It’s December 14th, 2020. Were in Cleveland, Ohio for an AFC North Monday Night showdown between the hometown Browns and the visiting Baltimore Ravens. Both of these squads have dropped a shit ton of points but tied at 42, a clean kick here would all but secure the dub for the Ravens. To better appreciate what comes next, we must understand these teams' convoluted history. How these new leaders represent a fresh era for their respective franchises. And why an an alleged bowel movement threw this game of course. To do all that, we need to rewind.
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00:00It's December 14th, 2020.
00:02We're in Cleveland, Ohio,
00:04for an AFC North Monday night showdown
00:06between the hometown Browns
00:08and the visiting Baltimore Ravens.
00:10Both of these squads have dropped a shit ton of points,
00:13but tied at 42, a clean kick here
00:16would all but secure the dub for the Ravens.
00:19To better appreciate what comes next,
00:21we must understand these teams' convoluted history,
00:24how these new leaders represent a fresh era
00:26for their respective franchises,
00:28and why an alleged bowel movement
00:31threw this game off course.
00:32To do all that, we need to rewind.
00:38Saying these teams have a tangled past
00:40is an understatement.
00:42For starters, the Ravens used to be the Browns,
00:45and the Browns, well, still are the Browns,
00:49but an updated version of Browndom.
00:52Let me explain.
00:53In late 1995, former Browns owner Art Modell
00:57announced the team was moving to Baltimore
00:59because Cleveland wouldn't fund a new stadium.
01:01Stripping the town of their franchise
01:03didn't go as well as Modell would've imagined,
01:06causing a massive lawsuit playing out over months.
01:09NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue later approved the move,
01:13but with a major condition.
01:15Cleveland could keep the Browns' name, colors, and records
01:18for a new team that would kick off in the 99th season.
01:21And to make things messy,
01:23the NFL slotted the reborn Browns
01:25in the same division as the Ravens,
01:27but the team was also in the process
01:29of rebirthing a new rivalry.
01:31Well, more of a one-sided battle
01:34where Cleveland constantly got waxed
01:36and had to watch a team that used to be theirs
01:39win a Super Bowl shortly after leaving.
01:41While it's for sure a lopsided affair,
01:43Baltimore wasn't always this successful.
01:46They were an average squad during the mid-2000s,
01:49struggling to find a reliable QB to keep them in the mix.
01:52Then their fortune changed entering the 08 season.
01:55They lost to John Harbaugh
01:56and drafting QB Joe Flacco in the first round.
01:59Since their arrival,
02:00Baltimore has demolished Cleveland every year
02:03while adding another Super Bowl title.
02:06Cleveland had more coaches than wins
02:08against Baltimore during that span.
02:10I guess competent coaching
02:12and steady quarterback play can go a long way.
02:15But this season, Cleveland is a missed kick away
02:18from having the chance to snatch a dub
02:20in front of their home crowd.
02:21If you peep the scoreboard,
02:23specifically their records,
02:25the Browns are sitting prettier than the Ravens this year.
02:28That's no coincidence.
02:30They just might've figured out
02:31that whole coaching quarterback thing.
02:33After a disastrous 2017 season,
02:36Cleveland drafted Heisman-winning quarterback
02:38Baker Mayfield first overall.
02:40In his first season under center,
02:42Mayfield showed tons of promise
02:44leading the Browns to seven wins,
02:46which, if my math is right,
02:48was seven more Ws than what they got the previous year.
02:51If anything, Bakers certainly caught the attention
02:54of bitter Browns fans
02:55with a game-winning overtime drive
02:57against the Ravens in week five of that season.
02:59More importantly,
03:01Baker's play struck a chord with management.
03:03Heading into the 2019 season,
03:05the Browns made a series of moves
03:07indicating their future was now.
03:09The team promoted offensive coordinator
03:11Freddie Kitchens to head coach
03:13and swung a trade lending standout receiver
03:15Odell Beckham Jr.
03:16Some media members believe
03:18they would not only make the playoffs,
03:19but have a legitimate threat
03:21at competing for a Super Bowl.
03:23For the first time since being reintroduced as a franchise,
03:26the Browns had real expectations,
03:28and they shit the bed.
03:30They didn't waste any time replacing the sheets.
03:32The organization fired Kitchens
03:34and brought in new head coach Kevin Stefanski,
03:36signaling another restart of the supposed new era,
03:40which again, didn't start too well.
03:43Cleveland got smoked by Baltimore in their season opener,
03:46marking their 16th consecutive loss in week one.
03:49But after dropping the first game,
03:51the Browns caught fire.
