Are the Browns for Real? A 4-2 Start and First Place in the AFC North Say Maybe

Somewhere between the Dawg Pound and the shores of Lake Erie, Cleveland Browns fans are asking the same question after Andre Szmyt’s 37-yard field goal on the final play beat Baltimore 13-10. Deshaun Watson delivered his fourth game-winning drive of the season, and the Browns moved into first place in the AFC North.

Cleveland is 4-2, 2-0 in the division and tied with Baltimore and Pittsburgh atop the AFC North, which earns the Browns a qualified maybe. All four wins have come by four points or fewer, and this one came against a Ravens team playing without Lamar Jackson for a second straight week.

Cleveland managed just 46 yards and three first downs in the first half, with Watson going 3-of-9 for 24 yards. The defense held Baltimore scoreless over its final nine possessions anyway. Carson Schwesinger stripped Derrick Henry early in the fourth quarter, Tyson Campbell recovered at the Baltimore 35 and Audric Estime’s 2-yard run tied the game. Maliek Collins also recorded a sack for the third straight game, a needed boost with Mason Graham sidelined for the past two games, and his PFF pass-rush grade of 68.9 ranked 25th among interior defenders entering the week.

Watson then went 13-of-17 for 140 yards after halftime and hit Jerry Jeudy for 33 yards to set up the winner, although Szmyt needed a second chance after a miss and a block wiped out by an offside penalty.

“I know (fans) want better play and we want better play… but getting those victories, against a division rival like this in a home stadium is very huge,” Watson said, according to the Associated Press.

Some skepticism is fair. Sunday marked only the third time since the start of 2024 that Baltimore was held to 10 or fewer points, and all three came with someone other than Jackson starting at quarterback. The Browns have also allowed 24 sacks in six games, and an offense that left plenty to nitpick can’t count on late magic every week. Still, a team sitting 4-2 because of its defense has a formula that travels, and a trip to face the Titans gives coach Todd Monken’s group a chance to win one more comfortably.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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