Browns defense rises to occasion in shutting down Baltimore Ravens

On Dec 18, 2022

CLEVELAND − It was the script the Browns defense felt like it could follow for much of the season. That it took until the 14th game of the season is something All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett isn’t going to dwell on in the moment.

“At the end of the day, we are where we are and we have to carry that momentum through the end of the season and into next season,” Garrett said after Saturday night’s 13-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens. “We can’t forget what we are doing or what we prepared and the plays that we made to get where we are.

“You want to keep on stacking these wins. When you are looking back, watching film and sitting down with coach in the offseason, that is really something to stack upon when you are looking to come into next season hot.”

For now, Garrett and the Browns defense has to take solace in stacking another solid performance on top of what’s been done for the better part of a month now. It can also take pride in a performance against the Ravens that ranks among the best it’s posted all season.

It wasn’t so much about the yards the Browns allowed Baltimore to gain. The Ravens actually outgained Cleveland 324-283 in that category.

What it was about was how the defense set the tone early and built upon that as the game went along. From turnovers created to turnovers on downs to even blocking field-goal tries by a future Hall of Famer, it was the Browns defense making plays when plays needed to be made.

“Our defense, they played amazing — lights out,” right guard Wyatt Teller said. “I mean, that last drive they had to go [64] yards. They went backwards. So that shows you what kind of defense [we have]. When you’ve gotta go pass the ball, I wouldn’t want to do that against our defensive line.”

The tone was set on the first Ravens drive. Baltimore was able to march 71 yards to the Browns 7, but not a yard more.

Linebacker Deion Jones and safety John Johnson III swarmed Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard for no gain on a fourth-and-1 to stop the drive. Three quarters later, the Browns not once, but twice, stopped Baltimore on fourth down to put the game on ice.

For the season, the Browns have stopped six of 14 fourth-down tries by their opponents.

“We call it turnovers,” Johnson said. “We get a fourth-down stop, that’s pretty much like a turnover. So anytime you can stop a team from getting points, it’s like it saves you three and then you know you’ve got a chance to get another seven. So it was huge for us.”

The Browns also got actual turnovers, as well. Those came on consecutive possessions to open the second half, part of a string of six consecutive scoreless Ravens drives to end the game.

Johnson had his hands directly involved in one of those takeaways. After the Browns went in front 13-3 with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter, the safety punched the ball out of the arms of Baltimore’s Demarcus Robinson after a 14-yard reception, then managed to recover the loose ball as well.

“Yeah, so I mean that was the play,” said Johnson, who left the game after the play with a thigh injury. “I was like, I don’t even know how I made it over there, cause honestly if I was like a hundred percent, I probably would’ve broke on the ball and maybe tried to pick it honestly. But he caught it. And he had the ball loose all game. So just punching at the ball, it’s like routine like we do at practice every day. And I finally got one.”