Just How Improbable Was The Browns Win Over Baltimore?

Things looked bleak for the Browns early in Baltimore on Sunday.

On the second offensive play of the game, a blitzing Kyle Hamilton made an incredible play, tipping a Deshaun Watson's pass to himself in the back field, intercepting it and walking into the end zone untouched. In the blink of an eye it was 7-0, Ravens.

It got worse. After a short lived, four-play drive the Browns punted the ball back to their division rival. Just five plays later, rookie running back Keaton Mitchell was leaving Cleveland's defense in the dust as sprinted to the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown run. Make that 14-0.

A game with some lofty stakes in relation to the AFC North and the conference at large was turning into a lopsided affair. But the Browns didn't quit.

Despite the ugly start and a forgettable first half performance from quarterback Deshaun Watson, Cleveland kept its composure. Trailing by 15 early in the third quarter, the offense strung together a 17-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on its first series of the second half. The defense made key stops when it really needed to and slowly but surely the Browns chipped away Baltimore double-digit lead, setting the stage for a Dustin Hopkins game-winning field goal.

In real time the moment felt palpable enough, but the history books provided even more context to what Cleveland pulled off in Baltimore.

Entering Sunday, the Browns were 0-59-1 when trailing by 14-plus points to any of their AFC North rivals, making the victory of the Ravens a first for the franchise when facing that scenario.

Browns when trailing by 14+ points vs an AFC North opponent

Before Sunday: 0-59-1
Sunday: 1-0 pic.twitter.com/UiWfu4DqlD
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 12, 2023

A win of that historic magnitude can often become a tone setter for teams. The Browns will put that theory to the test against another division rival, the Steelers, next weekend.