Browns vs. Commanders Live Updates: Carson Wentz's Three Interceptions Sinks Washington
With a playoff berth within the Washington Commanders’ grasp, Carson Wentz will make his first start in nine games on Sunday at 1 p.m. at FedEx Field against the Cleveland Browns.
Washington started the season 2-4 before Wentz went on the injured reserve with a fractured ring finger on his right hand. In his absence, Taylor Heinicke went 5-3-1 but hasn’t led the Commanders to a win since November.
Wentz came in for Heinicke in a 37-20 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and completed 12 of his 16 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. On Wednesday, Ron Rivera announced Wentz would start against Cleveland.
Cleveland is already eliminated from the playoffs after losing to the New Orleans Saints 17-10 on Christmas Eve. Deshaun Watson is making his fifth start for Cleveland after serving an 11-game suspension to start the season.
Here are the inactive players for both teams.
Commanders:
QB Sam Howell
RB Antonio Gibson
CB Benjamin St-Juste
S Kam Curl
G Chris Paul
OL Saahdiq Charles
DE James Smith-Williams
Browns:
QB Kellen Mond
RB Demetric Fulton Jr.
CB Thomas Graham Jr.
DT Ben Stille
DE Isaiah Thomas
OT Chris Hubbard
DT Tommy Togiai
Stay here for live updates of the game from Commander Country.
First Quarter:
Washington wins the toss and defers to the second half. Cleveland gets the ball to start the game at its 25-yard line.
Watson's pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones is incomplete. Watson completes a screen pass to Nick Chubb and he turns it into a 12-yard gain for a first down.
Chubb gets the handoff and runs for nine yards. Chubb gets stuffed short of a first down, but Montez Sweat jumped offsides and that gives the Browns a first down.
Watson's rolls left and his pass intended for David Njoku is incomplete. A holding call on Joel Bitonio moves Cleveland back 10 yards. On first and 20, Watson's pass to Harrison Bryant is incomplete. On second and long, Watson gets sacked by Daron Payne for a loss of seven yards. Watson's pass to Kareem Hunt is complete but he loses two yards.
Dax Milne fields the punt at Washington's five-yard line and returns it 14 yards to the 19-yard line.
Change of possession.
Jonathan Williams gets the handoff and gains four yards. Wentz's pass intended for Williams is high and incomplete. On third and six, Wentz is intercepted by Denzel Ward at Washington's 36-yard line.
Change of possession.
Watson's pass to Bryant is complete for 12 yards.
Watson looks for Amari Cooper but the pass is incomplete. Chubb runs for six yards to Washington's 18-yard line. Watson's pass intended for Njoku on third down is broken up by Danny Johnson and falls incomplete.
The 37-yard field goal by Cade York is good with 9:22 left in the quarter.
Browns 3, Commanders 0
Change of possession.
Jaret Patterson returns the kickoff to Washington's 22-yard line.
Brian Robinson Jr. gets his first carry of the game and only gains a yard. Wentz completes a screen pass to Terry McLaurin but only gains two yards. On third and seven, Wentz finds Logan Thomas for 11 yards and a first down.
Robinson gets the handoff and runs for four yards. Robinson gets another handoff and he carries Cleveland defenders for an 11-yard gain.
Robinson runs for five yards on first down. Williams gets the carry and is stopped for no gain. On third and five, Williams runs for four yards. On fourth and one, Williams gets another carry on a toss and he loses two yards for a turnover on downs.
Change of possession.
Chubb breaks a big run for 14 yards to Washington's 44-yard line.
Chubb gets another carry and he breaks free for 36 yards to Washington's eight-yard line.
Watson drops back to pass and he's pushed out of bounds by David Mayo for a two-yard loss. Hunt gets the handoff and runs for five yards. On third and goal from Washington's six-yard line, Watson is forced to run out of bounds and loses two yards.
York's 25-yard field goal is good, but an offsides call on Washington leads to Cleveland going for it. Watson keeps it and he's stopped at the two-yard line.
Change of possession.
