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

A flat first half gave way to a dominant second half, and the Baltimore Ravens dispatched the Cleveland Browns 28-7 at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday night to capture their second straight win and improve to 5-4.

The cellar-dwelling Browns, however, dropped to 0-10 after allowing 25-plus points for the 10th straight game.

It took some time for Baltimore's offense to click, but quarterback Joe Flacco led a strong aerial attack with 296 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 73.2 percent of his passes. According to WBAL's Pete Gilbert, Thursday marked Flacco's first three-touchdown game since a November 2015 showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Baltimore's rushing attack provided supplementary stability on a night when Terrance West and Kenneth Dixon served as an effective one-two punch. West rushed for 65 yards on 21 carries, and Dixon added 80 total yards in his role as a dual-threat playmaker out of the backfield.

Cleveland used a stout defensive start as a springboard, and it took a 7-3 lead midway through the second quarter when Cody Kessler—who went 11-of-18 for 91 yards and one touchdown on the night—found seldom-seen tight end Seth DeValve for a 25-yard score after he beat Eric Weddle, as the NFL documented on Twitter:

With the Browns fresh off a seven-play, 75-yard drive, The MMQB's Albert Breer observed that Kessler has looked the part of a legitimate starting quarterback:

Cleveland held a 7-6 lead at halftime, and the defense deserved a load of credit.

Not only did the Browns make Flacco pay with an interception that halted a potential scoring drive, but linebacker Jamie Collins—whom the team acquired from the New England Patriots on Oct. 31—was flying around the field and thriving as a pass-rusher, run-stopper and defender in coverage, according to CBS Sports' Dane Brugler:

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted Collins looked more polished and dynamic Thursday night than he did during his first seven games of the season:

Collins frustrated the Ravens in the first half, but Baltimore bounced back with a strong statement in the third quarter.

Flacco hit tight end Darren Waller for a four-yard touchdown to help the Ravens grab a 13-7 lead, and a Jerraud Powers interception against backup signal-caller Josh McCown—who replaced Kessler one drive into the third quarter—further flustered the Browns.

A Steve Smith Sr. score from 11 yards out and the subsequent two-point conversion late in the third quarter put the Ravens up by 14 points. The 37-year-old's combination of speed and physicality allowed him to slice through Cleveland's secondary:

Along with putting the Ravens up by two scores, Smith's 11-yard catch allowed him to pass Reggie Wayne for No. 8 on the NFL's all-time receiving yardage leaderboard, according to Patrick Gleason of the Ravens' public relations department.

While the Ravens seized control, the Browns continued to sputter. 

Kessler's benching snapped the offense out of its rhythm, and Weddle picked off McCown less than two minutes into the fourth quarter to halt the Browns' thoughts of a comeback. 

Cleveland has lost seven of the last nine games it has led at halftime, and uncertainty under center has the team trapped in no man's land.

That's bad news for a team that's still in search of its first win and has a tough remaining schedule. Cleveland is slated to host the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants in Weeks 11 and 12, respectively, before its Week 13 bye, and a closing stretch that includes showdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers and Steelers is anything but a cakewalk.

In other words, a winless season is in play if the Browns don't find sources of stability in a hurry.

The story differs for the Ravens, who rebounded following a listless start Thursday night.

Head coach John Harbaugh's squad maintained control of first place in the AFC North with the win, and the triumph will allow the Ravens to exhale as they get set to clash with the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 20.

Staving off the Steelers and capturing the division crown won't be easy, but the Ravens defense has proven to be capable of taking over and winning games if the offense can scratch out a few scores.

Postgame Reaction

After the game, Flacco spoke to NBC's Heather Cox about how the Ravens were able to round into form as the night progressed: 

"It's definitely a little bit of a relief," Flacco added, according to the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec. 

The NFL's Twitter account later relayed video of Smith discussing his illustrious career and the gaudy numbers he's produced: 

On the Browns' side of things, coach Hue Jackson confirmed Kessler will retain his job as the team's starting quarterback despite getting benched in the third quarter, according to NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal. 

Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot reported Jackson said he "wasn't going to keep watching missed plays" from Kessler and had no regrets about making the move. 

"I wasn't playing musical chairs today," he said, per Rosenthal. "I was trying to give our offense a chance ... I took Cody out of the game because I wanted a spark."