Browns vs. Ravens: Cleveland Grades, Notes and Quotes

Josh McCown’s career day helped the Cleveland Browns overcome a 18-point second-half deficit and shock the Baltimore Ravens with a 33-30 win in overtime. Travis Coons stays perfect, hitting all four of his field goal attempts and connecting on a 32-yard field goal with 6:48 left in overtime to send the Browns to 2-3 for the season.

McCown’s 457 yards against Baltimore are a Browns single-game franchise record. He improves to 5-20 as a starting quarterback on the road, and the Browns won their first game in Baltimore since Nov. 18, 2007. Before Sunday’s loss, Baltimore had won the previous seven matchups at M&T Bank Stadium and 13 of the last 14 overall in the series.

Baltimore made it interesting, though, after running back Isaiah Crowell’s 22-yard catch-and-run touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion gave the Browns a 30-27 lead with just 3:03 left in the fourth quarter.

The Ravens got down to the Browns’ five-yard line, but Flacco was pressured and forced to throw two uncatchable passes into the end zone. They settled for a 23-yard Justin Tucker field goal with 25 seconds remaining.

Justin Forsett was injured during that final Ravens drive in regulation, and his absence was felt. Without him the Ravens couldn’t run the ball, and Cleveland forced them into a three-and-out on their first overtime possession.

Starting at their own 35-yard line, the Browns methodically worked their way into field-goal range with a 12-play, 51-yard drive that set up Coons’ game-winner.

Tight end Gary Barnidge had a key 19-yard third-down catch on the drive, his fourth first-down conversion of the game. Barnidge’s big game included one of the wackiest circus catches you’ll see. After a jump ball was contested, Barnidge fell to the ground and caught the ball with his legs while rolling over the goal line.

Position Grades for Browns

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Position	Grade
QB	A
RB	A-
WR	A-
TE	A
OL	B+
DL	C+
LB	C+
DB	B-
Special Teams	B
Coaching	B-

McCown’s performance really speaks for itself. He was erratic in the first half, but still managed to sustain drives without an effective running game. His accuracy improved in the second half, and he put his players in good positions to pick up yards after the catch.

Duke Johnson Jr. and Crowell were effective mainly as pass-catchers again this week—the team struggled moving the ball between the tackles for much of the game. Crowell’s 22-yard catch-and-run touchdown included two broken tackles and a diving leap for the pylon with linebacker C.J. Mosley closing on him.

Speaking of the run game, the team’s offensive line wasn’t much better against a defensive front much stouter than the San Diego Chargers. Linebacker Elvis Dumervil left the game and was out for the second half, possible the reason why the Browns were able to find some more success with their run game. McCown was sacked four times, but he was slow to get rid of the ball on the majority of them.

Browns receivers and tight ends played a good game against a beatable Ravens secondary. Taylor Gabriel had his first breakout game after an encouraging rookie season. His 56-yard reception showed his breakaway speed and set up Barnidge’s circus-like touchdown catch. Travis Benjamin continued leading the team with 12 targets, of which he caught six for 83 yards. McCown missed on a couple deep throws to the receiver. The two have been unable to hook up for a long touchdown after Johnny Manziel found him three times in two games for touchdown completions of 50 or more yards.

Barnidge led the team with eight catches for 139 yards and a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, the Browns were a mess again. Rookie nose tackle Danny Shelton played well at times, but he continues to show fatigue, which is likely a large contributor to his inconsistency. He was also flagged for two untimely unnecessary roughness penalties in the red zone. Randy Starks and Desmond Bryant made a couple tackles at and behind the line of scrimmage, but he team still couldn’t contain on the edges.

Linebacker play was poor for the most part, except for a Barkevious Mingo tipped pass that would have been a touchdown. The group, playing special-teamer Tank Carder, wasn’t able to generate much pressure or shed blocks to make tackles. Karlos Dansby was everywhere, finishing with a team-high 10 tackles. Paul Kruger didn’t show up, again, against his former team. He whiffed on a tackle attempt of Justin Forsett and fell off of Flacco on what would have been an important sack. Instead, Flacco completed the pass to Jeremy Ross to the Browns’ one-yard line, and they scored on the next play. Armonty Bryant’s third sack of the year, and only sack for the Browns in Week 5, came at a great time and made the Ravens punt. He bull-rushed his way into the pocket and then disengaged his blocker before dragging the quarterback to the ground.

