It was not a good performance by the Cleveland Browns. In fact, it may have been one of their worst of the year.
But when you’re .500 and looking for any signs of hope, you can’t picky.
The Browns overcame sloppy play on all fronts Sunday to survive the winless Detroit Lions 13-10. Despite turnovers, penalties, and even loud boos from the FirstEnergy Stadium crowd, Cleveland improved to 6-5 and is still firmly in the AFC playoff race.
If there was a bright spot from this ugly affair, it was Nick Chubb, who returned from a COVID-19 diagnosis to tally 144 total yards and a receiving touchdown. That score gave the Browns a 13-0 halftime lead, and it appeared they would cruise to an easy win.
That changed late in the third quarter, when the Lions’ De’Andre Swift broke free for a 57-yard score to cut the lead to six. Early in the fourth, Baker Mayfield threw his second interception of the afternoon, leading to a field goal that made it 13-10 with just over nine minutes left.
Clearly playing hurt, Mayfield struggled all afternoon, going just 15-of-29 for 176 yards and a TD to go with those two picks. In addition, his passer rating of 53.2 was his worst of the season and the fourth-lowest of his career.
Luckily for Cleveland, Detroit’s quarterback play was even worse, as normal starter Jared Goff was injured and replaced by Tim Boyle. The 27-year-old had only 77 yards and a pair of interceptions of his own, and could not take advantage of multiple late opportunities to take the lead.
His last opportunity turned out to come with minutes to play, and he did hit T.J. Hockenson on a 24-yard catch-and-run to get to the Lions 40. But the Browns’ defense held and forced a punt, despite Detroit having all three of its timeouts left, Chubb tallied 36 yards on five carries to burn the remaining 2:29 and clinch the victory.
With their first win over the Lions since 2001, the Browns could potentially move up to third in the AFC North standings if the Cincinnati Bengals lose to the Las Vegas Raiders later Sunday.
From here on out, Cleveland’s schedule will get a lot tougher, starting with a road showdown next week on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” against the first-place Baltimore Ravens.
READ MORE: https://www.wkyc.com/article/sports/nfl/browns/live-blog-cleveland-browns-detroit-lions/95-97cbb9e5-e4cb-41ef-8f38-7cb865afc259
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Nick Chubb
