Somehow, someway, the Cleveland Browns keep finding a way.
On Sunday, Oct. 18, they beat the Baltimore Ravens at home, 13-10, in a Week 6 AFC North clash, with Deshaun Watson delivering just enough late to steal the win. It wasn’t pretty.
Watson struggled for most of the afternoon, finishing with 16 completions on 26 attempts for 164 passing yards. But when the game was on the line, he helped guide the Browns down the field with a 33-yard strike to Jerry Jeudy on the decisive drive.
That push set up another clutch moment from Andre Szmyt, who nailed a 37-yard field goal to send Cleveland to 4-2. With that drive, Watson now leads the league with four game-winning drives.
“Our guys are a scrappy group,” said head coach Todd Monken.
Monken leaned into that same theme after the final whistle, praising a team that has leaned on toughness and defense while finding ways to survive the early part of the season.
"It's been the last five weeks. It's been an unbelievable credit to our team," Monken said. "Especially our defense, early on, you know, after 10 points, shutting them out...it gives us a chance to win...
"Just the way our guys work and the way they believe, there's just something about this group that makes them special... We have a lot to work on and we'll go back to work tomorrow...But that was pretty cool."
Szmyt’s finish was a relief after a messy sequence. His first try to win it was blocked, but Ravens defensive back Keyon Martin was ruled offsides, giving him another shot.
Earlier, Szmyt had also missed wide left from 48 yards on a kick that would have put Cleveland ahead 13-10. He made the second chance count.
The numbers around him tell the bigger story. Szmyt is now 12-for-13 on field goals this season and has hit eight of nine extra points, giving the Browns a steady leg in games where the offense has often sputtered.
And sputter it has. Cleveland managed only 237 total yards against Baltimore, with 144 coming through the air and 93 on the ground. Jaleel McLaughlin led the rushing attack with nine carries for 41 yards.
With injuries and inconsistency piling up, the Browns have had to squeeze production out of whoever can provide it. That’s put even more pressure on Watson, who has not matched the expectations tied to his massive contract. Over the last two weeks, he has thrown for just 319 yards and one touchdown while completing 52.5% of his passes.
Monken made clear after the game that the margin for error won’t stay this thin forever.
"We just got to flatten out some of the other ups and downs that we have … It’s a we thing, not an individual thing," Monken said Sunday.
The Browns will be back on the field on Sunday, Oct. 25, when they visit the Tennessee Titans, who are 1-5. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. EST from Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
In Other News...
Browns Trade Buzz Puts One Andrew Berry QB Decision Under Spotlight
The Browns are still sorting through one of the NFLs most watched quarterback situations, and it keeps circling back to Andrew Berrys long-term plan. Cleveland is still looking for a franchise answer at the position, while Deshaun Watsons future remains clouded by uncertainty tied to his contract and injury history. In that backdrop, second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders recently added a fresh layer of intrigue when he hired an agent, a move that naturally set off trade chatter around the league.
But the buzz runs up against the reality of how Cleveland views Sanders, which is why a move looks unlikely for now. Berry reportedly values him highly, and with Sanders still on his rookie contract for more than two seasons, the Browns have time on their side even as the bigger quarterback picture stays unsettled. For a team trying to balance present uncertainty with a long-range plan, that makes Sanders one of the more interesting names on the roster to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Andre Szmyt Just Forced A Browns Decision Fans Didn't Expect
Andre Szmyt has turned a low-key roster spot into one of the more interesting decisions the Browns may have to make. The undrafted kicker has been steady over the past two seasons, converting 34 of 37 field goal attempts and 32 of 34 extra points, and his current run has put him on the verge of one of the better streaks in franchise history.
The bigger question now is whether Cleveland treats that production like a short-term solution or a longer-term answer. Szmyt is under contract for the 2026 season, but with his consistency climbing and his streak already at 24 straight, the Browns may have a choice to make sooner than expected about whether to keep him in place beyond a one-year deal. [Read more 🡒]
Andrew Berry Could Put Key Browns Starters On The Trade Block
With four games left before the NFL trade deadline, the Browns find themselves in a familiar kind of midseason gray area: good enough at 3-2 to stay in the hunt, but not so settled that the front office can ignore what comes next. Cleveland also has draft capital at its disposal, which gives general manager Andrew Berry some room to maneuver if the season starts to tilt in the wrong direction.
That is where the chatter around several potential trade candidates starts to matter, including Grant Delpit, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Myles Collins, Jedrick Jenkins, Tim Patrick Jeudy and Jerome Sanders. Contract considerations and the teams place in the standings could all factor into whether Berry looks to add for a push or instead turn some of those names into future draft picks, leaving the roster picture just as much a story about October uncertainty as November planning. [Read more 🡒]