Haden and Donte Whitner had pass breakups in the secondary. Whitner’s hit on receiver Darren Waller was flagged for unnecessary roughness, but then the penalty was rescinded by referees. Waller left with a concussion as a result. The two weren’t very good otherwise. Whitner whiffed on a tackle attempt, and Haden was beat twice before leaving the game with a concussion.

Special teams included a great performance by Coons to hit all of his attempts, including the game winner. The Browns did have another penalty on special teams this week, an odd chop block call on Jordan Poyer while blocking for punter Andy Lee.

The coaching staff deserves some credit for not abandoning the run after a poor first-half performance. They also deserve some shame for not making any adjustments to their rush defense that is clearly the worst in the NFL. Their strategy was also confusing, despite it working, when the team got the ball back in the final seconds of regulation and got into position to kick a game-winning field goal. Time expired, though, because clock management continues to be confusing for McCown the Browns coaches.

McCown Has Milestone Performance in Browns' Week 5 Win

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Surpassing Brian Sipe with the biggest single-game franchise passing performance wasn't the only milestone McCown reached during his impressive Week 5 showing.

His 457 yards gave him his third consecutive 300-yard passing game. The 1,154 yards he amassed during that span are also the most for a three-game stretch for a Browns quarterback, beating Sipe's 1,038 yards in 1980, per Browns Communications Manager Dan Murphy.

His 425 regulation yards were the most of his career, and the fourth-most ever against the Ravens.

The Ravens took away the run and stacked the box, allowing McCown and his assortment of options to nickel and dime them all game. McCown played erratic at times and wasn't in sync with Benjamin early on, but he really started humming in the second half.

McCown was 14-22 with just 165 of his total yards in that up-and-down first half.

Joe Haden Leaves with Concussion

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Haden was beaten twice by Kamar Aiken in the first quarter but did break up a deep pass to Chris Givens before leaving with a suspected concussion. He was brought to the locker room to be evaluated.

The team announced he would not return to the game, and during his postgame press conference, coach Mike Pettine confirmed the cornerback suffered a concussion, per 92.3 The Fan.

Add concussion to the growing list of injuries that have been hindering Haden this season. Even if he clears NFL concussion protocol this week, it wouldn't be surprising if the Browns rest him next week against the high-powered Denver Broncos offense.

Travis Coons Stays Perfect

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Cleveland's rookie kicker made field goals from 37, 32 and two from 43 yards out, bringing his mark to 11-of-11 on the season. His longest field goal of the year was the 43-yarder he hit in the first quarter.

He has the leg to make the long-distance kicks, though. During the summer he effortlessly and routinely hit from 60 yards out.

Coons' game-winning 32-yard kick answers whether he can handle pressure situations.

Mike Pettine Hopes Week 5 Win Will Be Season's Turning Point

Gail Burton/Associated Press

The Ravens weren't playing great and were hurt by some key injuries, but a win is a win in the NFL. That's especially true for the Browns winning a rare game in Baltimore.

"You have wins that define things for you, that can define a season or be a turning point," coach Pettine said during his postgame press conference, according to 92.3 The Fan. "We hope that was this for us."

It could be, but it's not going to be easy from here for the Browns.

Heading into the toughest stretch of their schedule, the Browns have the Denver Broncos, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers up next before their late Week 11 bye.

McCown: I Didn't Write Myself off

Rob Carr/Getty Images

McCown's career has been filled with second chances, near misses and erratic play. But his attitude and faith in himself seem to be his saving grace.

Despite finishing 1-10 last season with a 70.5 passer rating—32nd in the NFL—the 36-year-old quarterback came to Cleveland with a positive attitude and an open mind when approaching what could be the final stop of his career.

Would he play and start at a high level, or mentor Johnny Manziel? He didn't know those answers, but he's now in Browns record books for his Week 5 performance in Baltimore.

"Everybody wrote me off. Browns didn't write me off. Didn't write myself off," McCown said after the game, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer. "Wife and kids didn't write me off.''

The McCown story is an easy one to get behind for a fan base that hasn't seen his passion and quality of play in decades.

Mike Hoag (@MikeHoagJr) covers the Cleveland Browns for Bleacher Report and is the managing editor of Browns Beat.