The Ravens abandoned the run and their defensive principles en route to a shocking 33-31 loss to the Browns at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
John Harbaugh’s group looked like the best team in the league through one half, then melted down, as the Ravens were outscored 24-14 in the second by Cleveland, as the Browns pulled off the 33-31 upset as time expired.
Kevin Stefanski’s team (6-3) moved within a game of the Ravens (7-3), who’ll look to rebound ahead of a massive AFC North matchup against the Bengals (5-4) on Thursday night.
With fans perplexed and disappointed after the late fourth-quarter meltdown, here are takeaways and observations from the loss.
Odell hitting his stride
Baltimore went away from the run and continue to only use Beckham as a decoy outside of a few shots like this one below.
Celly go crazy 🤣 him & zay 🫡 https://t.co/pPzD2IF9Ah
— Ar'Darius Washington (@ad_washington24) November 12, 2023
Beckham had one catch, for 40 yards and this score.
Marlon Humprhey goes down
Baltimore had several players exit Sunday’s loss, but none more imporant than Humphrey, who suffered a lower body injury.
Ravens pass catchers
Baltimore went away from the run, but only completed passes to seven players, and only had Zay Flowers catch more than 3 passes in a game where the Ravens had the football for 9 less minutes and 25 less offensive plays.
Star quarterbacks battle
Deshaun Watson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Moore with 8:57 remaining, and then Lamar Jackson threw a pick six to Cleveland cornerback Greg Newsome II, and he returned the interception 34 yards for a TD just 41 seconds later.
Overall, Watson out-toughed Lamar Jackson and outplayed the Ravens star, finishing with 213 yards passing and 37 rushing, while using his legs to extend multiple drives.
Ravens defenders
Roquan Smith had 21 tackles on the day, while Patrick Queen and Kyle Hamilton both had 9 tackles each, and the safety had the spectacular interception return for a touchdown.
Jadeveon Clowney was outstanding on the day, logging 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 4 QB hits.
Lamar Jackson pick six
Jackson will want both throws back, but the pick six totally swung the momentum.
Ravens lead 31-30 with 7 minutes to go.
📺: #CLEvsBAL on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/kECSNGc6Bj https://t.co/jkPMRdpXdK pic.twitter.com/HBVDkFztbr— NFL (@NFL) November 12, 2023