A slow-motion game of ping-pong emerged at the Factory of Sadness on Sunday, with the Ravens building a 14-point lead, blowing the 14-point lead, and then scoring the last 11 points of the game to win by 10.
The Ravens have beaten the Browns for the 10th straight time, 25-15.
The victory comes three days short of the 17th anniversary of the day on which the Ravens (formerly the Browns) announced they’d leave Cleveland for Baltimore.
Ray Rice reeled off 98 yards on the ground on 25 carries for Baltimore. Trent Richardson had the same number of attempts for the Browns, gaining an extra seven.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was unspectacular with 153 passing yards, but he delivered when he had to, leading the team 81 yards on nine plays after Phil Dawson’s fifth field goal gave Cleveland a 15-14 lead. Flacco capped the effort with a 19-yard touchdown pass to receiver Torrey Smith.
The two-pointer gave the Ravens a 22-15 lead, and the Browns opted with 3:53 to play to go for it on fourth and two from their own 28.
It was the mirror opposite of coach Pat Shurmur’s controversial decision two weeks ago to punt on fourth down from the Colts’ 41 with 6:38 to play. This time, instead of punting from his own end and hoping to get the ball back, Shurmur rolled the dice -- and the pass was incomplete.
The Ravens turned the turnover on downs into a field goal, which created the 10-point margin.
The loss sends the Browns into their bye with a 2-7 record. The win pushes the Ravens to 6-2, in their first game after the bye, which came after a 30-point loss at Houston.