11/29/21 12:11:00
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11/29 00:09 CST Ravens overcome Jackson's 4 INTs, beat Browns 16-10
Ravens overcome Jackson's 4 INTs, beat Browns 16-10
By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer
BALTIMORE (AP) --- On a night he threw a career-high four interceptions, Lamar
Jackson still produced one incredible moment of brilliance.
That was enough for the Baltimore Ravens, who now have the best record in the
AFC after gutting out another tense victory.
Jackson pulled off one of his signature scrambles in the third quarter, buying
enough time to throw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews, and the Ravens
went on to a 16-10 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday night.
Jackson, who returned after missing last weekend's win over Chicago with an
illness, was subpar aside from that one TD throw.
"Our defense just played lights out today," Jackson said. "I'm ticked off, but
I told all those guys: 'Way to have our back, way to have my back.'"
Both teams spent much of their prime-time showcase making crucial mistakes.
Baltimore only managed one touchdown, but Jackson made it a memorable one.
Dogged by Cleveland's pass rush all night, he zig-zagged all the way back to
about the 35-yard line before lofting a pass over the middle to a remarkably
open Andrews in the end zone.
That made it 13-3, and the Ravens (8-3) held on from there. They are now 6-1 in
games decided by eight points or fewer.
Cleveland (6-6) never could get its running game --- which entered ranked No. 1
in the league --- going against the Baltimore defensive front. Nick Chubb
managed only 16 yards on eight carries, and Kareem Hunt had 20 yards on seven
attempts.
"Our run game has been very good and we've run against loaded boxes like that,"
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. "As a run offense, we've done better than
that."
Ravens coach John Harbaugh improved to 18-2 in prime-time games at home and
23-4 overall against the Browns.
"Defense was just off the charts," Harbaugh said. "That's one of the best
defensive performances that we've seen out here in a long time."
Baker Mayfield threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to David Njoku late in the third
quarter, but Cleveland didn't score again. Up 13-10, the Ravens took over with
6:28 remaining in the game and nearly ran out the rest of the clock. A holding
call on guard Ben Powers helped stall that drive, and Justin Tucker's 49-yard
field goal pushed the lead to six with 1:10 to play.
The Browns never got a first down on their final possession.
This was a far cry from December, when these teams played one of the most
exciting games of the 2020 NFL season --- a 47-42 Ravens victory in Cleveland.
This time, a quiet first half devolved into a series of miscues toward the end
of the second quarter, including five turnovers in the final 3:04.
The Ravens used up 8:41 off the clock on a 17-play drive, but settled for a
field goal and a 6-0 lead after guard Kevin Zeitler committed a false start on
fourth-and-goal from the 1. The Browns drove into Baltimore territory, but gave
the ball away on a trick play. Receiver Jarvis Landry took a shotgun snap and
moved around as if to throw, but he was hit and fumbled.
The Browns answered quickly with a takeaway of their own, when a pass by
Jackson caromed to Denzel Ward for an interception. Cleveland turned that
turnover into a field goal.
Jackson was intercepted again, giving the Browns the ball at the Baltimore 28
with 56 seconds left. Two plays later, Mayfield lost the ball --- nobody was
even credited with a forced fumble --- and the Ravens recovered near midfield.
Jackson threw his third interception of the quarter with 21 seconds left in the
half.
"Defense, I thought, played great," Mayfield said. "We need to play better,
make more plays, complementary football."
Cleveland's mistakes weren't confined to the end of the first half. Chase
McLaughlin missed a 46-yard field goal in the first quarter, and then the
Browns kept a Ravens drive alive when they were called for too many men on the
field as Baltimore lined up to go for it on fourth-and-2 from its own 33.
What was remarkable about that was that Cleveland had just called a timeout
after appearing to have substitution issues on that fourth down. Then the
Browns came out of the timeout and were called for too many men on the field
anyway.
"That's coaching," Stefanski said. "That's on me."
Tucker made a 52-yard kick at the end of that possession to give the Ravens a
3-0 lead.
MILESTONE
Myles Garrett caught Jackson early in the game for his league-leading 14th
sack, tying the Browns' single-season record set by Reggie Camp in 1984.
INJURIES
Cleveland T Jack Conklin, who returned from an elbow injury for this game, hurt
his knee in the first quarter. He tried to walk off gingerly, but then his
right knee seemed to give out. ... Hunt was in his first game back from a calf
injury. ... Ravens DT Calais Campbell (concussion) missed the game. ... Browns
TE Harrison Bryant hurt his ankle. He and Conklin will both have MRIs.
UP NEXT
Browns: Off next weekend, then face the Ravens again in their next game in a
scheduling quirk. That game is Dec. 12 in Cleveland.
Ravens: Play another division rival next Sunday at Pittsburgh.
___
Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister
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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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