CLEVELAND — The Ravens came roaring into Sunday’s AFC North showdown against the floundering and wounded Browns riding a five-game winning streak and the strength of the NFL’s best offense.
They limped out of it shaking their heads over mistakes and missed opportunities while looking nothing like the Super Bowl contender they seemed to shaping up to be.
Browns quarterback Jameis Winston, making his first start since 2022, completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns, including a 38-yarder to a wide-open Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lift the Browns to a shocking 29-24 upset.
The loss dropped the Ravens to 5-3 while the Browns improved to 2-6.
Baltimore had its opportunities, right until the end.
As good as Winston looked against a beleaguered Ravens secondary that has struggled all year and was without two starting cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (knee) and Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness), Ravens quarterback and Most Valuable Player candidate Lamar Jackson wasn’t as sharp as usual, posting a season-worst completion percentage of 60.5% and taking a season-high three sacks. Still, he drove Baltimore to the Browns’ 24-yard line in the final seconds and had a chance to be the hero before his final heave into the end zone fell incomplete.
Jackson finished 23 of 38 passing for 289 yards with two touchdowns while running eight times for 46 yards. He led a six-play, 91-yard scoring drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry with 2:36 remaining.
But the bigger story was what the Ravens didn’t do and the wilting of their defense.
Baltimore safety Eddie Jackson, starting in place of the struggling Marcus Williams, dropped at least two would-be interceptions. Fellow safety Kyle Hamilton dropped another on the Browns’ final possession before Winston and Tiilman connected on the next play.
The Ravens’ vaunted running attack never got going, either, as Henry finished with 73 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Worse yet was the Ravens’ defense, which surrendered 400 total yards, including over 300 yards passing. Even kicker Justin Tucker, who righted his season after missing several kicks early in the year, came up short on a 50-yard attempt that would’ve tied the game at 20 early in the fourth quarter.
For the first 30 minutes, it looked like this one might come down to the end.
The Ravens managed 149 yards, including only 84 yards passing, in the first half. They were unsuccessful on four third-down attempts and one fourth-down try.
Jackson had just 95 yards on 9 of 14 passing, while Henry managed 47 yards on five carries, with 39 coming on one run.
There were also several curious decisions: A failed direct snap to Henry on fourth down, a false start on tight end Charlie Kolar after he lined up under center, an awkward shuffle pass to tight end Isaiah Likely, among others.
Baltimore was coming off a season-high 41 points and 508 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night but looked nothing like that team six days later.
This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1.
Week 9
Broncos at Ravens
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: CBS
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 9 1/2
