Week 10 was a crucial one for the Cleveland Browns as they faced the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens. A win would move them to 6-3 and put them just a half-game behind the Ravens. A loss would have been devastating since it would have dropped their division record to 1-3.
This one started out about as poorly as it could with Deshaun Watson throwing a pick-six on his first pass of the game. The Browns continued to struggle and were behind by two scores for the majority of the game. They didn't give up though, and before long, they were in position to pull off an upset.
That's exactly what happened as a last-second field goal shocked the home crowd. Cleveland has now won four of its past five games and has to be feeling great with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to town next.
Before we look ahead to that one, let's take some time to point out a few studs and duds from Week 10.
Stud: Myles Garrett, EDGE
We need to give a shout-out to Dustin Hopkins for shaking off a missed extra point and drilling a game-winning 40-yarder. But he wouldn't have gotten that chance if not for the way the defense played at the end of the game. While Baltimore did score a touchdown in the third and fourth quarters, the Browns' defense made stops when it had to.
That included Myles Garrett coming in and delivering a couple of sacks in a row. The No. 1 pick from 2017 was a thorn in the side of the Ravens' offensive line and put pressure on Lamar Jackson all day. He even recorded a half-sack with Jeremiah Owuse-Koramoah and then got another on the very next snap.
Cleveland turned the ball right back over when James Proche II muffed the punt, but Garrett still gave his team a lot of momentum on these plays. He also made an underrated play on Baltimore's last offensive snap. Facing a third-and-14, Jackson scrambled for 7 yards but Garrett and Za'Darius Smith chased him down and made sure there were no heroics from the former MVP.
Garrett is having the best season of his career, which is saying something. He's been a star for years but already has 11 sacks on the season now. If the Browns keep winning, he should be one of the favorites for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
Dud: Denzel Ward, Cornerback
Cleveland's defense stopped the Ravens on third-and-10 when Juan Thornhill tackled Gus Edwards for no gain on a short pass from Lamar Jackson. Unfortunately, Baltimore was given a fresh set of downs on the play thanks to a penalty from Denzel Ward. It wasn't much contact, but Ward did grab Odell Beckham, Jr. which resulted in five yards and a first.
The Ravens then continued to push it down the field as Zay Flowers gained 14 yards on the next play and Keaton Mitchell went for 32 yards on a reception as well. That drive was capped off with a 37-yard field goal to make it 17-3, but the Browns could have been in much better shape had Ward not been flagged.
Ward was hurt before the first quarter ended as it was reported that he was in the locker room being evaluated for a head injury. Head injuries are always serious, but for someone such as Ward, they're even more worrisome. The 26-year-old has missed time in each of his first five seasons, and oftentimes concussions are what have sidelined him.
That was an unfitting end for him in this game but to be clear, that's not what landed him on the dud list. Instead, it was simply his penalty that gave the Ravens the opportunity to extend their lead. And then he never had a chance to make up for it — which is what Greg Newsome did when he got a pick-six late in the game after being hit with a penalty near the goal line.
Stud: Jerome Ford, Running Back
Heading into the game, Jerome Ford was facing some criticism. Overall, his numbers were solid as he had 425 yards on 107 attempts. That's an average of 4.0 yards per attempt, but without a couple of 69-yard rushes his average would be under three yards. In Week 9, that was also the case as he had 44 yards on 20 attempts in the Browns' win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Facing a top-10 rushing defense, Ford found a way to come through. The second-year back had arguably his best game of the year. Ford led a rushing attack that had 178 yards, which helped Cleveland dominate time of possession in the second half. While he didn't score a touchdown, Ford still finished with 107 yards on 17 carries.
His long on the day was 17 yards, but it wasn't a 'feast or famine' game as we've seen from him in the past. Instead, he was moving the sticks with some tough yardage. He even had a third-and-one conversion from the Browns' 29 followed by a third-and-two from their own 39 during the final drive of the game.
Ford is on pace for over 1,000 yards on the ground as he continues to make the front office glad they rolled the dice on him this offseason. They felt he could be a good backup to Nick Chubb and after this game, they have to feel justified.
Dud: James Hudson III, OT
Cleveland has been hit hard with injuries on the offensive line, and it started early in the year. Right tackle Jack Conklin was lost for the season when he suffered a tear of both his ACL and MCL. The good news was that rookie Dawand Jones came in and played incredibly well.
Since then, there have been a few minor injuries with Joel Bitonio missing Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers. Then in Week 9, the Browns lost Jedrick Wills, who was carted off and subsequently placed on the IR. While that move got the most attention, Jones was also banged up and missed Week 10 due to a shoulder and knee injury.
In his place was James Hudson III, another former fourth-round pick. Hudson, who is in his third NFL season, proved to be an issue for Cleveland. There was a noticeable decline from Jones to him and he struggled with Jadeveon Clowney all game.
Hudson has been the swing tackle for the past couple of seasons, but that could be changing. Geron Christian started on the other side and gave up a sack but outplayed the right tackle overall, which means Hudson might fall behind him once all players are healthy.
Having said that, the Browns have been adding a lot of depth on the O-line, including former first-round pick Alex Leatherwood and Leroy Watson. If Hudson isn’t careful, he could lose his spot to one of them.
Stud: David Njoku, Tight End
When all was said and done, David Njoku didn't have the best stat line in Week 10. He finished with 6 receptions -- which was tied with Amari Cooper for the most on Cleveland -- but he had only 58 yards compared to Cooper's 98. He didn't even score a touchdown the way Kareem Hunt or Elijah Moore did. He also had a costly drop inside the 10 that forced the Browns to kick a field goal rather than go for a touchdown.
Having said all of that, Cleveland wouldn't have won this game without Njoku. He was a huge part of the offensive gameplan and had a major hand in several of the team's scoring drives. The first big one came when the Browns were trailing 24-9 after Odell Beckham, Jr. scored a touchdown to extend the lead. Njoku converted a third-and-11 on the ensuing drive, even carrying a defender with him across the sticks.
That kept their drive alive and ended with Hunt running in a powerful touchdown. They pulled within seven here thanks to Watson running in a two-point conversion. Again, Baltimore extended its lead and again, Njoku responded. He was on the receiving end of another short pass that he turned into a 23-yard gain while dragging players again. Moore scored a touchdown not long after and it was a one-point game.
He added 11 more yards on the game-winning drive, which was another huge play. This time, Cleveland was facing a first-and-15 due to Hudson's false start. That made its second-down play more manageable and helped secure this crucial win.
Think the Browns can earn another crucial win this week against the Steelers?? Make sure to back them at FanDuel Sportsbook. New users can snag $150 in bonus bets at FD if they sign up through the link below and their first $5 moneyline wager wins. That's one amazing value, but it won't be around long, so act now!