On a day when Mark Andrews became the Ravens’ all-time leader in receiving yards, his first career touchdown run — on a surprise fake “tush push” late in the fourth quarter — allowed the Ravens to escape Cleveland with a 23-16 win on Nov. 16.
The Ravens (5-5) played an error-filled game that included an interception return touchdown by the Browns, a fumbled punt return that set up a Browns field goal and multiple missed opportunities in the red zone.
Yet their defense kept them in the game against the Browns (2-8) and rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who took over in the second half after rookie starter Dillon Gabriel left with a concussion.
After the Ravens erased an early 10-point deficit to draw even at 16-16, Andrews delivered the play of the game.
Driving for a potential go-ahead score, the Ravens lined up in a “tush push” formation on fourth-and-inches from the Browns 35-yard line, with Andrews under center. Instead of surging forward, Andrews took the snap, spun and ran to his right as quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry ran left. Fullback Patrick Ricard and tight end Charlie Kolar cleared out a lane on the right side, and Andrews outraced everyone for a 35-yard touchdown with 2:31 left.
Sanders — who looked every bit the fifth-round rookie in the first regular-season action of his career — to his credit got the Browns within striking distance to tie or go ahead in the final minutes. But on third down, his pass into the end zone intended for Gage Larvadain was broken up by Ravens cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. The ball appeared to be in Larvadain’s hands before Awuzie wrestled it away. Then on fourth down, Sanders’ pass to tight end David Njoku fell incomplete, and the Ravens could finally breathe a sigh of relief in a building that has vexed them lately.
The Ravens had lost three of their previous four meetings against the Browns in Cleveland, and true to form, little went right for the Ravens before the final quarter.
Jackson was inundated by the Cleveland pass rush, with All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett registering four sacks on his own. Jackson finished 14-for-25 for 193 yards and two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown.
Midway through the second quarter, Jackson’s pass in the flat glanced off Keaton Mitchell’s hands. Browns linebacker Devin Bush snagged the ball for an interception and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown and a 13-3 Cleveland lead.
That score came two plays after a Cleveland field goal that was set up when Ravens punt returner LaJohntay Wester muffed the ball as he attempted to catch a punt in brisk wind inside the Ravens’ 10-yard line.
The Ravens answered the Browns’ pick-six with one of their better drives of the day, highlighted by a 45-yard pass from Jackson to Zay Flowers. Three plays later, Derrick Henry scored on a 1-yard run to cut the Browns’ lead to 13-10 late in the second quarter.
The Ravens defense kept the Browns’ offense out of the end zone, limiting them to three field goals from kicker Andre Szmyt. That kept the Ravens within striking distance and set up Andrews’ heroics in the closing minutes.
Here are five quick impressions of the win, the Ravens’ fourth in a row after a 1-5 start:
1. Mark Andrews deserved to be the star today.
Before his remarkable game-winning score, tight end Mark Andrews in the first quarter hauled in an otherwise unremarkable 11-yard catch. And with that, he became the most prolific pass-catcher in Ravens history, breaking Derrick Mason’s all-time franchise record for receiving yards.
Andrews finished the game with three catches for 32 yards, giving him 5,806 career receiving yards, every one of them for the Ravens. He now has 468 catches and needs just four more to pass Mason’s all-time franchise record for receptions as well.
Andrews already holds a host of other major Ravens receiving records, including single-season marks for receptions (107) and receiving yards (1,361). He also has scored more touchdowns than anyone in Ravens history; his rushing touchdown in this game gives him 57 — 10 more than runner-up Jamal Lewis.
Andrews has been Lamar Jackson’s top target since they came into the league together as rookies in 2018, and both of them have mentioned an almost telepathic connection. Jackson frequently has described it as “Streetball,” this ability for the duo to come up with something on the fly when the rest of the play breaks down.
These records for Andrews come at a fascinating point in his career. His future with the organization is unsettled. He is set to become a free agent after the season, as are the Ravens’ other two tight ends, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar. The Ravens might not have the cap space to re-sign more than one of them, and Likely could be the top candidate since he’s almost five years younger than Andrews.
Yet Andrews remains the player Jackson inherently trusts, and he has delivered on that trust throughout his career. The most cynical Ravens fans will point to Andrews’ well-documented playoff struggles, and his dropped two-point conversion at Buffalo in the divisional round last season was the signature moment in that agonizing loss.
Yet it’s also true that Andrews has been a model player and teammate for eight seasons. It’s probably worth noting that Andrews, in Year 8, consistently went through drills on scorching training camp practice fields as hard as he did in Year 1. He’s a consummate pro, and his place atop the Ravens receiving lists is well deserved.
Whether he leaves after this season or not, Andrews will be back in Baltimore someday to be placed in the team’s Ring of Honor. And that day, people will also recall this game-winning touchdown run at Cleveland.
2. The Ravens had no answer for Myles Garrett.
Fullback Patrick Ricard said earlier this week that Browns All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett was the best player he’s ever played against. Garrett validated that assessment, punishing the Ravens to the tune of four sacks.
Garrett was a huge reason Lamar Jackson had one of the least productive games of his career; Jackson finished 14-for-25 for 193 yards and two interceptions, and his passer rating of 47.6 was the second-lowest of his career.
