Browns break into win column with wild comeback vs. Packers

CLEVELAND — There are upsets after which there are come-from-behind upsets.

The Cleveland Browns did each Sunday in opposition to the Inexperienced Bay Packers, overcoming a 10-point deficit within the closing 4 minutes due to a blocked area purpose try and a 55-yard walk-off area purpose of their very own in a dramatic 13-10 win.

The beforehand winless Browns beat the beforehand unbeaten Packers for the most important upset of the NFL season up to now, based on ESPN BET. The Packers have been 7.5-point favorites and earlier than Sunday, no underdog of 4 factors or extra had received in Weeks 1 and a couple of.

“Generally, similar to at present, you s— the mattress,” Packers defensive finish Micah Parsons mentioned. “That is simply the fact of it. It occurs to the most effective groups. Even the most effective Tremendous Bowl champs make errors, they usually pay for it early.

“You return to the historical past of the champions and who’ve they’ve performed and video games they need to’ve received. It is simply that aggressive. It is that tough to win. It is arduous as hell to win soccer video games. Once you win soccer video games, it is a celebration. However whenever you lose, it sucks.”

Parsons, partially, blamed himself for 2 offside penalties — the second of which occurred on the primary play of the Browns’ successful drive — calling these infractions “unacceptable” and including: “I totally apologize for my actions.”

However there’s far more than that additional 5 yards Parsons gave the Browns that factored into the ending. The 2 greatest gamers in that regard: Browns defensive sort out Shelby Harris, who swatted away a 43-yard area purpose try by Brandon McManus that will’ve given the Packers a 13-10 lead with lower than 25 seconds to play; and Browns kicker Andre Szmyt, who nailed a 55-yard sport winner as time expired.

After which earlier than these there was the interception that Jordan Love threw with 3:08 remaining and the Packers up 10-3. Love mentioned he by no means noticed security Grant Delpit within the flat and threw it proper to him.

It wasn’t as if the Packers weren’t conscious of Harris’ penchant for blocking kicks. He was one in every of six Browns gamers lined as much as the left of lengthy snapper Matt Orzech.

“He is a very elite area purpose rusher,” Orzech mentioned. “So you have to look out for him, know the place he’s and know they will attempt to get him free if they will.”

McManus mentioned he thought he hit the kick excessive sufficient and properly sufficient to make it.

“They are a good rush staff,” McManus mentioned. “We knew that coming in, they usually obtained their hand on the ball.”

After Harris blocked the sector purpose try along with his proper hand, cornerback Greg Newsome pounced on the ricocheted ball.

“You bought to look, clearly the place they’re kicking the ball,” Harris mentioned as he recalled the play. “Is the ball going to be tailing to the left, is it going to be tailing to the fitting? Relying on that, you bought to suppose they will attempt to make it by the center, so relying on what facet of the road you are on, that determines actually what hand must rise up to dam it too.

“All the things could possibly be good and you continue to do not get it. … all the pieces labored out good.”

The Browns obtained the ball again with 21 seconds remaining and drove 16 yards, aided by the Parsons’ penalty, to the Inexperienced Bay 37, organising the successful try from Szmyt.

Quarterback Joe Flacco accomplished an 8-yard cross to tight finish David Njoku on third down and spiked the ball with 3 seconds remaining to provide the first-year kicker the possibility for his first sport winner.

“I feel there was a lot vitality on the sideline, as properly,” mentioned operating again Quinshon Judkins, who recorded a game-high 94 speeding yards and tied the rating with a 1-yard landing carry. “Everyone was like, ‘Let’s simply end the sport.’ Be composed and end the drive.”

For Szmyt, it was a possibility at redemption after a tumultuous few weeks. Szmyt, who kicked within the UFL earlier than becoming a member of the Browns’ observe squad late final season, revealed postgame that his mom died from a mind aneurysm in July. Szmyt beat out the Browns’ incumbent, Dustin Hopkins, in coaching camp however struggled in Cleveland’s one-point loss to the Bengals in Week 1, lacking a PAT and a go-ahead try late within the sport.

Two weeks later, the 26-year-old made his 55-yarder to provide the Browns’ their first win of the season.

“I simply attempt to keep calm,” Szmyt mentioned. “Like I mentioned, simply return to my course of. It obtained me to this point, there is not any want to begin altering stuff and abandoning sure issues. Get settled into it and simply consider and belief.”

For the Packers, Parsons’ penalties have been half of a bigger drawback. They dedicated 14 general, their most in a sport since Week 3 of the 2010 season (18 penalties in a 20-7 loss to the Bears).

“One factor that now we have to get corrected is, when you could have 14 penalties in a sport, it should be powerful to beat that,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur mentioned. “We have got to do a a lot better job of teaching the basics, the small print, after which we have to lock in at the next stage with reference to among the controllable penalties, whether or not it was false begins or offsides or no matter you could have. However in the end, it is a whole staff sport. I assumed we performed properly sufficient defensively to win the sport and did not do a ok job on offense and on particular groups.”