to his right, followed the lead of fullback Patrick Ricard and sprinted, untouched, to the corner of the end zone.
The Ravens’ defense, which held Cleveland quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Sheduer Sanders to 115 yards passing and the Browns (2-8) to 187 yards overall, forced a turnover on downs on the subsequent possession to secure their first sweep of their AFC North rival since 2020.
With the win — and despite the Pittsburgh Steelers’ earlier victory over the Cincinnati Bengals — the Ravens’ hopes of an AFC North title improved to about 77%, according to The New York Times’ playoff simulator.
The Ravens (5-5) had to triumph over another disappointing red-zone showing. They went 1-for-4 inside the Browns’ 20, with two field goals and an interception off a deflection at the line of scrimmage. The Ravens also lost the turnover battle 3-1.
Jackson, who helped lead the Ravens to 13 fourth-quarter points, finished 14-for-25 for 193 yards and two unfortunate interceptions. He was sacked five times, four by defensive end Myles Garrett. Running back Derrick Henry had 18 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Gabriel (7-for-10 for 68 yards), the Browns’ starting quarterback, left the game at halftime because of concussion symptoms. Fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders, whom the Ravens were reportedly interested in drafting, went 4-for-16 for 47 yards and an interception in his first NFL action. Running back Quinshon Judkins led the Browns with 59 rushing yards, while wide receiver Cedric Tillman had 52 receiving yards.
The Ravens’ 16-10 halftime deficit was largely self-inflicted. Midway through the second quarter, running back Keaton Mitchell deflected a catchable screen pass into the hands of Browns inside linebacker Devin Bush, who returned it 23 yards for a touchdown and a 13-3 lead.
The Browns sandwiched two field goals around their lone first-half score. One came after rookie wide receiver LaJohntay Wester muffed a punt inside the Ravens’ 10-yard line, leading to a Cleveland fumble recovery. The other came after inside linebacker Jacob Hummel jumped offside on a fourth-and-5 punt, which kept alive a drive capped by Andre Szmyt’s 46-yard field goal.
Is the swagger back?
The Ravens’ offense will want to bury this game somewhere deep in the Chesapeake Bay. Until the end, it was not pretty.
The Ravens’ defense, however, will want to bottle up this swagger-licious performance and stow it away for the rest of the season. There’s probably not a worse quarterback on their schedule than Shedeur Sanders, but the Ravens played with confidence, physicality and violence. At only a few points Sunday did the Browns have the Ravens on their heels.
Of course, the NFL is a week-to-week league, and swagger ebbs and flows. The Ravens could go from feeling sky high to feeling laid low if Joe Burrow returns and cooks the defense on Thanksgiving. But this type of performance is bound to have a carryover effect.
— Jonas Shaffer, Ravens reporter
Embarrassing either way
Win or lose, this is not a game to be proud of. Since returning from the bye, the Ravens have spoken about how every week is like a playoff game. They realize there is very little room for error. Or at least they say they realize that. Yet they played like this was a Week 18 game with the playoffs clinched. To be fair, the defense had a solid game. Also to be fair, they faced a terrible quarterback and then a worse quarterback. But the team made uncharacteristic mistakes on offense and special teams. And the offense failed to generate push in the red zone again. Although I’d like to say this was an uncharacteristic performance, this season gives me little confidence that these Ravens won’t show up a few more times before the year ends.
— Giana Han, Ravens reporter
Snatching victory from their own jaws of defeat
Three-quarters of the way through this game, you knew the Ravens were going to make some kind of history — either an unlikely loss against an anemic offense or an unlikely win while giving up a significant turnover advantage. Luckily, Mark Andrews helped ensure that the Ravens made the second kind, and Baltimore’s defense did what good defenses do against rookie quarterbacks. You can almost completely give this win to how damn good Zach Orr’s big blitz calls were in the right moments.
That said, the four-game win streak has been necessary but has absolutely not painted the Ravens as real contenders. The offensive line has tons of holes that make it hard for Derrick Henry to gain steam and Lamar Jackson to make easy throws. Myles Garrett teeing off is one thing, but the linemen are missing or whiffing on too many assignments to give this attack a consistent foundation for success. They have to be better, hard stop.
— Kyle Goon, columnist
Doesn’t matter how you get there
If the Ravens pull off the remarkable season turnaround they’re capable of making, no one will care how ugly their Week 11 win in Cleveland looked. Beggars can’t be choosers, and the Ravens just need wins, no matter how they come. This game was an affront to the eyes, but it helped Baltimore keep pace with Pittsburgh. Make no mistake: This Ravens team has serious flaws. But, in a wide-open AFC, nobody’s perfect.
— Paul Mancano, Banner Ravens Podcast host
A win is a win, I guess
The Ravens almost lost to a team quarterbacked by Dillion Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Lamar Jackson looked rickety. The troubles in the trenches continued. A crafty play call saved the day but shouldn’t paper over the very real problems this team has along both lines. Can those be fixed on the fly?
— Chris Korman, editor
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