ExtremeRavens Posted 21 hours ago Posted 21 hours ago The debate hasn’t exactly died down. In the days following the Ravens’ fourth straight win, highlighted by a final defensive stand Sunday against Cleveland, Browns players and some national talking heads have argued that defensive end Dre’Mont Jones jumped early and into the neutral zone on the game-sealing play. On fourth-and-5, with rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders replacing injured starter Dillon Gabriel and making his NFL debut, Jones exploded out of his stance, whipped past Wyatt Teller’s outside shoulder and forced Sanders into an off-balance incompletion. Game over. Teller and Cleveland’s offensive line unsuccessfully pleaded to officials that Jones was in the neutral zone. The sequence sparked reactions across social media. ESPN’s Mike Greenberg posted on X: “Were the Ravens not blatantly offsides on that fourth down?? #Browns” NFL analyst Emmanuel Acho quoted Greenberg’s post: “Correct, Ravens jumped on the last play. Refs missed it.” The @Ravens defense gets the stop on 4th down! pic.twitter.com/fdj5z5QgDf — NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2025 Jones insists he executed perfect timing in a critical moment. “I was trying to get a feel for his cadence just based on how his demeanor was throughout the game and how he was saying it,” Jones told The Baltimore Sun on Thursday evening, settling in front of his locker while taking a sip from his post-practice mixed-berries smoothie. “So, I knew it was coming up and I got a great jump start. You know what I mean? Plain and simple.” Jones said he began tracking Sanders’ rhythm as soon as the rookie entered in the second half, paying close attention to his slight pause before the snap from center Ethan Pocic. By the Browns’ final offensive play, he felt almost certain of what was coming. “This is how I look at it … offensive tackles and guards move early all the time and that don’t get called,” Jones said. “So it’s the same type of bang-bang situation. It was really close. It looked good to me.” Teller’s postgame explanation added fuel to the debate. The veteran guard told reporters Cleveland’s offensive line heard Sanders’ cadence only “two or three times” before he entered, indicating a sense of unfamiliarity played a role in the breakdown. Jones, a seventh-year pass rusher whom general manager Eric DeCosta acquired at the trade deadline earlier in the month, wasn’t moved. “That’s their problem,” Jones said. “If they don’t want to put their people in to get meaningful reps in, that’s on them. It sucks for Sanders, but that’s the reality.” Like most of the second half, Sanders was unsettled by Zach Orr’s pressure calls and his hurried throw toward tight end David Njoku never stood a chance. Linebacker Roquan Smith blanketed Njoku and knocked the pass attempt away, sealing the 23-16 victory. “No extra momentum,” Jones said of Sanders replacing Gabriel. “The momentum was already there. ‘Ro’ did a good job of bringing us together and relaying the message that everything is the same. You want to go out there and just kill. I thought the defense played great.” Sanders finished 4-for-16 for 47 yards with one interception. He was sacked twice and hit three times over 28 snaps in his debut. Jones, 28, delivered three pressures and two quarterback hits across 23 pass-rush snaps against the Browns. Since joining the Ravens 2 1/2 weeks ago, he already leads the team with 26 total pressures this season. Defensive lineman Travis Jones ranks second with 23, followed by outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy (17) and rookie Mike Green (14). For Jones, the final play carried extra weight because it happened in his native Cleveland with his parents Schontina Jones and Sanderline Williams and many of his childhood friends in attendance at Huntington Bank Stadium. “I was lit,” he said. “Being back home and having basically a game-winning play, that felt good. I feel great [in Baltimore]. The guys in the locker room are good people. Only been here for two weeks, still getting to know more people. But five straight games [holding opponents] under 20 points — that’s an elite stat. [Stuff] like that, you appreciate.” The Ravens reportedly wanted to select Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft, but Sanders communicated he didn’t want them to select him. The Ravens drafted offensive tackle Carson Vinson instead with pick No. 141, while Sanders was taken by the Browns three picks later at No. 144. The final play of Sanders’ NFL debut remains a sticking point as the popular rookie quarterback prepares for his first career start Sunday against the Raiders. Meanwhile, as the Ravens aspire to reach five straight wins Sunday versus the Jets at M&T Bank Stadium, Jones’ view hasn’t changed. “It looked good to me,” he said. “I was happy to make that game-winning play.” Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.