The Browns played their most thrilling game of the 2020 season Monday night in FirstEnergy Stadium, but the ending will go down as perhaps the most disappointing finish of the year.
Cleveland lost, 47-42, to the Ravens on a last-second field goal from Baltimore, which was without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson for most of the fourth quarter. He returned in time to give the Ravens a final boost and suppress a 14-point comeback from the Browns.
Here were the plays that decided a chaotic night in Cleveland.
1. Hunt cuts into the deficit with 5-yard TD
If the Browns were going to make a comeback against the Ravens, their offense needed to continue to punch through for points, too.
Part of that job was accomplished on the first drive after the Ravens' fourth touchdown. The Browns pierced through Baltimore's defense with an 11-play 75-yard drive that ended with running back Kareem Hunt bursting through defenders for six points.
But Hunt wasn't the only running back who contributed to the touchdown. Chubb also accounted for 21 yards and made a key first down that set up another big play to Hunt. He was streaking down the left sideline with one defender on him when Mayfield hit him for a 26-yard pass that set the Browns up at the 5-yard line.
They went right back to Hunt on the next play, and the result was a 28-20 showing on the scoreboard.
2. Browns strike back with Higgins TD, convert 2-point conversion
The Browns offense wasn't going to go out without a fight when they took the field for the first time in the second half with a 14-point deficit.
Until that point, the Ravens offense was rolling. Jackson had already accumulated over 100 rushing yards and was finding first downs with his legs. The Browns defense was struggling to stop him, but the Browns offense needed to go to work, too.
They did. On the first drive after a Ravens touchdown from J.K. Dobbins, quarterback Baker Mayfield paced the Browns with a 12-play, 70-yard drive that featured four big passes from and an imperative challenge from Stefanski, who threw the red flag after realizing on first-and-10 from Baltimore's 42-yard line that the Ravens had 15 players on the field — four more than the legal limit.
That set the Browns up for a 21-yard touchdown throw from Mayfield to Higgins, and that cut the Ravens' lead to 34-28.
The comeback was officially on.
3. Browns take the lead on Mayfield's end zone slide
No Browns receivers were open when Mayfield stepped back to pass on a crucial third-and-5 from the 5-yard line with just under seven seconds left, but he had a better idea.
He took the ball and ran. There were no defenders in front of him when he rolled back to the right and raced to the end zone. He rolled past the goal-line untouched, slid into the end zone and threw the ball against the back wall. He roared with his teammates, the fans and everyone else in Cleveland as the Browns took a 35-34 lead — their first of the game — with 6 minutes left.
The 14-point deficit was closed, but there was still more work to do.
4. Jackson returns, throws 44-yard TD
The Ravens' quarterback situation took a dire turn at the end of the third quarter when Jackson left to the locker room.
His exit came as a surprise — he never appeared to be injured on the field — but he exited the game due to cramps and was listed as questionable to return. Backup quarterback Trace McSorley entered, and the Browns braced for a heavy dosage of the Ravens run game.
Cleveland took the lead in between the time of Jackson's absence. McSorley was struggling to move the Ravens down the field, and the Browns were on the verge of a stop. Then, McSorley got hurt.
The second-year quarterback slipped on the grass, grabbed his left leg and left the game. The Ravens, meanwhile, didn't have any other options at quarterback as they faced a fourth-and-5 at Cleveland's 44-yard line.
But right as McSorley walked off the field, Jackson emerged from the locker room. He stepped into the game, took the shotgun snap and lobbed a pass to the hands of wide receiver Marquise Brown, who made the catch and ran the final 20 yards into the end zone. The Ravens were ahead 42-35.
But the chaos wasn't over.
5. Hunt catches 22-yard TD to put the Browns back in the lead
Four plays. 75 yards.
That's what it took for the Browns to reach their end zone on what became their most important offensive drive of 2020. The first play was a 30-yard pass from Mayfield to Donovan Peoples-Jones that moved the Browns into Ravens territory. After two more completions for 23 yards, Mayfield was ready to take a shot.
So he did. He lobbed a perfect pass to Hunt, who was immediately met by a Ravens defender. He dragged him all the way to the pylon.
Touchdown Browns. The score was 42-42. But 64 seconds were still left.
6. Ravens nail 55-yard FG in final seconds
When Justin Tucker took the field for a field-goal attempt with 7 seconds left and the score tied, the final result felt all but confirmed.
Tucker, one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, was 55 yards away from sending the Ravens to a win. The kick went up, slanted toward the left half of the uprights and sailed through for three points. FirstEnergy Stadium fell quiet.
The 47-42 result was sealed after the Browns couldn't move downfield on a lateral play with two seconds left, and despite one of the best offensive games of the season from Cleveland, the Browns were dealt their fourth loss of the season in gutting fashion.