Robinson gets the handoff and gains a yard on the final play of the first quarter.
End of the quarter.
Second Quarter:
Robinson gets another handoff but is stopped for no gain. On third and nine, Wentz goes deep to McLaurin but the pass is incomplete. Offsides and defensive holding give Washington an automatic first down.
Wentz's swing pass to Robinson is incomplete and the fans are starting to get restless. Robinson runs for three yards on second down. On third and seven, Wentz goes deep and he's intercepted by Grant Delpit near midfield.
Change of possession.
Watson is sacked for a four-yard loss by Sweat. Jonathan Allen is injured on the play and helped off the field. Chubb runs for five yards on second and long. On third and nine, Watson evades two sacks, then just throws it to an offensive lineman. Illegal touching against Cleveland is declined.
Corey Bojorquez's punt is downed at Washington's four-yard line.
Change of possession.
Robinson runs for four yards on first down. Robinson gets another carry and gains five yards. On third and one, Robinson runs for five yards and a first down.
Robinson gets another handoff and is stopped for no gain. Wentz's pass is completed to Jahan Dotson for eight yards. On third and two, Williams takes the handoff and runs for 11 yards and another first down.
Robinson is back in the game and runs for three yards on first down. On second and seven, Wentz is sacked by Chase Winovich for a loss of 10 yards. On third and 17, Wentz's pass is complete to Dotson, who makes a leaping grab along the sideline for 20 yards and a first down.
Williams runs for three yards on first down. Robinson gets the handoff and runs for nine yards to Cleveland's 37-yard line.
Robinson gets another handoff and runs for four yards. Williams is stopped for no gain on second down. On third and six, Wentz finds Thomas for a 16-yard gain and another first down at Cleveland's 17-yard line.
Robinson gains two yards on first down. The game has reached the two-minute warning. Robinson runs for four yards on second down. On third and four, Wentz's pass is complete to Thomas for another first down.
The Commanders fail to reach the end zone on their first three plays of the goal-to-go situation. However, on the 21st play of the drive, Wentz jumps over the top for a 1-yard touchdown.
Commanders 7, Browns 3
Change of possession.
Jerome Ford returns it to Cleveland's 23-yard line. Watson takes a knee and the game has reached halftime.
Halftime.
Third Quarter:
Patterson returns the kickoff to Washington's 27-yard line. Robinson loses two yards on first down. Robinson gets another carry and only gains a yard. A Cleveland player is down on the field. On third and 11, Wentz is under pressure and his pass is complete to Williams but loses two yards.
Jaelon Darden fields the punt at Cleveland's 27-yard line and returns it 10 yards.
Change of possession.
Watson's pass is complete to Bryant for seven yards. Chubb gets the handoff and only gains a yard. On third and two, Watson keeps it and runs for four yards and a first down.
Watson's pass to Njoku on first down is incomplete. Watson scrambles on second down and gets five yards. On third and five, Watson's pass is complete to Cooper and he makes a defender miss then takes it to the end zone for a 46-yard touchdown.
York's extra point is good with 10:03 left in the quarter.
Browns 10, Commanders 7
Change of possession.
Patterson returns the kickoff to Washington's 23-yard line. McLaurin gets the handoff and runs for 11 yards.
Wentz drops back to pass and he's under pressure before throwing it at McLaurin's feet. Robinson gets the handoff and runs for 15 yards.
Wentz's pass intended for Dotson on a screen is dropped. Williams gets the handoff and runs for two yards. On third and eight from midfield, Wentz is sacked for a loss of nine yards by Myles Garrett.
Peoples-Jones calls for a fair catch at Cleveland's 15-yard line.
Change of possession.
Chubb runs for eight yards on first down. He gets another carry and runs for seven yards.
Chub breaks through tackles and gains six yards. Ford gets the handoff and runs for nine yards and another first down.
Watson rolls right and the pass slips out of his hands before falling incomplete. An ineligible man downfield against Cleveland is declined by Washington. Chubb gets another handoff and only gains a yard. Jack Conklin is injured and walks off the field under his own power. On third and nine, Watson goes deep and finds Cooper for a 26-yard gain to Washington's 26-yard line.
