Though he missed a chance to tie the game late on Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium, Dustin Hopkins made his kick when it truly mattered.
Hopkins drilled a 40-yard field goal in the final seconds to lift the Cleveland Browns to a wild 33-31 comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens. That field goal capped a 15-point comeback, and gave the Browns their only lead of the day.
The Browns, who fell into a 24-9 hole early in the second half, rallied back and should have tied the game up after Greg Newsome ran a 34-yard interception in for a touchdown off of a tipped Lamar Jackson pass.
Hopkins, however, missed that extra point — which kept the Ravens on top by one.
But after stopping Jackson and the Ravens one last time, the Browns got the ball back with just less than five minutes to go. Watson mounted a 12-play, 58-yard drive and set up the field goal for Hopkins, who had absolutely no issue hitting it.
The Ravens jumped up over the Browns early, and seemed poised for an easy win in Baltimore. Kyle Hamilton intercepted Deshaun Watson and ran it back 18-yards for a touchdown within the first minute to give the Ravens a 7-0 lead instantly, and then Keaton Mitchell ran in a 39-yard score on Baltimore’s first offensive drive of the game. A field goal near the end of the first quarter then gave them a 17-3 lead after 15 minutes.
Odell Beckham Jr. hauled in a 40-yard touchdown grab early in the third quarter, too, which gave the Ravens a 24-9 lead after they gave up a pair of field goals in the second quarter.
The Browns finally scored a touchdown of their own after Kareem Hunt ran in a 3-yard score late in the period. Watson got the two-point conversion, too, which cut the game back to a single possession.
That’s when the Bengals intercepted Jackson, and got the game back to a single point.
Jackson went 13-of-23 for 223 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss for the Ravens, which was only their third on the season and snapped a four-game win streak. Jackson was also their leading rusher with 41 yards on eight carries. Zay Flowers had 73 yards on five catches.
Watson went 20-of-34 for 213 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Browns. Jerome Ford had 107 rushing yards on 17 carries, and Amari Cooper had 98 receiving yards on just six catches. The win was Cleveland’s fourth in its last five games. They’ll host the Pittsburgh Steelers next week.
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
