Browns vs. Ravens: Andre Szmyt's Walk-Off Kick Caps a Deshaun Watson Rally in Week 6

Andre Szmyt got a mulligan, courtesy of the Baltimore Ravens. With 2 seconds left and the score tied, the Ravens blocked Szmyt's 42-yard try, only to have it wiped out by an offside flag. Five yards closer and with zeros on the clock, Szmyt split the uprights from 37, and the Cleveland Browns stole a 13-10 win on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field.

It was Todd Monken's revenge game, sort of. The Browns coach spent the previous three seasons as Baltimore's offensive coordinator, according to the AP, and for three quarters his new team looked nothing like a winner. Then Carson Schwesinger ripped the ball from Derrick Henry, Deshaun Watson hit Jerry Jeudy for 33 yards in the final minute, and Cleveland, now 4-2, pulled into a tie with Baltimore and Pittsburgh atop the AFC North.

Three Quarters of Slog, One of Chaos

Baltimore, playing without Lamar Jackson for a second straight game because of an ankle injury, came out like it had the Browns' playbook memorized. Tyler Huntley opened with an 11-play, 66-yard drive, rolling right and finding rookie tight end Josh Cuevas for a 2-yard touchdown, the first of Cuevas' career. Cuevas then grabbed a 29-yard pass on the next drive, and Tyler Loop's 34-yard field goal made it 10-0 before the first quarter was over.

Cleveland's offense, meanwhile, was a dial-up connection in a fiber-optic league. The Browns punted on all five first-half possessions, managed three first downs and 46 net yards, per the team, and Watson heard boos, according to the AP. He was 3 of 9 for 24 yards at the break.

The defense kept the door open. After those first two drives, Baltimore went scoreless on its final nine possessions. Szmyt hit a 48-yarder in the third quarter, and when the Ravens drove into range again, Isaiah McGuire's sack helped push Loop back to a 49-yard attempt early in the fourth that sailed wide left.

Then came the swing. Early in the fourth quarter, Henry fought for extra yards and Schwesinger punched the ball loose. Tyson Campbell fell on it at the Baltimore 35. Seven plays later, Audric Estime, signed off Minnesota's practice squad that week with Quinshon Judkins sidelined by an ankle injury, bulled in from 2 yards out to tie it at 10 with 8:33 left.

Baltimore got two chances to retake the lead and did not pick up a first down on either one. Szmyt pushed a 48-yarder wide left with 3:44 to go, snapping a run of 25 straight makes, per the team. Cleveland got one more shot anyway.

Schwesinger, Watson and the Kicker With Nine Lives

Schwesinger was everywhere, with a game-high 13 tackles and the forced fumble that flipped the afternoon, and he had been listed as questionable with an ankle injury, according to the AP. His postgame summary should be printed on T-shirts.

"The ball is oxygen," Schwesinger said.

Watson's line, 16 of 26 for 164 yards, will not win a beauty contest, but he made the throw that mattered. Jeudy caught four passes for 69 yards, including the 33-yarder that set up the winner. Estime, in his first week with the team, carried nine times for 19 yards and the tying score. Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, pressed into a bigger role after Grant Delpit exited and entered the concussion protocol, added a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.

For Baltimore, Kyle Hamilton made three tackles for loss, Roquan Smith had a sack, and Huntley finished 19 of 31 for 165 yards a week after leading an overtime win in Atlanta. It was not enough.

The Fumble That Flipped It

Henry, the NFL's ninth all-time leading rusher according to the AP, coughed up his first fumble of the season at the worst possible moment. He finished with 58 yards on 17 carries, and the AP noted that only 17 of those yards came over the final three quarters. To his credit, he took it on the chin.

"I told the team, 'Put this one on me,'" Henry said. "I've just got to do better. Can't put the team in this position."

That turnover was the Browns' fourth straight game with a fourth-quarter takeaway, according to the team. Without it, Cleveland's offense might still be looking for the end zone.

Numbers That Explain a Weird One

• 237 to 235: Cleveland's edge in total yards. Two yards, one kick, one very loud building.
• 46 and 191: Cleveland's net yards in the first half and second half, per the Browns.
• 9: Straight scoreless possessions for Baltimore to finish the game.
• 5 to 3: Browns punts compared with first downs in the first half, according to the AP.

What It Means in the AFC North

The Browns are 4-2 and 3-0 at home, and every one of their wins has come down to the late moments, according to the AP. Two have come at home on last-second kicks against division rivals. That is either a sustainable identity or the most stressful way to live, and Cleveland fans would like an answer before their blood pressure files a complaint.

"Our guys are a scrappy group and they played their rear ends off for 60 minutes," Monken said.

The Ravens are 4-2 and still sharing the division lead, but their three-game winning streak is over and their offense disappeared for 45 minutes. Receiver Rashod Bateman also left in the second quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return, per the AP. Cincinnati visits Baltimore next Sunday, while the Browns head to Tennessee.

Cleveland's Busy Sunday

The best detail from a sun-soaked afternoon might have come from the stands. In the fourth quarter, the crowd was encouraged to cheer on baseball's Cleveland Guardians, set to host Tampa Bay in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series about a mile south, according to the AP. One of the loudest roars of the day followed.

So yes, Cleveland had one eye on a Game 5 down the street. The Browns made sure the first party of the day was theirs.

"For some reason, just the way our guys work and the way they believe, there's something about this group that makes them special," Monken said.

Stats from the official box score and play-by-play via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press. Additional details from ClevelandBrowns.com.