Green Bay at Cleveland
CLEVELAND (Interstat) — In a stunning fourth-quarter collapse the Green Bay Packers saw a 10-point lead evaporate as the Cleveland Browns scored 13 unanswered points capped by a 55-yard field goal from Andre Szmyt as time expired to steal a 13-10 victory on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field.
A game defined by defensive struggles and offensive futility for three quarters turned on its head in the final period. The Packers who had controlled the tempo were outgained and outplayed when it mattered most in front of a crowd of 65470.
Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love was efficient for much of the contest completing 18 of 25 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown while adding 18 yards on the ground. His primary connection was with running back Josh Jacobs who caught five passes for 44 yards but was held to just 30 yards on 16 carries. The Packers’ lone touchdown came on a 3-yard pass from Love to tight end John FitzPatrick late in the third quarter extending their lead to 10-0 after a Brandon McManus field goal in the second quarter.
For nearly 55 minutes the Browns’ offense was stagnant. Quarterback Joe Flacco labored finishing 21 of 36 for 142 yards and an interception. The running game was largely contained until rookie Quinshon Judkins broke loose in the fourth quarter keying the comeback with several long runs. Judkins’ 1-yard touchdown plunge with 3:01 remaining set up by a critical interception from safety Grant Delpit tied the game at 10-10.
The Packers had a chance to retake the lead driving into Browns territory in the final two minutes. However a 43-yard field goal attempt by McManus was blocked giving Cleveland the ball at their own 47-yard line with 21 seconds left. Flacco quickly moved the Browns into field goal range completing passes to Jamari Thrash and David Njoku who led Cleveland receivers with five catches for 40 yards to set up Szmyt’s game-winning kick.
The Browns’ defense which had bent but not broken for three quarters was the story of the game. Linebacker Carson Schwesinger was everywhere recording a game-high 10 tackles and a sack. Delpit added nine tackles and the pivotal interception while the defensive front led by Myles Garrett and Maliek Collins consistently pressured Love.
Green Bay’s defense was formidable for most of the game sacking Flacco three times with Rashan Gary notching two of them. Linebacker Quay Walker had a standout performance with 14 tackles and safety Xavier McKinney intercepted a Flacco pass in the end zone just before halftime to preserve a 3-0 lead at the break.
The loss drops Green Bay to 2-1 on the season while Cleveland improves to 1-2. The result was a significant upset according to pregame projections which had favored the Browns by 7.5 points but given Green Bay an 83.6 percent probability of victory based on ELO ratings. The combined score of 23 points fell far below the over/under line of 41.5.
The Packers will look to rebound next Sunday when they travel to face the Dallas Cowboys. The Browns meanwhile will head to Detroit to take on the Lions.