Rams pull away in fourth quarter, defeat Browns 36-19
New Browns quarterback Joe Flacco played well for much of Sunday's game against the Rams.
But Flacco's worst pass of the day proved particularly costly as Los Angeles came away with a 36-19 victory over Cleveland.
The Browns were down 20-19 and had just gotten the ball back when their defense forced a punt. But on the first play of the possession, Flacco threw an errant deep ball to Elijah Moore that former Cleveland safety John Johnson easily intercepted. Johnson returned the pass all the way back to the Cleveland 24-yard line to set Los Angeles' offense up with great field position.
A few plays later, Cooper Kupp caught a 3-yard touchdown to make the score 27-19 with 3:48 on the clock.
Down by eight, the Browns didn’t get anything going with a chance to tie the game. Flacco’s pass over the middle to David Njoku on fourth-and-5 fell incomplete for a turnover on downs.
Kyren Williams put the game on ice with a 1-yard touchdown just after the two-minute warning.
Aaron Donald then added a safety to put the cherry on top, sacking Flacco in the end zone with 36 seconds on the clock.
In his second game back from an ankle injury, Williams rushed for 88 yards on 21 carries. he also caught three passes for 24 yards to help pace the offense.
Matthew Stafford finished 22-of-37 for 279 yards with three TDs.
Receiver Puka Nacua led with four catches for 105 yards with a TD. He set a new single-season rookie record for receiving yards with his first 12-yard catch in the first quarter. He also added 34 yards on a pair of carries. He would’ve had more had another big run not been wiped out by a hold. He was able to shake off cramps and a rib injury to finish the game.
Cooper Kupp (six catches, 39 yards) and Demarcus Robinson (four catches, 55 yards) also caught TDs for L.A.
Things started well for the Browns, with Flacco driving the team down the field for a touchdown. He hit running back Jerome Ford for a 24-yard touchdown to give the club a 7-0 lead.
The Rams scored the next 10 points. Lucas Havrisik hit a 44-yard field goal before Nacua caught a 70-yard TD.
Robinson’s 7-yard touchdown put the Rams ahead 20-13 late in the third quarter before Cleveland right end Harrison Bryant’s 8-yard touchdown should have tied the game. But Dustin Hopkins missed his extra point, keeping L.A. ahead by one point.
It ended up being all the club would need.
Flacco finished 23-of-44 for 254 yards with two touchdowns and a costly pick. Kareem Hunt led with 48 yards on 12 carries. Elijah Moore had his best game as a Brown, catching four passes for 83 yards.
With the victory, the Rams are now 6-6 and have won three games in a row to get themselves back in the thick of the NFC playoff race. They’ll have another tough AFC North battle on the road next week when they visit the Ravens.
The Browns are now 7-5 after dropping both games of their West Coast road swing. But they may have found a solution at quarterback with the veteran Flacco. Cleveland will host Jacksonville in Week 14.
