With the Browns trailing 38-33, PJ Walker and the Browns got the ball back with 2:35 left in the game.
After two incompletions, Walker found Elijah Moore open for a 30 yard pass completion.
Now, the Browns had the ball at the 50-yard line with 2:19 left in the game. After a thirteen yard pickup by running back Pierre Strong, the Browns had the ball at the Colts 37-yard line at the two minute warning.
After a 1-yard run and a 17-yard pass to Donovan Peoples Jones, the Browns were now in the red zone.
After losing three yards and completing a 9-yard pass to Amari Cooper, the Browns had the ball at the Colts 13 with 47 seconds left.
Time out Browns.
47 seconds left, and a wild 47 seconds they were.
Here is what happened.
On 3rd down and 4 with 47 seconds left, PJ Walker fumbled the football and it looked like the game was over as the Colts recovered the ball. However, a penalty was called against the Colts for illegal contact.
Now, instead of the game being over, the Browns had the ball at the Colts 8-yard line with 38 seconds and no timeouts.
On the next play, Walker threw an incomplete pass over Donovan Peoples Jones that landed out of bounds. However, the Colts were again called for a penalty.
This time, the Colts were called for pass interference giving the Browns the ball at the one-yard line with 33 seconds left and no timeouts.
After Walker threw three straight incompletions, the Browns now had 4th and goal from the one-yard line.
It was decision time for Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski.
Do they try to pass the ball for the game winning touchdown or possibly try to get one yard on the ground?
After three straight incompletions from the one-yard line, Stefanski chose to run the ball on 4th down and goal with the game on the line.
The Browns brought in a fullback and handed the ball off to Kareem Hunt for the game winning touchdown and a 39-38 victory!
Kareem POWERS it through!!!#CLEvsIND on CBS & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/MuqIFeOScr
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 22, 2023
Although the Browns won by one point, the way the game started it looked like the Browns might win by four touchdowns.
Jerome Ford, the third year pro out of the University of Alabama and the University of Cincinnati scored on a 69-yard touchdown run with 14:03 left in the first quarter.
untouched for the TD to start us off right! 🔥#CLEvsIND on CBS pic.twitter.com/a7yOolFTM4
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 22, 2023
As quickly as the Browns scored, the Colts came right back and drove right down the field for a touchdown to tie the score at 7-7 on a six play 75-yard drive with 11:38 left in the first quarter.
The Browns then scored a touchdown at the start of the second quarter after Miles Garrett sacked Gardner Minshew and the Browns recovered Minshew’s fumble.
The sack and fumble led to a Kareem Hunt 2-yard touchdown out of the wildcat formation to tie the game at 14-14.
.@Kareemhunt7 tumbling in for the tuddy 🙌#CLEvsIND on CBS & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/fSjAOAwC9Q
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 22, 2023
The Browns took a 17-14 lead on a Dustin Hopkins 44-yard field goal with 8:38 left in the second quarter.
However, on the next drive the Colts scored on quarterback Gardner Minshew’s 4-yard touchdown run with 3:51 left in the first half.
But wait, there was still more scoring in the first half.
Miles Garrett sacked Minshew in the end zone and Minshew fumbled the football. The football was recovered by Tony Fields for the touchdown as the Browns took a 24-21 lead with 1:42 left in the first half.
what more can you ask from @Flash_Garrett#CLEvsIND on CBS & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/lkDtabgZYs
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 22, 2023
After the Browns defense stopped the Colts again, the Browns got the ball back and drove down the field for another Dustin Hopkins field goal to end the first half leading 27-21.
After halftime, the Browns scored on a 54-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins after a Denzel Ward interception to make the score 30-21 with 9:23 left in the third quarter.
The Colts Jonathan Taylor ran for another Colts touchdown to get Indianapolis within two points at 30-28 with 5:11 left in the third quarter.
The Colts then took the lead 31-30 with 14:09 left in the game on Matt Gay’s 27-yard field goal.
The Browns then went up 33-31 on a Dustin Hopkins 58-yard field goal with 6:33 left in the game.
The emotional roller coaster continued though as the Colts came right back to take the lead 38-33 two plays later on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Minshew to Michael Pittman Jr. with 5:38 left in the game.
After the Browns and Colts both went three and out, the Browns got the ball back with 2:35 left when they started their game winning drive.
Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski’s Thoughts on the Game
In post game comments, Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski mentioned the important toughness that helped the Browns fight through the adversity they faced. In addition, he mentioned the noteworthy play of field goal kicker Dustin Hopkins and Defensive End Miles Garrett.
“This is a team that fights, we knew that this was going to be a game that could come down to the wire and it did,” said Stefanski. “A ton of big plays individually, obviously Dustin coming through was unbelievable in that game, I think a long of 58. Miles wreaked havoc on defense and then blocked a field goal on special teams which were turned into three points which was a six point swing. In a game that was that tight, to make plays like that was unbelievable. And (we had) a bunch of guys just fighting like crazy,(also) Kareem Hunt jamming it in there on that last play on 4th down. I am really proud of those guys. We knew it was going to be hard.”
Noteworthy Statistics
For the game, Walker was 15-32 for 178 yards.
Leading the Browns receivers were David Njoku who caught 5 passes for 54 yards and Elijah Moore who caught four passes for 59 yards.
On the ground, the Browns were led by Jerome Ford who ran for 74 yards and Kareem Hunt who had 31 yards.
With the victory, the Browns move to 4-2 on the season.
They will play again on Sunday October 29th when they travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks in a 4:05pm start.
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