Cleveland Browns 3 studs (and 2 duds) from crucial Week 10 win in Baltimore

The Cleveland Browns are now 6-3 after securing a huge win in Week 10 on the road. They fought back from a two-score deficit in the fourth quarter and shocked the Baltimore Ravens with a last-second field goal. The 31-30 win was their fourth in five games and now has them just a half-game out of first place.

Cleveland avenged an early-season loss to the Ravens and can do the same in Week 11. The Pittsburgh Steelers upset the Browns in Week 2 and will be heading to Northeast Ohio next Sunday. Before we look ahead to that game, let's look at a few of the studs and duds from the huge win over the Ravens.

Cleveland Browns Stud: Myles Garrett, EDGE

At this point, it's safe to say there's no one playing defense better than Myles Garrett. The former No. 1 overall pick was recently called the 'Most Valuable Defender' in the NFL this season by PFF and he continues to back that up with each game. He already owns the record for the most sacks in franchise history as well as the single-season record for Cleveland.

As good as he's been, he's on pace for even more this season. Garrett entered Week 10 with 9.5 sacks and added to that total against the Ravens. He finished with three tackles and 1.5 sacks while recording those on back-to-back plays. First, he got to Lamar Jackson at the same time as Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to record a half-sack, setting up a third down. Then on that snap, Garrett took Jackson down once again, this time for a nine-yard loss.

Baltimore was forced to punt and James Proche wound up muffing the ball. The Ravens recovered it and were able to add to their lead but Garrett's performance should have given them a shot at tying the game. He even made it tough on Baltimore during the ensuing short drive as he forced Ronnie Stanley to false start as he was trying to get an edge on the explosive pass rusher.

Cleveland Browns Dud: James Hudson III, Right Tackle

Injuries have impacted the Browns offensive line in a big way this year. In Week 1, they lost Jack Conklin for the season when he suffered an ACL and MCL tear. With him out, rookie fourth-round pick Dawand Jones took over and has been a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, he was out in Week 10 against the Ravens as was left tackle Jedrick Wills.

While Wills was put on the IR and is expected to miss roughly six weeks, Jones isn't expected to be out for long. That's good since his replacement struggled on Sunday. Third-year player James Hudson played right tackle while Geron Christian handled the left. There were struggles from both sides but Hudson really had issues.

Lined up against former Cleveland defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, Hudson found himself on the wrong side of many battles. On an early third-down play, Clowney bull-rushed him and was able to sack Watson for a three-yard loss. He also sacked him for a one-yard loss when they were inside the Baltimore 10, helping the Ravens hold their offense to a field goal.

Two plays after that sack, Hudson was called for holding, which came on a third-and-goal. The penalty wound up being declined since Watson had to throw the ball out of the back of the end zone since no one was open. Even though that means it's not going to be in the box score, the hold was just another example of Hudson struggling to fill in for Jones.

Cleveland Browns Stud: David Njoku, Tight End

Early in the game, David Njoku made a mistake that might have cost his team points. The veteran tight end dropped a pass on second-and-six that would have put the Browns inside the 10-yard line. Instead, they had to kick a field goal, making it 14-3.

Njoku has been criticized in the past for drops but over the past couple of seasons, he's really cleaned up this part of his game. In this one, he was surely upset with himself but still found a way to redeem himself. He finished this game with 6 receptions for 58 yards and continued to make one highlight-reel play after another once he got rolling.

His best play on the day came in the third quarter as the Browns were trying to answer a Baltimore touchdown. Trailing 24-9, Cleveland was facing a third-and-11 and Deshaun Watson dropped off a short pass to Noku. This time, he held onto the ball and was able to turn it upfield in a hurry. Despite running into a crowd, he kept fighting and got the ball to the sticks for an 11-yard gain and a first down.

Cleveland capped off that drive with a touchdown from Kareem Hunt, who bowled his way into the end zone. They went for the two-point conversion, which Watson converted to make it 24-17. In the end, it was a 17-play drive that took over 10 minutes and Njoku was one of the primary reasons it was successful.

Njoku wasn't done on that drive either. After Baltimore took a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, Njoku had another impressive catch and run. He took a short pass on second-and-seven and just bulldozed his defender en route to a 23-yard gain. That drive ended with Elijah Moore scoring his first touchdown with Cleveland, but again, this score doesn't happen with Njoku — making him one of the unsung heroes from Week 10.

Cleveland Browns Dud: Deshaun Watson, Quarterback

The last time Deshaun Watson started against an AFC North rival was in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In that game, his first pass was intended for tight end Harrison Bryant but ended up going for a defensive touchdown thanks to Alex Highsmith recording a pick-six. This weekend against the Ravens, Watson had a similar start to the game.

Jerome Ford went for four yards on first down and then Watson dropped back to pass on second-and-six. Kevin Stefanski called a short pass to tight end David Njoku and Watson threw it in his direction. It was a bit of a lackadaisical pass and safety Kyle Hamilton read it the whole way. He first batted it in the air but then caught it and ran the ball in for an 18-yard touchdown.

On the next drive, the Browns had to punt after just four plays. Ford gained 13 yards on first down but then Watson had three misfires — including one where Elijah Moore was open as well as a third-down pass to Njoku that would have still been short of a first down. Baltimore quickly scored again and it was a 14-0 hole before Watson even completed a pass. And he only had one after the first quarter, going 1-of-9 for 19 yards.

From there, he really turned it on. Watson was nearly perfect in the second half and finished the day with 213 yards on 20-of-34 passing with a touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 37 yards helping to move the ball with his legs. On top of all of that, he led the game-winning drive.

Having said that, he has to figure out a way to start quicker. The first-half struggles have continued to be an issue, as have turnovers. He not only threw a pick-six on the opening possession but he nearly turned it over on the game-winning drive, losing the ball while being sacked. Had it not been for a heads-up play from Wyatt Teller, that drive might have never happened.

Cleveland Browns Stud: Greg Newsome, Cornerback

Denzel Ward was sent to the locker room early in this one after taking a vicious hit from Ronnie Stanley, which should have been flagged. Originally, it was called a head injury which is concerning since he's already suffered four concussions in his career. Eventually, it was said to be a neck injury which isn't good but it's still not as bad as if he would have been dealt another concussion.

With Ward out, Greg Newsome was asked to step up. The third-year cornerback was actually banged up heading into this one and was listed as questionable on the final injury report. You wouldn't know it from his performance, however.

Newsome not only held his own in coverage but he wound up getting his first career pick — and it was a game-changer. Just a couple of plays after Elijah Moore scored a touchdown to cut the lead to 31-24, Lamar Jackson had his pass batted in the air by Ogbo Okoronkwo. Newsome then tracked it down and found another gear as he ran into the end zone for a touchdown.

His first-career pick ended with him scoring his first-career touchdown. The extra point was then missed by Dustin Hopkins, which was his first extra point miss with the Browns — and his first since the 2021 season. That wound up being a moot point as Hopkins secured the win with his 40-yard kick.

Hopkins will get a lot of the praise, and rightfully so, as will Deshuan Watson and the rest of the offense. But the defense made big plays when needed most and that had as much to do with them finding a way to win as anything else.

More Cleveland Browns news and analysis