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Browns take advantage of overturned fumble to grab late win against Bills

With under four minutes left to play, disaster struck for the Cleveland Browns. As the Browns were trying to rally from a 3-point deficit against the Buffalo Bills, Baker Mayfield fumbled. Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes scooped up the ball and rumbled all the way to the end zone for the nail-in-the-coffin score.

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A few minutes later, the Browns were saved. A review revealed Mayfield was trying to throw a shovel pass. The play was ruled an incomplete forward pass, giving the Browns new life.

Six plays later, the Browns took advantage of that second chance. Mayfield hit Rashard Higgins for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 to play. After the extra point, the Browns carried a 3-point lead.

While Cleveland was in a good spot, Bills quarterback Josh Allen had no intention of giving up. Allen led an 8-play drive to set up Buffalo in field-goal position. With Buffalo on Cleveland’s 35-yard line, Stephen Hauschka came on with 22 seconds left to try and kick a game-tying 53-yard field goal.

Hauschka’s kick looked promising at the start, but didn’t have the distance. His kick died out as it neared the goal posts, falling short and to wide left of its target. The Browns took a knee after the missed kick, giving Cleveland a 19-16 win.

The Browns’ final drive couldn’t have come at a better time. While the Browns led 9-7 at halftime, head coach Freddie Kitchens’ play calling was questioned after the Browns failed to score a touchdown on eight straight goal-line plays.

The Browns may have scored only 10 more points during the contest, but the result of the team’s final drive took some heat off Kitchens.

With the win, the Browns improve to 3-6. The team will look to continue its winning ways against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11.

The Bills can’t breathe easy after the loss. At 6-3, they’re still firmly in playoff contention, but every game matters now that the Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans all have five wins. Buffalo will look to right the ship in Week 11 against the Miami Dolphins.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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