BEREA, Oho — As big of a win was the 33-31, come-from-behind thrilling win was for the Cleveland Browns, it came with a cost. Two key defensive players left the game early and did not return to the game and one prominent offensive player finished the game, but left the stadium in a walking boot.
Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward left the game early after taking a questionable hit by Ravens’ offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley. Ward was evaluated for a head injury, but was cleared of a concussion. However, he was ruled out with a neck injury.
Safety Juan Thornhill left the game in the second half with a calf injury and did not return. He was seen in a walking boot after the game. He told reporters after the game that he was unsure if he’d be ready for next Sunday’s game
Quarterback Deshaun Watson injured his ankle near the end of the first half and missed the final play of the half as he went to the locker room. He had his ankle re-taped and came back to the sidelines late, but played the entire second half.
Kevin Stefanski said there were really no updates on any of the players, but did say they all had MRI’s.
“We have no updates, just yet,” Stefanski said on Monday on a Zoom call. “The (results) are pending.”
When asked about the chances for the three players to play next Sunday, Stefanski said it’s too hard to know on Monday.
“I can’t get into Sunday just yet, on our guys,” he said. “We don’t have the MRI results, just yet, but we’ll see where we are when Wednesday rolls around.”
Watson said he was not feeling great after the game, but that he would be ready for the Steelers next week.
“I’ll be fine,” Watson said. “Right now, I’m not feeling well, but I’ll be fine. I’ll be ready to go whatever time it is – Sunday at 1 p.m., if it’s 1 (p.m.) or whatever. I’ll be ready to go and ready for that opportunity for us.”
Watson was also seen leaving the stadium with a walking boot on.
Ward is a Pro Bowl cornerback for the Browns and is having a strong season. He has 26 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and leads the team with nine passes defensed.
Stefanski was asked if there should have been a penalty on the play that Ward was injured on.
“I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll turn into the league to see what they say.”
Thornhill joined the Browns as an unrestricted free agent from the Chiefs. He is third on the team in tackles with 36 tackles and a pass defensed.
Watson finished the game in the second half with the injury and was 14-of-14 for 134 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 16 yards on the final game-winning drive to put the Browns in position to get the winning field goal.
He finished 20-of-34 for 213 yards with a touchdown and an interception. His rating was 74.8 after starting 6-of-20 for 79 yards and a 22.2 rating in the first half.
Extra Points
Huge Drive: When the Browns received the ball back with 4:55, trailing 31-30, it was not only important to get the winning score, but to use up as much time as possible to not let Lamar Jackson and the dangerous kicker Justin Tucker a chance to come back and win the game.
“Yeah, I mean it was huge and obviously, that ball was on the ground there after a strip sack and Wyatt (Teller) made as big a play as there was in the game to get on it,” Stefanski said. “We overcame a false start in that drive. We overcame that sack fumble recovery to hit a big one to am Amari (Cooper) on the next play. So we got to a third and two and Jerome (Ford) came squirting out of there. So I think it just, that drive was indicative of the game. You had to overcome some things and really had to just focus on the next play.”
Nothing New on Jones: Right Tackle Dawand Jones who missed last week with shoulder and knee injuries, will be updated on Wednesday, according to Stefanski.
He was asked if he was optimistic that he will be able to play.
“We’ll see,” he said. “I think we got to get to Wednesday. I’m not sure.”
The Return of Dunn: Guard Michael Dunn has been on injured reserve and is eligible to come off the list this week, but Stefanski was not ready to say if he would be activated.
“I’m not exactly sure where we’ll go with the roster, but he’s getting better and better.”
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