The kick was blocked and returned for a game-winning touchdown by the Ravens as time expired. The blocked kick found its way into the hands of Will Hill, who snatched it up, got a couple of blocks and turned on the afterburners for a “Kick Six” touchdown. He got fooled a little bit and gave up a touchdown pass. He comes back, picks it up and runs it in. Protection broke down on what could have been a winning field goal with three seconds left. “It was a thing of beauty”. Davis slid during a scramble just feet from the sideline, forcing the Browns to call a timeout.
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With Manziel out and both teams struggling this season, the game was a tough sell to a TV audience and thousands of Browns fans stayed home as well.
Pettine and the front office could send a strong message by keeping Davis as the starting quarterback. “We didn’t finish it”.
Their lead was 17-3 when quarterback Matt Schaub – starting in place of the injured Joe Flacco – connected with running-back Javorius Allen for a 13-yard score. That leaves the team with Johnny Manziel, who was demoted to third string, and Austin Davis, who came in for McCown and threw a 42-yard touchdown pass.
The momentum appeared to be with Cleveland on the final drive as Coons stepped up for his shot at glory.
At this point, Cincinnati should be preparing as if either quarterback will play, something they’ve dealt with frequently this season with a number of quarterback injuries across the NFL.
McCown was a warrior for the Browns, completing 63.7% of his passes for 2,109 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in 8 games.
Yesterday’s game was as sloppy as expected and at the same time, it was a close game, it was competitive, and the team with the better record came out on top despite significant injuries to their team. To put that in perspective, they had one losing season from 1950, the year they entered the National Football League, through 1973. Gilbert made one tackle. McCown is 1-7 as a starter. The 36-year-old missed two more games with injured ribs.
Manziel had spent several weeks this offseason attending a rehab facility as he attempted to get his life and his professional career back in some semblance of order.
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NOTES: TE Gary Barnidge had seven catches for 91 yards….