Hunt gets the handoff and loses three yards. Watson completes a screen pass to Michael Woods, but an illegal shift against Peoples-Jones negates the five-yard gain. On second and 19, Watson's pass is completed to Njoku for 22 yards.
Watson hands it off to Chubb and he gains a yard. Watson's pass intended for Peoples-Jones is dropped. On third and nine, Watson finds Peoples-Jones and he runs it into the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown.
York's extra point is good with 36 seconds left in the third quarter.
Browns 17, Commanders 7
Change of possession.
Washington starts the drive at its 25-yard line after the touchback. Robinson runs for three yards on first down and that's the final play of the third quarter.
End of the quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
On second and seven, Wentz's pass is complete to Dotson for 10 yards.
Wentz drops back to pass again and finds McLaurin for a 24-yard completion to Cleveland's 38-yard line.
Wentz keeps it and scrambles for four yards. Wentz's pass on second down is complete to Curtis Samuel for six yards and a first down.
Robinson gets the handoff and runs for four yards. Robinson gets another carry and is stopped for only a yard. On third and five, Wentz's pass is complete to Williams but loses a yard.
Joey Slye attempts a 43-yard field goal and it's good with 10:26 left in the game.
Browns 17, Commanders 10
Change of possession.
Cleveland begins the drive at its 25-yard line after the touchback. Watson's pass on first down is thrown away as he's chased by Sweat. Watson keeps it on second down and runs for 21 yards before going out of bounds.
Chubb gets the handoff and only gains a yard. Watson is forced to elude defenders and only gains a yard before getting tackled by Casey Toohill. Before third and eight, Washington is flagged for too many men on the field. On third and three, Watson scrambles for two yards. On fourth and one, Jacoby Brissett comes into the game and sneaks for two yards and a first down.
Chubb gets the handoff and runs for eight yards to Washington's 35-yard line. On second and two, Chubb runs for four yards and another first down.
After play-action, Watson finds Cooper wide open down the field and he runs it into the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown.
York's extra point is good with 5:21 left in the game.
Browns 24, Commanders 10
Change of possession.
York's kickoff goes through the end zone for a touchback. Wentz's pass to Thomas is complete for six yards. Wentz's pass intended for Dotson is underthrown and incomplete. On third and four, Wentz's pass is complete to Williams for six yards and he gets out of bounds.
Wentz is sacked for a loss of a yard. Wentz's pass is complete to Thomas for eight yards. On third and three, Wentz's pass to Dotson is broken up and nearly intercepted. On fourth and three, Wentz's pass is complete to Cam Sims for 17 yards to keep Washington alive.
Wentz goes deep for Dotson and he's intercepted by Delpit in the end zone with 3:19 left to play. That's Delpit's second interception of the game.
Change of possession.
Cleveland begins the drive at the 20-yard line after the interception. Ford runs for three yards on first down. Washington calls its first timeout. Ford gets another handoff and loses three yards. The Commanders call their second timeout. On third and 10, Ford is stopped for no gain and Washington calls its final timeout with 2:54 left.
The punt goes out of bounds at Washington's 35-yard line.
Change of possession.
Wentz's pass intended for Williams is tipped and incomplete. A false start on Charles Leno moves Washington back five yards. On second and 15, Wentz's pass intended for Thomas is incomplete. Wentz goes to Thomas again and it's complete for 10 yards. Before fourth and five, Cleveland calls its first timeout of the game with 2:08 left. A false start on Sam Cosmi moves the Commanders back five yards. On fourth and nine, Wentz rolls to his right pass intended for McLaurin is nearly intercepted and falls incomplete.
Change of possession.
Ford runs for two yards and the game has reached the two-minute warning. Watson takes two knees and Cleveland calls a timeout with 34 seconds left.
Cleveland punts and it's downed at Washington's five-yard line.
Change of possession.
Williams runs for six yards and that's the final play of the game.
Final: Browns 24, Commanders 10
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