03:53Behind a strong rushing attack led by Nick Chubb,
03:55Baker played off the run
03:57and found his groove slinging the ball at a high rate.
04:00He ended this matchup
04:01fresh off a four-touchdown performance
04:03in a victory last week against the Titans.
04:05That win marked Cleveland's first winning season since 07.
04:09Seriously.
04:10The Browns showed signs of a real new era in the process
04:13and looked to keep things rolling at home
04:15against the Ravens.
04:16Baker and the boys came out swinging
04:18and could've taken an early lead at the top of the second
04:20if not for a missed field goal,
04:22but later found themselves down 14 in the third.
04:25Without reliable QB play in the past,
04:28that deficit would've been a death sentence for the Browns.
04:31Now, strapped with a signal caller
04:33who can bake up a comeback,
04:34Cleveland have raised Baltimore's lead
04:36behind a broken play,
04:38with Baker scrambling for a tutty
04:39to take control midway through the fourth.
04:42The crowd was lit.
04:43You can just tell this rivalry meant more.
04:46The Ravens eventually answered back,
04:47leaving the Browns a little time for dramatics,
04:50but Baker wasn't finished.
04:51He was a marksman on their ensuing drive,
04:54starting with a pass where he beautifully floated the ball
04:57over the defender's head for a 30-yard pickup.
04:59From there, he kept dotting Baltimore
05:02with throw after throw,
05:03finishing things off with a 22-yard TD to tie it up.
05:07In under a minute, Baker drove the Browns down the field,
05:10putting his squad in excellent shape
05:12to send this game to overtime.
05:13But that drive could all be for nothing.
05:16As Baltimore lines up for this kick,
05:18they can fend off Cleveland's furious comeback
05:20and leave these fans devastated with a clean boot.
05:23A field goal could be the difference,
05:25but like the Browns,
05:27the Ravens wouldn't be in this position
05:29if not for their franchise-altering QB.
05:31During the 2018 draft, 31 spots after Mayfield,
05:35Baltimore selected their own Heisman-winning quarterback,
05:38Lamar Jackson, with the final pick of the first round.
05:41With Flacco aging, Lamar was expected to learn
05:44under the vet, but immediately got thrust into action
05:47when Flacco went down with a hip injury in week nine.
05:50The rest was history.
05:51While Baker took time to develop,
05:53Lamar took over the league instantly.
05:56But he still had critics.
05:58When Baltimore flamed out in the playoffs
06:00of Lamar's MVP season,
06:01journalists questioned if he was a flash in the pan.
06:04They still entered this year expected
06:06to return to the postseason,
06:07but media members again believed
06:09that was all dependent on LJAC's play.
06:12He regressed.
06:13After starting the season hot,
06:15Baltimore came crashing down in a mid-season slump
06:18behind subpar game from Jackson
06:20where the team slipped from the playoff picture.
06:23It didn't help that the Ravens experienced
06:24a massive COVID outbreak
06:26with multiple players missing games, including Lamar.
06:29Jackson returned to action last week
06:31and got busy in a victory over Dallas
06:33that Baltimore hoped to be their first big step
06:35in a run to the playoffs.
06:37Tonight against the Browns was a must-win
06:39for the Ravens to keep their hopes alive,
06:41and Lamar looked an MVP form early.
06:44He made Cleveland defenders look silly
06:46as he gassed their defense repeatedly,
06:47breaking off large runs,
06:49as he went into halftime with two touchdowns on the ground.
06:52The dude was a terror in the open field
06:54and entered the final quarter with just 11 pass attempts.
06:58But as the fourth quarter began,
06:59Lamar had to watch his team from the locker room.
07:02After Cleveland cut the game to six at the top of the fourth,
07:05Baltimore oddly sent out QB Trace McSorley
07:07to protect their lead.
07:09There was no indication Lamar was hurt
07:11until ESPN's production cut to a video of him
07:14waddling back to the locker room,
07:15reportedly to get treated for cramps.
07:18Look, I'm far from a top-class athlete
07:21and certainly not a doctor,
07:23but the cramps I've experienced in the past
07:26have rendered me emotional.
07:27Maybe Lamar's just built different,
07:29but that walk looked a little suspicious.
07:33He even cleanly juked out a Ravens staff member
07:35to make it to the door.
07:37Fans watching the broadcast speculated
07:39Lamar had ulterior motives.
07:41They thought he had to take a shit.
07:43Tons of tweets piled in with users alleging
07:46that Lamar had to drop a different set of Browns off.
07:49While he was getting treated for cramps
07:51or, you know, doing his own thing,
07:53McSorley stunk up his first drive going three and out,
07:56opening the door for Cleveland to take the lead.
