Cleveland Browns: Instant reactions to Week 4 victory

The Cleveland Browns battled the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4 for ownership of the first place in the AFC North. What can Browns fans take away from the team’s first divisional battle of the season?

With both teams coming off of losses, the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens’ Week 4 contest was always going to be a slugfest. A Browns team that had just painfully lost to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. A Ravens team coming out of shootout loss to the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Something had to give, even if the game was a battle all the way through.

The Browns have been historically bad looking into the mirror against their former selves, the Baltimore Ravens. Following the 1999 move to Baltimore at the hands of Art Modell, the Ravens have taken off as one of the NFL’s model franchises, especially on the defensive end. With a defense to finally match them, the Browns and Ravens looked in gridlock for the first half.

As the game went on, the contest opened up for the two offenses. Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson were allowed to shine in a game that looked destined for a defensive struggle all the way through. The third quarter scrum resulting in four penalties, two for each team, would tell the story of the second half. Two young teams that would scratch and claw for first place in their division.

When the dust had settled, the Browns were able to come out on top by a final score of 40-25. First place in the AFC North, for now, belongs to the orange and brown. This game was a wild ride from start to finish. These are our instant reactions.