7:41 p.m.-Browns comeback falls short against Ravens
The Cleveland Browns’ comeback attempt fell just short against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday.
On fourth down, rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield threw an interception and the Ravens locked up the AFC North Division Championship with a 26-24 win over the Browns, who missed out on their first winning season since 2007 by just one game.
The Browns ended the 2018 regular season with a 7-8-1 record.
7:15 p.m.-BAKER MAYFIELD BREAKS NFL RECORD FOR TD PASSES BY ROOKIE QB
No rookie in the near 100-year history of the National Football League has thrown more touchdowns passes than first-year Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield broke the NFL record with his 27th touchdown throw of the season late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s AFC North Division game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore and cut a deficit down to 26-24 with 3:24 to play in regulation.
On second-and-goal from the Baltimore one-yard line, Mayfield slipped a quick screen pass to fellow rookie Antonio Callaway on the left side of the formation. With wide receiver Rashard “Hollywood” Higgins drawing the attention of multiple defenders with a play fake, Callaway ducked around a tackle attempt and stepped across the goal line for the touchdown.
Mayfield’s touchdown to Callaway broke a first-place tie with Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) and Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) for the most touchdowns thrown by a rookie quarterback in the NFL.
Earlier in the scoring drive, Mayfield found tight end David Njoku for a 13-yard gain, and wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Higgins for 14 and 33 yards, respectively, on back-to-back plays to move the Browns from their own 40-yard line to Baltimore’s 13.
PHOTOS | Browns conclude 2018 season with AFC North clash at Ravens
6:30 p.m.-BALTIMORE EXTENDS LEAD ON JUSTIN TUCKER FG
After a touchdown was taken off the scoreboard because of a holding penalty, the Baltimore Ravens went to their trusted kicker, Justin Tucker, and he extended the lead over the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday.
Tucker capped off a 12-play, 49-yard drive with a 44-yard field goal that gave the Ravens a 23-14 lead over the Browns with 7:02 to play in the third quarter.
6:17 p.m.-BAKER MAYFIELD TIES NFL RECORD WITH 48-YARD TD TO JARVIS LANDRY
The Cleveland Browns’ defense forced a punt on the first drive of the second half at M&T Bank Stadium, and quarterback Baker Mayfield and the offense responded with a quick-strike score that trimmed the deficit down to one score with 12:27 to play in the third quarter.
Mayfield tied the NFL’s rookie record for the most passing touchdowns, 26, when he found wide receiver Jarvis Landry open along the left side of the field for a 48-yard touchdown that shrunk Baltimore’s lead down to 20-14 early in the third quarter.
Mayfield drew even with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and former Indianapolis Colts signal-caller Peyton Manning for the most touchdowns thrown by a rookie.
On first-and-10 from the Baltimore 48-yard line, Mayfield took a shotgun snap from center JC Tretter, appeared to fake a pitch to running back Duke Johnson Jr., who was running across the formation from right to left, and then, fired a throw to Landry down the numbers on the left side of the field.
Landry caught the ball at the Baltimore 22-yard line with his back to the end zone, but quickly spun around and hustled his way across the goal line for the touchdown.
5:25 p.m.-TUCKER EXTENDS RAVENS’ LEAD
Baltimore Ravens specialist Justin Tucker is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, and he helped extend a lead over the Cleveland Browns with a field goal late in the second quarter of the 2018 regular-season finale at M&T Bank Stadium.
Tucker capped off an eight-play, 64-yard drive with a 35-yard field goal, his second conversion of the game, and gave the Ravens a 20-7 lead over the Browns with 6:11 to play in the first half.
5:07 p.m.-JACKSON HITS PAYDIRT ONCE AGAIN
For the second straight possession, Baltimore Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson rushed for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
With a 25-yard rushing score already to his credit, Jackson rushed for an eight-yard touchdown and gave the Ravens a 17-7 lead over the Browns with 14:29 to play in the first half of the 2018 regular-season finale.
The Ravens gained 77 yards in just six plays on the scoring drive, and that included Kenneth Dixon’s 15 and 20-yard bursts, as well as a 24-yard gain from Gus Edwards.
4:52 p.m.-RAVENS GO BACK IN FRONT ON LAMAR JACKSON TD RUN
Baltimore Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson had a reputation as a dual-threat signal-caller, and he certainly proved it on his second possession of the game against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Jackson rushed for a 25-yard touchdown against the Browns and gave the Ravens a 10-7 advantage with 4:46 to play in the first quarter.
On third-and-four from the Cleveland 25-yard line, Jackson took the shotgun snap, and once he froze linebacker Jamie Collins, sprinted through the line of scrimmage up the middle of the field. Jackson hustled into the end zone untouched for the rushing score.
Earlier in the possession, Jackson scrambled for a 24-yard gain that moved the ball from the Baltimore 38-yard line to the Cleveland 38.
4:43 p.m.-BROWNS TAKE LEAD ON RAVENS
How would rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield respond to an interception on his first throw of the game against the Baltimore Ravens?
Well, Mayfield answered that question promptly by leading a four-play, 75-yard drive and punctuating the possession with a 28-yard touchdown pass to former Ravens wide receiver Breshad Perriman.
Perriman’s touchdown catch, and the ensuing extra point from kicker Greg Joseph, gave the Browns a 7-3 lead over the Ravens with 8:22 to play in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
On first-and-five from the Baltimore 28-yard line, Mayfield took the shotgun snap, looked left and found Perriman breaking free from Ravens coverage. Mayfield fired a throw to the back of the end zone, where Perriman corralled the pass and got two feet down in bounds for the touchdown.
Following the catch, Perriman cupped his hand around his ear and encouraged the Baltimore faithful to boo him for scoring a touchdown against his former team.
Earlier in the drive, Mayfield had an improbable third-down conversion when he found wide receiver Antonio Callaway down the right sideline for a 38-yard gain that moved the Browns from their own 29-yard line to the Baltimore 33.
Mayfield was forced to slide to the right of the formation when Baltimore collapsed the pocket and threw down the field while on the run and off of his back foot. Callaway had gotten behind the Baltimore secondary, hauled in the catch and got both feet down for the conversion.
4:35 p.m.-RAVENS CONVERT TAKEAWAY INTO FIELD GOAL
The Baltimore Ravens capitalized on a forced turnover from Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield when they turned the takeaway into a 38-yard field goal from kicker Justin Tucker early in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Tucker’s field goal capped off a nine-play, 41-yard drive and gave the Ravens a 3-0 lead over the Browns with 9:27 to play in the first quarter.
3:30 p.m.-BROWNS LOOK TO FINISH STRONG VS. RAVENS
The Cleveland Browns will finish the 2018 season with today’s game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, and while they are out of the playoff race, there is still much to play for in Baltimore.
The Browns (7-7-1) have a chance to finish the 2018 season with a winning record if they are victorious against the Ravens (9-6), who need to win or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Cincinnati Bengals to win the AFC North Division and make a return trip to the postseason.
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