CLEVELAND -- Late in the first half Sunday, the Cleveland Browns faced third-and-long from its own 25-yard line. With only a minute remaining and the Baltimore Ravens out of timeouts, the Browns could’ve run the ball, and the clock, to go to halftime down just 7-6 to the team with the NFL’s best record.
Instead, Cleveland coach Freddie Kitchens dialed up a Baker Mayfield pass that fell incomplete. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson then capitalized, taking the Ravens right down the field for a momentum-swinging touchdown.
The exchange served as the appropriate microcosm of the debacle the Browns have been this season, as Baltimore rolled to a 31-15 victory to mathematically eliminate Cleveland from the postseason picture while clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.