Cleveland rocked: Jackson’s return, Tucker’s FG lift Ravens
Baltimore survives crazy last 2 minutes to stay in playoff chase
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson called it a win-or-go-homegame. He left with a win and one of the craziest games of his life.
In a straight-out-of-Hollywood ending, Jackson returned from cramps that sidelined him most of the fourth quarter to deliver a go-ahead touchdown, then a game-winning drive. Kicker Justin Tucker’s 55-yard field goal with two seconds remaining capped one of the wildest nights and most memorable wins in Ravens history.
Jackson’s feats were the stuff of legends. Facing a do-or-die fourth-and-5, Jackson jogged onto the field just as third-string quarterback Trace McSorley limped off with a leg injury and delivered a 44-yard touchdown strike to a wide-open Marquise “Hollywood” Brown for a 42-35 lead with just over a minute left.
Then he doubled down on the game’s incredulity. After the Browns needed just 47 seconds to even the score, marching 75 yards in four plays against a gassed, depleted Ravens defense, Jackson came on again. What did he have for an encore? A six-play, 38-yard drive that pushed the Ravens into field-goal range. Tucker’s kick sailed through, and a safety sealed the win, an appropriately weird capstone on a one-ina-million game.
It was a performance that could be remembered fondly in January. With the win, the Ravens face an accommodating road to their third straight playoff appearance, if not a paved path. According to FiveThirtyEight, they now have 88% odds of earning a berth and a soft finishing kick — games against the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals, all defeated handily Sunday. A loss or two by some wild-card contenders would be welcomed, too.
The Browns took a 35-34 lead midway through the fourth quarter on a 5-yard scramble by Baker Mayfield (28-for-47 for 343 yards, two touchdowns and an interception), punishing a Ravens defense that couldn’t pressure him for most of the night and was down two cornerbacks late in the second half. But that was prelude to a wild finish and prologue to the night’s other craziness. The game seemed at first to swing on a play that was right out of a Baker Mayfield fever dream. Or maybe a Don “Wink” Martindale fantasy. After Jackson missed badly on two downfield shots, the Browns took over at their 13 late in the third quarter, down eight points, momentumin their favor.
On first-and-10, cornerback Marlon Humphrey blitzed from Mayfield’s right as outside linebacker Tyus Bowser dropped into the left flat. Mayfield thought he could throw a fastball by him. Maybe he didn’t know he was testing one of the NFL’s best coverage linebackers. The former Houston men’s basketball guard reached out his right hand, brought the pick in like a rebound and returned it to Cleveland’s 1.
It was Bowser’s third interception of the season, tying All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters for the team lead. And it led to Dobbins’ easiest touchdown of the season, a 1-yard carry he could’ve walked past the goal line. Crucially, kicker Justin Tucker had his extra-point attempt blocked, his first misfire this season.
Of course, this was not a night where momentummatteredornormalcywaspossible. The next drive was a double whammy for the Ravens, or a triple whammy. On its way to a touchdown run and 2-point conversion, Cleveland converted two fourth downs. The second was a fourth-and-4 that ended with Mayfield finding wide receiver Rashard Higgins wide open for a 21-yard touchdown pass. He’d left Peters in his wake, hurting with a calf injury. Cornerback Jimmy Smith had already left with a shoulder injury.
When the Ravens returned, Jackson didn’t. Hewas in the locker room, cramping up, unavailable to carry on. With Robert Griffin III on injured reserve, Trace McSorley entered. The Ravens went three-and-out; a third-down drop by Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on a gimme throw made sure of that.
WhenJackson wasn’t slipping on FirstEnergy Stadium’s Kentucky bluegrass — his cleats seemed to skid at times on the playing surface, even on drop-backs — the Ravens were rolling over the Browns. Jackson finished 11-for-17 for 163 yards and a touchdown and added nine carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
On their first drive, he completed just one pass for 4 yards and helped draw a 29-yard pass-interference penalty. The rest of the Ravens’ 73 yards came on runs, or on dropbacks that turned into runs. Jackson evened the score with a 5-yard keeper.
On their third drive, more of the same: just one pass, and 70 yards on the ground. Edwards’ improvised route on a zone-read handoff from Jackson took him 11 yards into the end zone, and gave the Ravens a 14-7 lead.
Jackson seemed to find his footing just in time. After their defense forced a threeand-out with about a minute left, the Ravens faced third-and-10. He eluded one Browns defender, then another, then absorbed a hit from a third as he floated a pass to tight end Mark Andrews, running free down the right sideline, for a 39-yard catch-and-run.
Oneplay later, Jackson was in the end zone again, his straight-line speed on a 17-yard scramble eclipsed only by his celebration: He threw the ball against the padding, caught the rebound, then kicked it to himself as if he wanted to give punting a go, too.
It’d been far from a perfect first half; the Ravens allowed an 81-yard touchdown drive on the game’s opening possession, a 75-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter and were unlucky not to give up a field-goal drive. It was certainly an unlucky half, with the Browns fumbling three times, including twice in the red red zone, and recovering all three.
The drama hadn’t even started yet.