(Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports activities)
Week 14 of the NFL season offered one of many higher Monday Night time Soccer contests we’ve seen shortly. A back-and-forth affair between division rivals with playoff implications. A recreation with extra twists and turns than you typically see in a summer time blockbuster, full with a surreal end.
Sadly, a kind of groups needed to lose.
This was maybe the largest regular-season recreation in latest reminiscence for the Browns, and the Cleveland offense obtained out to the right begin. Utilizing a mixture of play-action designs, and even a throw from huge receiver Jarvis Landry, the Browns marched proper down the sphere on their opening drive to take a 7-Zero lead.
Then the Browns tied the sport within the second quarter, getting an enormous completion from Baker Mayfield to Donovan Peoples-Jones earlier than working again Nick Chubb punched it in from 14 yards out to knot the competition at 14.
Nevertheless the Baltimore Ravens pulled off the “double-dip,” scoring earlier than halftime after which on the opening possession of the third quarter, and Cleveland discovered themselves down by two scores early within the second half. They – or extra precisely Kareem Hunt – would reply. Hunt caught a vertical shot alongside the left sideline for an enormous acquire after which completed off the drive with a landing run of his personal. Nevertheless, kicker Cody Parkey would miss the additional level, leaving the Browns trailing by eight.
Sadly, looming giant was the large mistake, and it got here later within the third quarter from Mayfield:
Tyus Bowser intercepts and returns it to the objective line! #RavensFlock
📺: #BALvsCLE on ESPN
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports activities app: https://t.co/wVjLQzz43l pic.twitter.com/IjpF23F8Un— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2020
The quarterback couldn’t match the throw away from Tyus Bowser and the linebacker snared the one-handed interception, returning it all the way down to the goalline. J.Okay. Dobbins would punch it in a single play later and the Browns had been down by two scores but once more.
However Cleveland would storm again. Mayfield would hit Rashard Higgins for a landing on a fourth down play and the two-point conversion would minimize the Ravens’ result in six. Then after a Baltimore punt, the Browns ripped off an enormous drive, overlaying 70 yards on 12 performs and ending with a Mayfield scramble for the rating. Parkey’s further level gave Cleveland their first lead for the reason that first quarter.
After all, this recreation had extra twists and turns, with the ultimate one being Lamar Jackson main the Ravens into place for a game-winning discipline objective from Justin Tucker. Leaving the Browns to surprise what may have been.
Nevertheless, Cleveland and their followers shouldn’t be disheartened tonight. The Browns are nonetheless simply two video games again of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who they are going to face in Week 17. In addition they get the Giants subsequent week and the Jets in Week 16. There’s a likelihood that this loss, whereas painful, units them up for a three-game run to the playoffs…and extra.
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