CLEVELAND (Interstat) — Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, and the Cleveland Browns rallied past the Carolina Panthers 21-18 on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field in an NFL game. The Browns improved to 2-1. The Panthers fell to 1-2. Attendance was 65,023.

Watson completed 16 of 30 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 11 times for 45 yards. In his most recent outing, Watson completed 24 of 30 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns and ran seven times for 22 yards in a win at Tampa Bay. Cleveland leaned on Watson in key moments, and he delivered the decisive two-point conversion pass to Denzel Boston after connecting with Harold Fannin Jr. for a 14-yard touchdown with 1:48 remaining. Fannin caught seven passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns. Boston caught two passes for 41 yards. Quinshon Judkins ran 18 times for 70 yards and added two catches for 9 yards. Raheim Sanders had one carry for 17 yards, four receptions for 34 yards and two kick returns for 47 yards. KC Concepcion caught two passes for 9 yards and returned one punt for 1 yard. Malachi Corley returned four kickoffs for 104 yards and made three tackles. Shedeur Sanders completed his only pass for no yards. Michael Burton did not record a statistic.

Bryce Young led Carolina by completing 26 of 48 passes for 291 yards and one touchdown. He found John Metchie III for an 8-yard touchdown with 4:25 remaining, but the Panthers’ two-point conversion attempt failed when Chuba Hubbard rushed up the middle. Metchie finished with two catches for 19 yards and one touchdown. Brycen Tremayne caught four passes for 83 yards. Darren Waller caught five passes for 51 yards. Tommy Tremble had three catches for 41 yards. Mitchell Evans added three catches for 36 yards. Jalen Coker caught two passes for 18 yards. Tetairoa McMillan caught two passes for 17 yards. David Moore returned three kickoffs for 59 yards, two punts for 14 yards and made one tackle.

Carolina’s special teams kept the Panthers close. Ryan Fitzgerald made all four of his field-goal attempts, connecting from 35, 41, 53 and 37 yards. Sam Martin punted three times for 139 yards. Anthony Tyus III returned two kickoffs for 47 yards. Cleveland answered with Andre Szmyt, who made both of his field-goal tries, including a 45-yard kick in the fourth quarter. Corey Bojorquez punted five times for 243 yards.

The Browns’ defense generated pressure and production. Mason Graham recorded seven tackles and two sacks. Quincy Williams made nine tackles. Ronnie Hickman had eight tackles and one interception. Mekhi Blackmon added eight tackles. Carson Schwesinger finished with six tackles. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren made five tackles. Grant Delpit had four tackles. Mike Hall Jr., Jared Verse, Isaiah McGuire and Denzel Ward each made three tackles. McGuire added one sack. Maliek Collins, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Myles Harden each finished with three tackles. Adin Huntington and Sam Williams each made two tackles. Derek Barnett, Daniel Thomas and Tylan Wallace each had one tackle.

Carolina’s defense also had busy afternoons. Lathan Ransom made eight tackles. Tyrel Dodson and Will Lee III each had six tackles. Derrick Brown and Zakee Wheatley each made five tackles. Tre’von Moehrig finished with four tackles. Thomas Incoom and Jackson Kuwatch each had one tackle. The Panthers forced Cleveland to settle for field goals at times, but Watson and Fannin connected late to change the outcome.

Watson, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound quarterback from Gainesville, Ga., guided Cleveland’s offense. Young, a 5-foot-10, 194-pound quarterback from Pasadena, Calif., kept Carolina in it. Graham, a 6-foot-4, 315-pound tackle from Anaheim, Calif., led Cleveland’s pass rush with two sacks. Fannin, a 6-foot-4, 241-pound tight end from Canton, Ohio, was Watson’s top target. Hickman, a 6-foot-1, 209-pound safety from South Orange, N.J., intercepted a pass. Blackmon, a 5-foot-11, 178-pound cornerback from East Palo Alto, Calif., made eight tackles. Williams, a 5-foot-11, 225-pound linebacker from Birmingham, Ala., led Cleveland with nine tackles. Ransom, a 6-foot, 206-pound safety from Tucson, Ariz., led Carolina with eight tackles.

The game featured a back-and-forth second half. Szmyt opened the scoring in the second quarter with a 48-yard field goal. Watson then hit Fannin for a 2-yard touchdown, and Szmyt’s extra point made it a 10-point Cleveland lead. Fitzgerald answered with a 35-yard field goal before halftime. In the third quarter, Fitzgerald made field goals from 41 and 53 yards to pull Carolina closer. In the fourth quarter, Fitzgerald’s 37-yard field goal gave Carolina a 12-10 lead. Szmyt’s 45-yard field goal put Cleveland back ahead. Young then connected with Metchie for an 8-yard touchdown, but the failed two-point try left the Panthers ahead 18-13. Watson found Fannin for a 14-yard score, and Watson’s two-point pass to Boston completed the scoring.

On Watson’s first touchdown pass to Fannin, a defensive holding penalty on Carolina’s T. Moehrig was declined. On Young’s touchdown pass to Metchie, Carolina’s D. Lewis was injured during the play. On Watson’s final touchdown pass to Fannin, Carolina’s Ja. Horn was injured during the play.

Carolina had previously beaten Atlanta 34-3 and lost to Chicago 59-37. Cleveland had beaten Tampa Bay 23-19 and lost to Jacksonville 34-10. Carolina returns home next to face Detroit, then visits Philadelphia, hosts Tampa Bay, visits Green Bay, hosts Denver, visits New Orleans, hosts Baltimore, visits Tampa Bay, visits Minnesota and hosts New Orleans. Cleveland will host Pittsburgh next, then visits the N.Y. Jets, hosts Baltimore, visits Tennessee, visits Pittsburgh, visits New Orleans, hosts Houston, hosts Las Vegas, hosts Cincinnati and hosts Atlanta.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cleveland Browns 31, Carolina Panthers 22. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Cleveland with a 62.5 percent probability to win. Cleveland had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 39 went over the over/under line of 42.5.