07:59On Baltimore's ensuing possession,
08:01Lamar was still nowhere to be found,
08:03but the Ravens managed to work the ball downfield,
08:06mostly keeping things on the ground.
08:08However, during a crucial third and short
08:10on Cleveland's 41-yard line, the Ravens looked toast.
08:14On a read-option play, McSorley held onto the ball
08:17and looked to pick up the first down himself
08:19until he made a cut
08:21and immediately fell to the ground in pain.
08:23As McSorley hit the turf,
08:25the Ravens found themselves in a shitty situation.
08:28With Lamar in the locker room and McSorley down,
08:31Baltimore didn't have a reliable option to turn to.
08:34McSorley was third on the depth chart
08:36and only played today
08:37because second-string backup Robert Griffin
08:40suffered a hamstring injury a few weeks ago.
08:42Things looked bleak,
08:44but like a phoenix rising from the toilet, allegedly,
08:48Jackson made his way back to the field.
08:50Stuck at Cleveland's 44-yard line,
08:53Baltimore decided to go for it on fourth down.
08:55With Lamar lined up in the shotgun,
08:57he rolled to the right in what appeared to be another setup
09:00for one of his crushing runs,
09:02but pulled back and unloaded a pass
09:05to a wide-open Hollywood Brown
09:07who strolled into the end zone to take the lead.
09:09Whether he was feeling better
09:10after getting treated for cramps
09:12or being relieved after a bathroom break,
09:15Lamar certainly looked loose
09:16and broke down the Browns' defense
09:18with the threat of his legs.
09:20After the TD, the Ravens punched in a two-point conversion,
09:23extending their lead to seven,
09:25which didn't last long thanks to Baker.
09:27Tied at 42 with a touch over a minute to play
09:30in one timeout, Baltimore had a ton of ground to gain
09:32to have a shot at winning.
09:34Lamar has ravaged Cleveland's D with his legs
09:36and very few passes, but now more than ever,
09:39he's gotta let it fly, which is exactly what he did.
09:43After hitting on four straight passes,
09:46the Ravens worked their way into Browns' territory,
09:48bringing us here.
09:50A 55-yarder is by no means a gimme,
09:53but if you're the Browns,
09:54this is probably the last person you wanna see
09:57lining up for this kick.
09:59In his ninth season, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker
10:02has already made a strong case to be one of,
10:04if not the greatest kicker in NFL history.
10:08Over his career, Tucker's broken the spirit
10:11of numerous franchises with game-winning kicks
10:13and being a division opponent with the Browns,
10:15Cleveland is one of his top victims.
10:18In 2014, Tucker nailed a 32-yarder in Cleveland
10:22as time expired, eking out a win for his team.
10:25In 2018, he had a perfect day against the Browns,
10:28drilling all his field goals and extra points,
10:31lifting Baltimore at a narrow 26-24 victory.
10:34Outside of Lamar,
10:36Tucker was the team's top offensive talent.
10:39He was that reliable,
10:40and it helps that he has an absolute boot.
10:43Tucker had an extra point blocked in this game tonight
10:46and has yet to attempt a field goal,
10:48but he's built for these moments.
10:49If he knocks in this kick,
10:51the Ravens will escape with a win on the road,
10:53adding another W of the team they've constantly bullied.
10:57If he misses, Baker and the Browns
10:59will have a chance to strike in overtime,
11:02and prove this truly is the beginning of a new era
11:04with a crucial win over a hated rival.
11:07But the Ravens are here because of Lamar Jackson.
11:10We'll have to wait till after the game
11:12to hear what really went down in that locker room,
11:15but whether Lamar got work done
11:16or put in work on the toilet,
11:18he swooped in to save his team
11:20when they needed him the most.
11:22It can all come down to this kick.
11:24Welcome to a moment in history.
11:25For the win!
11:31And Justin Tucker has done it for Baltimore!
11:37There are two seconds left on the clock.
11:43Okay, there's still a couple seconds left on the clock.
11:47While a Hail Mary from the 25-yard line is highly unlikely,
11:51there has been crazier things that happened in the past.
11:54Plus, they entered this game as a three-point underdog,
11:57so they at least covered
11:59and got that win to make bettors around the world happy.
12:02Right?
12:04Makes the biggest play maybe of the game.
12:06All right, let's see, we got a few hook and laterals there.
12:09Hunt got it first on the completion.
12:11Baker winds up with the football back in his hand.
12:14What's the worst that can happen?
12:23This is Higgins.
12:30Safety, after all that.
12:33And that's how it should end.
12:35A three-point victory, a five-point victory.