The Cleveland Browns spent the offseason overhauling its offense. In time, the young talent on that side of the ball could start winning them games.
But make no mistake, the 2026 — and first-place — Browns are winning on defense, and their latest performance was impressive.
In a game where the offense could barely move the football in the first half, averaging just 2.1 yards per play, Cleveland’s defense took over after halftime in a monster 13-10 win over the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens.
Andre Szmyt made a 37-yard field goal as time expired.
Deshaun Watson led his fourth game-winning drive of the season in the final two minutes of regulation, with the Browns running 10 plays and draining the final 1:59 off the clock. But the game flipped when linebacker Carson Schwesinger forced a fumble on Ravens running back Derrick Henry with 8:33 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, the Browns marched 35 yards in seven plays for a game-tying touchdown, erasing what had been a 10-0 deficit to open the third quarter.
It hasn’t been pretty by a longshot, but Todd Monken’s Browns are tough, resilient, and back atop the division with a 4-2 record. They now hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over both the Ravens and Steelers.
Here are our immediate takeaways from another wild Browns win.
The Browns keep finding ways to win even when nothing comes easy
1. The conversation around the 2026 Cleveland Browns typically revolves around its young core, but we were reminded who the most critical piece is on Sunday. Carson Schwesinger spent the majority of the week in a walking boot working through an ankle injury. He was deemed a game-time decision as the week progressed. If he was limited at all against the Ravens, you wouldn’t know it. He led the team with 14 total tackles and his ability to dislodge the football from Henry changed the game.
2. Cleveland’s offense has had some ugly first halves this season, but this might have set a new record. The Browns were outgained by the Ravens 163-46. Deshaun Watson passed for just 24 yards, the third-fewest passing yards he has thrown for in a first half of his career, per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi.
3. With that said, kudos are in order for Monken and the Browns’ ability to gain critical yards on the ground without starter Quinshon Judkins, who was ruled out Sunday morning with an ankle injury. Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime combined for 70 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts. Cleveland doesn't win the game without that effort. McLaughlin averaged 4.6 yards per carry and has been a spark for the team when given opportunities.
4. The Browns were without star defensive tackle Mason Graham in this game, but veteran Maliek Collins continues to ball out in Graham’s absence. Collins notched a sack in the first half and now has 3.5 on the season.
5. The Browns opened the second half with a 10-play, 42-yard drive that ended with a 48-yard field goal by Andre Szmyt. It was Szmyt’s 25th consecutive made field goal, though that streak ended with a 48-yard miss with 3:44 remaining in regulation.
6. The Browns lost starting safety Grant Delpit to a concussion in the first quarter, which moved rookie Emmanuel McNeil-Warren into a full-time role with Daniel Thomas mixing in as a third safety at times. One Ravens red-zone trip showed the full gambit with McNeil-Warren, who stepped into the hole and took down Derrick Henry at the goal line on second down. But with the Ravens going for it on fourth down, they caught McNeil-Warren in no-man’s land in the flat as tight end Josh Cuevas leaked out for a wide-open score. McNeil-Warren also dropped an easy interception late. He's barely scratching the surface of how good he could be for Cleveland.
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