BALTIMORE, MD — Several costly penalties by the Browns aided Baltimore in avoiding another fourth-quarter collapse, as the Ravens defeated Cleveland 23-20 on Sunday and remained tied with Cincinnati atop the AFC North..
Running back Gus Edwards scored two touchdowns in his long-awaited return, helping Baltimore build a double-digit lead in the third quarter.
Baltimore (4-3) out gained Nick Chubb and Cleveland 160-113 on the ground. Chubb finished the game with 91 yards on 16 carries.
Cleveland (2-5) was first to get on the scoreboard when Chubb's 2 yard run finished off a 11-play, 75-yard drive. Cade York delivered the extra point kick and the Browns lead 7-0 with 8:23 in the first quarter. York later booted a 41-yard field goal to extend Cleveland's lead 10-3 in the late seconds of the opening quarter.
It was the first time all season the Ravens trailed after any quarter other than the fourth.
Baltimore's offense seemed to find their rhythm late in the second, when Lamar Jackson led a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Edwards would cap off the drive, scoring his first touchdown and put the Ravens up 13-10 at halftime.
Edwards made the most of his return, having not played since Baltimore's playoff loss to Buffalo on Jan. 16, 2021. A major knee injury caused him to miss the entire 2021 season and the first six games of this season.
He ran for 66 yards on Sunday and scored on runs of 7 and 1. His last score came on a fourth-down play in the third quarter to give the Ravens a 20-10 lead.
Justin Tucker's 55-yard field goal would put the Ravens lead back at 10-points, leading 23-13 with 11:24 remaining in the game
But like fans have seen before, no lead is truly safe for Baltimore, as they have blown a double-digit lead in the second half of each of its three losses this season.
The Baltimore faithful began to become uneasy when the Browns quickly responded with a 2-yard touchdown run by Kareem Hunt to cut the lead to three-points with nine minutes to play.
Things got even more uneasy when Baltimore's Justice Hill fumbled, giving Cleveland the ball at its own 16 with 3:12 to play.
Cleveland reached the Baltimore 34 before an costly offensive pass interference call wiped out a touchdown pass to Amari Cooper, who appeared to push off cornerback Marcus Peters with his arm.
The Browns still managed to make it back into position to try a long field goal, but a false start before that snap forced Cade York to try his kick from 60 yards out.
The officials held a long conference before the false start call, which was obviously a huge swing for either team. The call pushed the field goal back five yards, where an offside flag would have moved it five yards closer.
York's kick attempt never had a chance as it was blocked by Malik Harrison with 1:59 remaining, but the Ravens were able to run out the remaining time, punting the ball back to the Browns.
Cleveland would get the ball back with little time and no timeouts and would be unable to move the ball as time expired on them.
Both teams struggled with their passing game all afternoon. Lamar Jackson was sacked three times and threw for only 120 yards. Jacoby Brissett was 22 of 27 for 258 yards, but was sacked five times and had a fumble.
On a low note, the Browns lost tight end David Njoku during the game due to an ankle injury after he caught a team-high seven passes for 71 yards.
The Browns have now lost four in a row and are 1-4 in games decided by one-possession this season.
Cleveland hosts the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 31 in a Monday night game.
Cleveland 10 0 3 7 — 20
Baltimore 3 10 7 3 — 23
First Quarter
CLE — Nick Chubb 2 run (Cade York kick), 8:23 BAL — Justin Tucker 32 field goal, 3:27 CLE — Cade York 41 field goal, :18 Second Quarter
BAL — Justin Tucker 34 field goal, 10:05 BAL — Gus Edwards 7 run (Justin Tucker kick), 1:57
Third Quarter
BAL — Gus Edwards 1 run (Justin Tucker kick), 7:39 CLE — Cade York 37 field goal, 2:40 Fourth Quarter
BAL — Justin Tucker 55 field goal, 11:24
CLE — Kareem Hunt 2 run (Cade York kick), 9:00
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