ExtremeRavens Posted 20 hours ago Posted 20 hours ago CLEVELAND — Myles Garrett could only do so much for the flailing Browns, and it was nearly enough. Despite four sacks from the NFL’s leading terrorizer of quarterbacks, the Ravens survived the All-Pro’s onslaught Sunday at Huntington Bank Field. Just barely. All it took was a little razzle-dazzle. With the game tied at 16 with under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and with Baltimore facing a fourth-and-1 from the Browns’ 35-yard line, tight end Mark Andrews lined up under center for an apparent “tush push” play he had executed several times before. Instead, he spun and raced around the right end and all the way to the end zone for a touchdown. The Ravens’ defense then held off quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who replaced fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel (concussion) at the start of the third quarter and held on for the 23-16 victory. Faced with a fourth-and-5 from the Ravens’ 25-yard line with just over a minute to play, Sanders’ pass fell incomplete, with linebacker Roquan Smith swatting the ball away on the sideline. Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie broke up a pass in the end zone one play earlier. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was held to just 14 of 25 passing for 193 yards with two interceptions and was sacked five times. Derrick Henry, meanwhile, racked up 103 yards on just 18 carries, but most of those came on a 59-yard run at the end of the third quarter that helped set up a short field goal by rookie Tyler Loop that pulled Baltimore within 16-13 before he added a 44-yard field goal one possession later. The win marks the first time Baltimore (5-5) has swept Cleveland (2-8) in a season since 2020. Unlike a Week 2 blowout in Baltimore, it wasn’t pretty — but it was effective enough. More importantly, the victory kept the Ravens within reach — just a game back — of the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, who beat the Cincinnati Bengals at home earlier in the day, with just seven weeks remaining in the regular season. Still, for much of the game, it looked as if the Browns might stun the Ravens for what would have been their fourth victory in the past five games between the two in Cleveland. Baltimore certainly gave them every opportunity. Much the way turnovers sparked the Ravens in their win over the Vikings in Minnesota last week, they nearly did the same for the Browns this week. With the score knotted at 3 early in the second quarter, the wind swirling and the ball fluttering through the blustery air like a knuckleball, Baltimore’s rookie punt returner LaJohntay Wester shuffled uncertainly and the ball clanged off his hands as he went sprawling to the ground. Cleveland recovered and four plays later inched ahead with a field goal. Then things went from bad to worse. On Baltimore’s first play of its ensuing possession, right tackle Roger Rosengarten was tossed to the ground like a rag doll by Garrett and Jackson was sacked for a 9-yard loss. Then, as Jackson attempted to dump a short pass off to Keaton Mitchell on the right, the ball ricocheted off the running back’s hands and into those of linebacker Devin Bush, who weaved 23 yards through a bevy of flailing would-be tacklers and into the end zone to suddenly give Cleveland a 13-3 lead. The Ravens bounced back with a six-play, 63-yard touchdown drive that was highlighted by a 45-yard completion to Zay Flowers and capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from Henry. But the mistakes continued to pile up. The Browns were headed for a three-and-out on their next possession, but linebacker Jake Hummel was offside, and the 5-yard penalty was enough for a first down and an injection of opportunity. Cleveland’s drive eventually stalled at Baltimore’s 28, but the Browns managed to score more points off another error with a 46-yard field goal. That was only the beginning. On their opening possession of the third quarter, the Ravens swiftly moved to the Browns’ 39-yard line. But a holding penalty on Henry wiped out a 7-yard completion to DeAndre Hopkins, then Jackson couldn’t connect with Zay Flowers (three catches for 78 yards) on third down. Rather than try a 55-yard field goal, Baltimore opted to go for it, but that plan was wiped out by a delay of game penalty and instead resulted in a punt. Three players later, Sanders, in for the concussed Gabriel, threw right to cornerback Nate Wiggins as if he were the intended target. But the celebration for his third interception of the season was short-lived. On the next play, Jackson’s pass intended for tight end Charlie Kolar bounced off Rosengarten’s helmet as he was shoved into the backfield. The ball shot into the sky and rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger came down with it. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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