Raiders 20, Browns 16 | Final Score, Stats & Game Recap

Offensive success wanes after fast start

The offense was near-perfect on the opening drive, as Watson completed all eight passing attempts before the Browns found the end zone. Seven different Browns caught a pass on the opening drive as the offense took over nine minutes off the clock before finding the end zone.

Key penalties and mistakes began to pile up for the Browns offense, which struggled to move the ball after building a 10-0 lead.

Watson’s first interception of the day came in the second half. The quarterback had Cooper open and made an on-target throw that bounced off Cooper’s chest and into the hands of Raiders S Tre’von Moehrig.

On the following drive, Watson was sacked twice in three plays as the Browns were again forced to punt.

The offense looked like it had come alive in the fourth quarter after Watson escaped the pocket and threw on the run to a streaking Cooper, who ran 82 yards untouched to the end zone.

However, C Nick Harris was called for holding, which negated the positive play. The Browns punted for the fourth time of the game three plays later.

The offense overcame their second half issues on their final drive of the game but couldn’t finish in the red zone. RB Jerome Ford ran 35 yards to the Las Vegas 16-yard line to set the Browns up with a chance to take back the lead, but Watson was sacked on fourth down to effectively end the game.

Running defense challenged by Raiders

Missed tackles were an issue for the Browns run defense, as the Raiders totaled 153 rushing yards.

By halftime, the Raiders had already rushed for 95 yards, 24 more than their previous single-game high in Week 1 against the Chargers.

The Raiders totaled seven runs of 10 or more yards on Sunday, including a 24-yard run from RB Alexander Mattison, who broke multiple tackles to set up a field goal in the first half.

The missed tackles continued in the second half. In the third quarter, Mattison was met at the line of scrimmage on third-and-9, but broke tackles on his way to a 16-yard gain that led to a touchdown, which was also a long run, on the following play.

Defense stands up in the fourth quarter

After allowing a field goal and a touchdown on the first two drives of the second half, the Browns defense turned things around in the fourth quarter.

The Raiders were facing third-and-1 after building a 20-10 lead and the Browns were in desperate need of a stop as the fourth quarter began.

DE Isaiah McGuire popped the ball out of RB Zamir White’s hands and, after a scramble for the ball, S Rodney McLeod Jr. scooped it up and ran it back 25 yards for a touchdown. K Dustin Hopkins missed the point after attempt to make it a four-point game early in the fourth quarter.

On the following drive, the Raiders again faced third-and-short and ran a play action pass. The Browns defensive line swarmed around Minshew and DE Myles Garrett brought him down for his second sack of the game.

Pressure from Garrett on the following drive forced another punt for the Raiders, their third consecutive punt after the fumble recovery touchdown.