The Cleveland Browns took down the Baltimore Ravens, claiming their second win of the season with a 29-24 victory that snapped a five-game losing streak. Cleveland’s last-minute comeback, capped by a 38-yard touchdown from Jameis Winston to rookie wide receiver Cedric Tillman, stole the game from the Ravens, who entered the matchup as one of the AFC’s top teams.
After an inconsistent start to the season and the recent loss of quarterback Deshaun Watson to a season-ending Achilles injury, the Browns took the field with Winston as their new starter. He impressed in his first start, completing 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Under Winston, Cleveland’s offense surged to a season-high 401 yards, a stark improvement from their season average of 253.9 yards per game.
The Browns took control early in the second half, responding to Baltimore’s challenges with multiple scoring drives. Winston found tight end David Njoku for a 23-yard touchdown, giving Cleveland a 13-10 lead in the third quarter. Later, he connected with Tillman for another score, putting the Browns ahead 20-17 with less than two minutes left in the third.
Baltimore’s offense, led by Lamar Jackson, fought to reclaim the lead. Jackson, who is having an MVP-worthy season, threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns, while also contributing 46 rushing yards. The Ravens appeared to swing the game back in their favor in the fourth quarter when running back Derrick Henry capped a 91-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown, putting Baltimore up 24-23 with 2:36 remaining.
However, Cleveland refused to back down. With 59 seconds left on the clock, Winston capitalized on a Ravens defensive miscue—a dropped interception by safety Kyle Hamilton—to find Tillman for the go-ahead touchdown. This clutch play handed the Browns a 29-24 lead they would not relinquish.
Baltimore’s final drive ended in frustration, as Jackson’s desperate heave to the end zone fell incomplete with no receiver open. Jackson finished the day with a respectable 101.8 passer rating, but the Ravens’ offense was haunted by missed opportunities, including a crucial dropped pass by Rashod Bateman in the fourth quarter that could have flipped the game.
Despite Justin Tucker’s rare 50-yard field goal miss in the fourth quarter, the Ravens battled fiercely. Yet it was Cleveland’s gritty defense that held firm, shutting down Baltimore’s final push. Denzel Ward and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah exited due to injuries, but the Browns’ depth shone as players like Martin Emerson Jr. stepped up in key moments, especially on Baltimore’s last-ditch effort to score.
In their first divisional win of the season, the Browns improved to 2-6, injecting some optimism into a season that appeared bleak just a week ago. The Ravens, now 5-3, dropped back into the crowded pack of AFC playoff contenders, leaving them with questions to answer on both sides of the ball before their next divisional clash.
For Cleveland, the win not only lifted them out of a five-game slump but also served as a morale booster for a team adapting to new personnel and leadership. Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, taking over play-calling duties from head coach Kevin Stefanski, demonstrated a balanced and aggressive game plan that helped unlock the Browns’ offense in critical moments.
The victory puts Cleveland back in the AFC North conversation and delivers a promising start to the Winston era, while Baltimore heads into the second half of the season looking to solidify their defense after a rare breakdown in an otherwise stellar year.