Browns 27-24 Titans: Watson leads another late drive, Szmyt kicks it at the gun
Cleveland erased a 14-0 deficit in Nashville and won on a 32-yard field goal as time expired to improve to 5-2.
Cleveland needed a final-second field goal to beat Tennessee 27-24 on Sunday, improving to 5-2 and opening a three-game road trip with a win, according to the Associated Press. The Titans fell to 1-6.
From 14-0 down
Tennessee started fast. Tony Pollard scored two first-half touchdowns and the Titans led 14-0. The Browns' recovery began with defense: Maliek Collins stopped Pollard on fourth-and-goal for a turnover on downs, Anthony Hill Jr. forced a fumble that Tony Adams recovered, and Denzel Ward intercepted Cam Ward. Cleveland turned those takeaways into a 78-yard drive finished by Quinshon Judkins' 5-yard run, and Andre Szmyt's 28-yard field goal as the half ended made it 17-14 Cleveland.
The finish
Szmyt missed a 43-yarder early in the fourth quarter, but Joey Slye's 29-yard field goal tied it at 17 with 8:41 left. Deshaun Watson then drove Cleveland 71 yards and ran in from 9 yards out with 4:34 to play. Pollard's third touchdown, with 58 seconds left, and Slye's extra point tied it at 24.
That left Watson with the ball and little time. He hit Harold Fannin Jr. for a 36-yard catch-and-run, and Szmyt's 32-yard kick won it as time expired. The AP report says officials missed an apparent Cleveland false start on the Fannin play, a detail that will be debated in Tennessee.
The numbers
Watson threw for 308 yards and ran for a score; it was his fifth game-winning fourth-quarter drive of the season, per the AP. Judkins ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns, and rookie KC Concepcion caught eight passes for 129 yards, his best game so far. Pollard's three touchdowns matched his career high.
What it means
For Cleveland, the record matters less than how it was earned: a team that was shut out for the first stretch of the game found three takeaways and a late drive. The Browns did pay a price. Right tackle Tytus Howard was evaluated for a concussion after leaving in the third quarter, and cornerback Myles Harden hurt a hamstring but returned. For Tennessee, a 1-6 record and a lead lost twice leaves little to hold on to beyond Pollard's big day.