The Cleveland Browns are not really a “bad” football team. They have a lot of individual talent. They play hard. They actually had a 7-3 lead on the Ravens in this one. They just haven’t been able to close the deal yet this season.
The Ravens pulled away from the Browns with an opportunistic defense and an efficient offensive game plan. And punter Sam Koch kept the Browns pinned down deep in their own territory to help dominate the field position battle.
Joe Flacco threw a touchdown pass, ran for a score and beat Cleveland again as the Baltimore Ravens stayed on track for the AFC playoffs with a 27-10 win Sunday over the Browns, now two losses from becoming the NFL’s second 0-16 team. The Ravens are now 8-6.
Flacco scored on a 2-yard run and threw a 33-yard TD pass toBenjamin Watson as the Ravens took control with two touchdowns in the final 3:01 of the first half.
Defensive tackle Brandon Williamsrecovered a fumble and rolled in for a TD in third quarter to put the Ravens up 24-10.
Browns rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer threw two more interceptions, the last into a group of defenders in the fourth quarter.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh wasn’t concerned about his team overlooking the Browns with so much on the line. Baltimore was coming off a last-second, 39-38 loss at Pittsburgh last week, and while the Ravens weren’t at their best, they didn’t do anything to help Cleveland.
Flacco completed 26 of 42 passes for 288 yards and improved to 17-2 in his career against Cleveland.
With the Ravens leading 17-10, Baltimore’s defense put away the Browns.
Kizer was stripped in the end zone by Za’Darius Smith and the loose ball was pounced on by Williams, who shimmied his 340-pound frame across the goal line.
Later, Kizer forced a throw to the back of the end zone that could have been picked off by three Ravens.
Cleveland was held to zero total yards in the first quarter, but the Browns went on a 96-yard drive — Isaiah Crowell ran for 59 on the first play — to take a 7-3 lead on Duke Johnson’s 12-yard run.
After reaching the end zone, Johnson knelt with teammates before flashing “5-0” with his hands to salute Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, who is recovering from back surgery.
Baltimore has scored five defensive touchdowns so far this season. It’s also forced 33 takeaways — nine in two games against Cleveland.
INJURIES:
Ravens: WR Jeremy Maclin injured his knee on the first series, returned briefly and then was held out. … S Chuck Clark sustained a head injury in the first quarter but returned after clearing concussion protocol. …DT Carl Davis left to be treated for a head injury in the second quarter.
Browns: CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun (knee) missed his second straight game. … DT Danny Shelton sustained a lower right leg injury in the second half but returned.
UP NEXT: Ravens host Indianapolis on Sunday.
Final:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | 3 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
| CLE | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Scoring Summary:
| FIRST QUARTER | BAL | CLE | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
FG
8:46
Justin Tucker 31 Yd Field Goal
13 plays, 62 yards, 6:14
|
3 | 0 |
| SECOND QUARTER | BAL | CLE | |
 |
TD
8:12
Duke Johnson Jr. 12 Yd Run (Zane Gonzalez Kick)
5 plays, 96 yards, 2:59
|
3 | 7 |
|
TD
3:01
Joe Flacco 2 Yd Run (Justin Tucker Kick)
11 plays, 75 yards, 5:11
|
10 | 7 |
|
TD
0:59
Benjamin Watson 33 Yd pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker Kick)
3 plays, 45 yards, 0:37
|
17 | 7 |
|
FG
0:00
Zane Gonzalez 45 Yd Field Goal
7 plays, 47 yards, 0:59
|
17 | 10 |
| THIRD QUARTER | BAL | CLE | |
|
TD
7:06
Brandon Williams 1 Yd Fumble Return (Justin Tucker Kick)
1 play, -3 yards, 0:07
|
24 | 10 |
|
FG
0:04
Justin Tucker 43 Yd Field Goal
8 plays, 36 yards, 3:13
|
27 | 10 |
| Matchup | |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 23 | 15 |
| Passing 1st downs | 12 | 8 |
| Rushing 1st downs | 10 | 5 |
| 1st downs from penalties | 1 | 2 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 7-16 | 5-14 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0-1 | 0-1 |
| Total Plays | 74 | 58 |
| Total Yards | 376 | 266 |
| Total Drives | 11 | 12 |
| Yards per Play | 5.1 | 4.6 |
| Passing | 279 | 136 |
| Comp-Att | 26-42 | 20-37 |
| Yards per pass | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 2 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 1-9 | 2-10 |
| Rushing | 97 | 130 |
| Rushing Attempts | 31 | 19 |
| Yards per rush | 3.1 | 6.8 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 1-3 | 1-2 |
| Penalties | 7-57 | 6-35 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 4 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 2 |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 2 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 1 | 0 |
| Possession | 36:48 | 23:12 |
Baltimore Passing| C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SACKS | QBR | RTG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Flacco | 26/42 | 288 | 6.9 | 1 | 0 | 1-9 | 63.6 | 90.2 |
| TEAM | 26/42 | 279 | 6.9 | 1 | 0 | 1-9 | — | 90.2 |
Baltimore Rushing| CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javorius Allen | 13 | 70 | 5.4 | 0 | 16 |
| Alex Collins | 12 | 19 | 1.6 | 0 | 6 |
| Maxx Williams | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Joe Flacco | 4 | 3 | 0.8 | 1 | 3 |
| Danny Woodhead | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 |
| TEAM | 31 | 97 | 3.1 | 1 | 16 |
Baltimore Receiving| REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | TGTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Wallace | 6 | 89 | 14.8 | 0 | 30 | 10 |
| Benjamin Watson | 4 | 74 | 18.5 | 1 | 33 | 4 |
| Alex Collins | 5 | 33 | 6.6 | 0 | 14 | 8 |
| Danny Woodhead | 6 | 31 | 5.2 | 0 | 9 | 7 |
| Jeremy Maclin | 1 | 22 | 22.0 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| Michael Campanaro | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| Nick Boyle | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| Breshad Perriman | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| Javorius Allen | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Chris Moore | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Maxx Williams | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TEAM | 26 | 288 | 11.1 | 1 | 33 | 42 |
Baltimore Defense| TACKLES | MISC | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS | TD | ||
| Patrick Onwuasor | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Maurice Canady | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C.J. Mosley | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Matthew Judon | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Brandon Carr | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Anthony Levine Sr. | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Lardarius Webb | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Terrell Suggs | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Eric Weddle | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tony Jefferson | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Michael Pierce | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jaylen Hill | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Za’Darius Smith | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Steven Johnson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Willie Henry | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Marlon Humphrey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tyus Bowser | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Chuck Clark | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Brandon Williams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Carl Davis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| TEAM | 51 | 37 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 1 | |
Baltimore Interceptions| INT | YDS | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Weddle | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Brandon Carr | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM | 2 | 13 | 0 |
Baltimore Punting| NO | YDS | AVG | TB | IN 20 | LONG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Koch | 5 | 215 | 43.0 | 0 | 4 | 58 |
| TEAM | 5 | 215 | 43.0 | 0 | 4 | 58 |
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