3 Takeaways From Browns’ Win Over Ravens

The Cleveland Browns spent the first two quarters Sunday against the Ravens looking overmatched.

They spent the final two quarters looking like a team that should be in the conversation to be one of the best in the AFC.

The Browns’ 33-31 win Sunday over the Ravens was a tale of two halves, but a 40-yard game-winning boot from Dustin Hopkins ensured the Browns could leave Baltimore with a win — and make a loud statement in the process.

Here are three takeaways from a massive victory over an AFC North rival.

Watson Earns Signature Win

The Pro Bowl version of Deshaun Watson the Browns have been trying to unleash might’ve finally emerged in the second half.

Watson — quite literally — didn’t miss in the final two quarters, completing all 14 of his pass attempts for 134 yards and one touchdown. He looked poised and brought a steady tempo to the passing game, which is something the Browns have lacked ever since he made his Browns debut last year.

This was easily Watson’s signature win with Cleveland, and it appeared highly unlikely those words were going to be written after an awful first half in which Watson went 6-of-20 for 79 yards with one interception, which happened on his first pass attempt of the game and resulted in a pick-six.

Watson still needs to show he can consistently play well over the entire stretch of a game, but the Browns needed him to be perfect in the second half to have a chance to win, and he delivered.

Garrett Takes Massive Step Toward DPOY

This was not a banner game for the defense, which allowed two long touchdowns and also needed time to kick into high gear after the Ravens opened a 17-3 lead at halftime.

But Myles Garrett once again brought big plays when the Browns badly needed them. Garrett had 1.5 sacks, and they came on back-to-back plays at the end of the third quarter on second and third downs. Those sacks were crucial and might’ve pushed the Ravens out of field-goal range — Baltimore was at Cleveland’s 37-yard line on the first sack and was moved back to its own 45 after the second sack.

The Ravens punted, which James Proche then muffed, allowing Baltimore to score a touchdown after it recovered the ball at the 12. But Garrett’s sacks still felt like a turning point for the Browns defense, which shut Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson down on the final two drives and snagged a pick-six from him on the next drive to shrink the deficit to just one point.

With 11 sacks, Garrett could potentially be the NFL’s sack leader after Week 10, putting him in prime position to claim his first ever Defensive Player of the Year Award if he continues his torrid pace to the season.

A Favorable Path To Win Division Lies Ahead

A win Sunday was absolutely imperative for the Browns to still have a path toward winning the AFC North. They earned one, and they got even more help around the division when the Bengals also lost to the Texans, dropping their overall record to 5-4.

The Browns are still in third place in the division, but they could potentially slide into first place in Week 11 if the Bengals defeat the Ravens on Thursday night and the Browns defeat the Steelers next Sunday in Cleveland.

Looking even further ahead, the Browns own the second easiest strength-of-schedule in the division. The Ravens own the third-hardest strength-of-schedule in the league and still need to play the 49ers, Jaguars, Dolphins, Steelers and Bengals. The Bengals have the hardest schedule in the league and need to play the Steelers twice as well as the Chiefs, Ravens, Jaguars and Browns.

All of a sudden, it’s not too hard to imagine a scenario where the Browns — who own the league’s 19th-hardest schedule — are leading the division when December begins.

They showed Sunday that no one should be surprised if that indeed happens.