Ravens vs. Browns: Score and Twitter Reaction for 'Monday Night Football'

If the Baltimore Ravens were to play the Cleveland Browns every week, they might be the playoff contenders everyone expected at the beginning of the season instead of 4-7 and five games out of first place in the AFC North with five games remaining.

The Ravens managed to outlast the Browns, 33-27, in one of the strangest Monday night games of the season. Matt Schaub filled in for an injured Joe Flacco (knee) for Baltimore, and Cleveland found itself using Austin Davis in the fourth quarter in place of Josh McCown, who went down with a shoulder injury.

Appropriately, the game ended on a blocked field goal that the Ravens returned for a touchdown.

Davis was seconds away from being the hero in Cleveland after he led the Browns on a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter and put them within field-goal range in the final seconds. However, Brent Urban blocked Travis Coons' potential game-winner, and Will Hill III ran it back for a touchdown.

The NFL shared video of the final play:

Jimmy Traina of Fox Sports summarized the proceedings:

ESPN Stats & Info provided context for the play:

Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports described life for the Browns:

"

Life just finds a way to remind the Cleveland Browns that they’re the Cleveland Browns every chance it gets.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) December 1, 2015"

Joe Reedy of the Associated Press added more misery for Cleveland fans:

The dramatic finish helped Baltimore overcome two interceptions by Schaub and a dismal defensive effort, as the Browns racked up 338 total yards and important points with the game on the line. To Schaub's credit, he did throw two touchdown passes and started the game well before a near-collapse in the second half.

While the battle between McCown and Schaub didn't generate the same type of pregame buzz as a showdown between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning would, both quarterbacks were effective in the first half. The Ravens took a 17-13 lead into the locker room after Schaub connected with Javorius Allen for a 13-yard touchdown and McCown answered with a 10-yarder to Marlon Moore.

However, the primary difference in the early going was an 82-yard punt return by Baltimore's Kaelin Clay, which opened the scoring five minutes into the first quarter. The NFL passed along the highlight:

The home team had special teams breakdowns and a defense that allowed Schaub to complete all but two passes in the first half, and Tom Reed of the Plain Dealer put things in perspective:

The effective quarterback play came to an end in the second half when Karlos Dansby picked off Schaub's pass in the opening minutes and took it 52 yards to paydirt to help give Cleveland a 20-17 lead. The NFL captured the moment:

Dan Murphy, the communications manager for the Browns, noted it was business as usual for the veteran linebacker:

To Schaub's credit, he bounced back on the next possession, when he directed a 12-play, 80-yard drive to help give the Ravens a 24-20 lead. He capped the march with a 15-yard pass to Kamar Aiken. WNST 1570 in Maryland was impressed with Schaub's resolve after the turnover:

The deficit wasn't the only concern for Cleveland late in the third quarter, when McCown took a big hit from Timmy Jernigan and suffered a shoulder injury. Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer noted the quarterback was attempting to fight through the injury on the sideline:

The Browns had an opportunity to seize momentum without McCown when they pinned Baltimore at its 1-yard line, but Schaub converted a critical third down to give the offense some breathing room. Reed did not like what he saw from the Cleveland defense heading into the fourth quarter:

That defense failed to make another crucial play when the Ravens elected to go for it on fourth down inside their 25-yard line. Schaub converted, and Bo Smolka of CSN Mid-Atlantic reacted:

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out that it was just another day at the office for the Baltimore offense:

The Ravens marched down the field with multiple long passes to Aiken and Co. after the gutsy fourth-down call. While Baltimore had to settle for a field goal to extend its lead to 27-20, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports described the Browns defense on the important possession:

McCown came back out for Cleveland, but he went down in pain after his second throw of the drive. Davis replaced the starter, but Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun noted the home fans wanted somebody else to play the rest of the game:

Sports Illustrated implied an appearance by Johnny Manziel was more than unlikely:

"

Browns' current QB depth chart: McCown, Davis, Brian Sipe, Otto Graham, Greg Cook, the guy with the face tattoo from Mastodon, Manziel.

— SI NFL (@si_nfl) December 1, 2015"

Even suspended Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon wanted to see Manziel:

"

Give the people what they want to see..  @JManziel2 #MNF

— Flash Gordon (@JOSH_GORDONXII) December 1, 2015"

Davis remained in the game when Cleveland got the ball back down by seven points with less than five minutes left. Despite the outcry for that other quarterback, Davis managed to keep his team's hopes alive when he parlayed a 3rd-and-19 into a first down with two completions to Brian Hartline.

Zrebiec reacted:

That proved to be crucial, because Davis connected with Travis Benjamin for a 42-yard touchdown with less than two minutes remaining to help the Browns tie the game. Suddenly, there weren't any Manziel chants, and Cleveland had a legitimate opportunity to win the game. Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated commented on Benjamin's play:

Luke Jones of WNST looked at things from Baltimore's perspective:

The Browns defense did its job on the ensuing possession and gave Davis an opportunity to win the game. The Ravens, however, forced a three-and-out to get the ball back, only to watch Schaub throw another interception. This time, Tramon Williams picked him off.

Jones described the sequence in the final two minutes:

Davis drove Cleveland into field-goal range, but Urban blocked Coons' kick, and Hill scooped up the ball and ran it all the way back for a touchdown.

Just like that, the Browns showed their fans a new way to lose.

What's Next?

Even with the win, the Ravens are well out of playoff contention, and the remaining schedule offers no breaks. Baltimore will still play playoff contenders in the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers and the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals. At least Ravens fans can take solace in knowing a few more losses will secure a favorable draft pick.

As for the Browns, they are also out of postseason contention and will face a number of difficult opponents down the stretch.

Cleveland still has contests against the Bengals, Seahawks, Chiefs and Steelers and will likely find itself in a similar situation, with losses piling up while its draft status improves. There are worse things in a lost season, but Cleveland fans likely had higher hopes at the start of the year.

Postgame Reaction

Perhaps the most appropriate postgame reaction came from Florida State Football, which also lost a game this season in similar fashion to the Browns when Georgia Tech blocked a field goal and ran it back in the final seconds:

It may have been a matchup between two teams with losing records, but Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said it was “one of the greatest football games you’re ever going to see in terms of excitement,” per Around the NFL.

Harbaugh also commented on his special teams that proved to be the difference with a punt return touchdown and the final block, per Smolka, “We play hard on special teams...They got five games in a row with a block. Whoever heard of that?”

Hill scored that game-winning touchdown, and it was a meaningful moment for him because he took accountability for the Benjamin touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Zrebiec noted Hill said he “was locked in on the wrong guy” and was “desperate to make amends.” He certainly did that.

Lost in the field-goal block was Schaub’s victory in place of Flacco. He commented on the win, per Smolka: “want to have those two throws back, but felt pretty good about how things went.”

As for the Browns, attention naturally turned toward the injured McCown. Cabot noted he walked out of the locker room in a sling and that coach Mike Pettine said it was a collarbone injury. Pettine also said McCown would play in the upcoming game against the Bengals if healthy, per Cabot.

McCown earned the admiration of Davis even in defeat. Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com said Davis praised the starter for fighting through even though “his arm was falling off.”

Davis also said he didn’t know what the Browns will do with Manziel if McCown doesn’t play against the Bengals but believes the former Heisman Trophy winner could play, per Steve Doerschuk of CantonRep.com.

That would at least give Cleveland fans something to watch down the stretch.