Last season, Ravens tackle Roger Rosengarten, then a rookie, went viral when a mic caught him telling Garrett, “I know I’m a nobody … but can I get a jersey?” as the two squared off. In this game, Garrett treated Rosengarten like a nobody, at one point tossing him aside like a rag doll before sacking Jackson.
To be sure, the Browns overall defensive effort deserves an assist. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz — a Baltimore native and Mount St. Joe’s grad — has flummoxed Jackson and the Ravens in the past. And the Browns coverage downfield at times led Jackson to hold the ball and allow Garrett to track him down. The Ravens were also missing their top pass-protection running back in Justice Hill, who isn’t winning any one-on-one battles with Garrett but does a lot that goes unnoticed in terms of giving Jackson space and vision.
The Ravens’ offensive line has been a punching bag all season, and whenever head coach John Harbaugh is asked about the unit, he tends to bristle at any perceived criticism. Yes, they got beat badly by Garrett today, but there’s a long list of offensive linemen around the league who can say that.
Ricard was right. He might never face a more impactful, destructive defensive player in his career. The Ravens can be thankful that a four-sack day from Garrett wasn’t their undoing.
3. The red-zone woes continue, and that will cost this team at some point.
Yet again, the toughest yards for the Ravens proved to be near the opposing goal line. They escaped this game with a win, but at some point, maybe when the season is on the line against a high-powered offense, 24- and 25-yard field goals won’t cut it.
Those were the distances of two of Tyler Loop’s field goals in this game after Ravens drives stalled inside the Browns’ 10-yard line. This is not a new phenomenon. The Ravens entered this game ranked 27th of 32 NFL teams in terms of converting red zone chances into touchdowns.
In the second quarter, they had first-and-goal at the Browns’ 4-yard line. Derrick Henry was stuffed after a 1-yard gain on first down, and after a second-down incompletion, Myles Garrett notched one of his four sacks on third down. On came Loop for the chip shot.
As the third quarter ended, the Ravens had first-and-goal at the 9 after Derrick Henry’s 59-yard run, his longest of the season. Apparently, the Browns had the Ravens right where they wanted them. Henry gained 4 yards on two plays before a third-down incompletion led to another short field goal.
Nearly every week for a month or more, offensive coordinator Todd Monken has fielded questions about his unit’s inability to finish drives in the end zone when they get close. There certainly have been some questionable play calls, but the Ravens also have just lost at the point of attack too often. Monken, quarterback Lamar Jackson and others have said it comes down to executing, and the Ravens aren’t doing that nearly well enough near the end zone.
If that continues, it will be their undoing, in the regular season or in the postseason.
4. This was not the finest hour for Ravens special teams.
Credit to Tyler Loop for a clutch 44-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that tied the game at 16 — his third made field goal of the day — but the Ravens had multiple special teams issues that were among the reasons they found themselves fighting for this game in the closing minutes.
Punt returner LaJohntay Wester muffed a punt inside the Ravens’ 10-yard line, and only a tenacious stand from the Ravens defense held the Browns to a field goal; a huge hit by Brent Urban resulted in a 3-yard loss in that series. Earlier, Wester had backed up and fielded a punt at the Ravens’ 2-yard line, pretty much a universal no-no.
Special teams coordinator Chris Horton this week talked about the importance of good decision-making on returns, and Wester made poor decisions on both those plays. It seemed as if a young player was eager to make a big play, but it nearly cost the Ravens dearly. To his credit, a couple of other times later in the game Wester applied caution and let a punt bounce, a far more preferable outcome than a muff in swirling wind.
The punt return team also had another issue. With the Browns lined up to punt near midfield, Jake Hummel jumped offside on fourth-and-5, giving the Browns a first down. That extended drive ended in a field goal and a 16-10 Browns halftime lead.
The Ravens cycled through punt returners last season — who can forget Steven Sims and Desmond King?? — and general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh both expressed a strong desire to upgrade that portion of the team. They drafted Wester with that in mind, and they saw his big-play potential with an 87-yard touchdown punt return in the preseason opener. But Wester needs to also make good decisions, and you can bet Horton will be talking to him about decision-making again this week.
5. It’s another road win, and the AFC North is a two-horse race.
John Harbaugh likes to say, “Winning in the NFL is hard,” and winning on the road in the NFL is even harder. The Ravens have now reeled off three straight road wins, including the dreaded road Thursday night game, and the reward is three straight home games — beginning with the New York Jets (2-8) this coming Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Ravens follow that with two potentially season-defining games, AFC North battles against Cincinnati (3-7) on Thanksgiving night and then Pittsburgh (6-4) on Dec. 7. The Steelers put away Joe Flacco and the Bengals, 34-12, this week, which probably buries any title hopes for the Bengals, regardless of quarterback Joe Burrow’s return, which potentially could come on Thanksgiving in Baltimore.
All eyes now focus on the Steelers game at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 7, with first place in the AFC North potentially in play. Before that meeting, the Steelers will visit Chicago (7-3) and host Buffalo (7-3). The Ravens and Steelers play in Pittsburgh in the season’s final weekend.
The Ravens have officially overcome their 1-5 start; they are 5-5 after 10 games, and it doesn’t really matter how they got there. The bottom line is they are relevant in the AFC North, and realistically, only they and the Steelers can say that after this week. The division is there to be won, which is all the Ravens would have asked for back in August.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox