Browns shock Packers with 13 points in fourth quarter for first win

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Instant takeaways from Browns’ 13-10 win over Green Bay Packers…

1. Unbelievable: The Browns preached complementary football all week. It took 57 minutes for them to put it in action and pull out an improbable 13-10 victory. Andre Szmyt’s 55-yard field goal as time expired sent the Browns entire team celebrating on the field. What redemption for the kicker who cost them a 1-point loss in the season opener. In the last three minutes the Browns got a Grant Delpit interception to set up a tying touchdown and then Shelby Harris blocked a 43-yard Green Bay field goal with 21 seconds left. Greg Newsome recovered the ball at the Browns’ 47. Micah Parsons’ offsides penalty – Green Bay’s 14^th penalty on the day – moved it past midfield. Joe Flacco completed an 8-yard pass to David Njoku to set up the field goal. The Packers (2-1) blew a 10-0 lead in the fourth quarter. The Browns’ first win snapped an 8-game losing streak.

2. Finally: The Packers were intent on giving this game away with penalties and sloppy play. So with 3:18 to play, Jordan Love threw the ball right to Grant Delpit on third down for the Browns’ first defensive takeaway of the season. Delpit picked himself up and returned the ball 25 yards to the Packers’ 4. Green Bay’s third pass interference penalty in 2 minutes moved it to the 1 and Quinshon Judkins barrelled over the goal line behind lead blocker Adin Huntington for the TD. Szmyt made the PAT to tie the game at 10-10 with 3:01 to play.

3. Hip hip hooray: The Browns averted their first shoutout loss since Johnny Manziel’s NFL starting debut in 2014 when Szmyt nailed a 35-yard field goal with 3:42 left in the fourth quarter. It was small consolation. The Browns had the ball first-and-goal at the Packers’ 1, and then moved back 16 yards on a chop block penalty and 4-yard loss on a pass to Jerome Ford. Judkins jumpstarted the possession with runs of 14 and 38 yards. The Packers committed two defensive penalties to help the Browns, but the end zone seemed 150 yards away.

4. Chants and boos: As the Browns’ offense flailed away, the Packers’ faithful in attendance could be heard imploring their defense with the familiar “Go, Pack, Go!” chant. It didn’t inspire the Browns. Flacco had a chance to get something going when he went deep for Cedric Tillman, who caught the ball diving to the ground. Unfortunately, Tillman pushed off cornerback Keisean Nixon, even though he didn't need to. Three plays later, Stefanski sent in the punt team on fourth-and-5 at the Browns’ 40. The crowd booed.

5. Wilting?: After forcing a three-and-out punt on the first series of the second half, the Browns’ defense started showing signs of fatigue in the third quarter. A Browns’ three-and-out gave Love the ball at the Packers’ 29. Love delivered an effortless TD drive to go ahead, 10-0. The back-breaker was a 31-yard catch-and-run by running back Josh Jacobs on second-and-18. Later Love fired a dart to Dontayvion Wicks on third-and-7 from the Browns’ 19. After two stops at the 3, Love converted the TD by rolling to his right, waiting, and throwing left to tight end John FitzPatrick with linebacker Carson Schwesinger caught moving to the right. Fourteen plays, 71 yards, 7 minutes, 41 seconds.

6. Two-minute turrible: Thanks to another strong showing by the Browns’ defense, the Browns trailed by only 3-0 and had a chance to at least tie at the end of the first half. Flacco inherited the ball at the Browns’ 20 with 1:57 to go. But the 2-minute drive was pathetic. Flacco crossed midfield on a 17-yard connection with Jerry Jeudy in the middle of the field with :51 on the clock. He couldn’t move them into field goal range, however. The possession ended on a Wyatt Teller holding call, a short pass underneath to David Njoku and then, on fourth down from the Green Bay 43, Flacco threw it up for Isaiah Bond or Jerry Jeudy and the ball was intercepted by safety Xavier McKinney. It was Flacco’s fifth turnover in 2 ½ games. In the first half, the Browns’ defense sacked Love three times and limited the Packers to 43 yards on the ground and 90 overall.

7. This close: A fourth sack of Love, combined by Carson Schwesinger and Alex Wright, was negated when on replay review the Browns were caught with a 12^th man on the field. The Packers quick-snapped the ball and linebacker Devin Bush just missed getting to the sideline in time.

8. Big man down: With Jack Conklin unable to play (elbow), Dawand Jones shifted to right tackle at the start and Cornelius Lucas started at left tackle. But Jones was knocked out of the game on the fourth play with a knee injury. Teven Jenkins then came in for Jones, which means the Browns had backup tackles playing almost the whole game. This became an increasing problem for Flacco. On a second-and-12 play from the 50 in the second quarter, the Browns tried a flea-flicker with Isaiah Bond open deep, but Flacco dumped it off to Harold Fannin to avoid a sack. On the next play, Flacco was called for intentional grounding to avoid a sack, and then the drive ended on a sack.

9. What the …?: The Browns got the ball first after Green Bay deferred. On their eighth play, they faced third-and7 from the Packers’ 46. After surveying the defensed, Flacco audibled to an inside handoff to Dylan Sampson. He was smacked down after a 1-yard gain. Punt.

10. Pre-game notes: Jack Conklin missed his second game in a row with an elbow injury and was inactive. Conklin also was limited to 20 snaps in Game 1 after a poke in the eye.Dawand Jones was moved to right tackle and Cornelius Lucas started at left tackle. Also, cornerback Cam Mitchell, victim of three Baltimore TD catches last week, was demoted to inactive. Other inactives: safety Damontea Kazee, running back Rocket Sanders, defensive tackle Mike Hall, and guard Zak Zinter. Shedeur Sanders as QB3. Guard Joel Bitonio avoided the inactive list with a decent workout prior to full pre-game warm-ups. Bitonio missed the entire week of practice with a back injury.

11. Welcome back: The Browns honored the 1985 division-title team on its 40^th anniversary. Twenty-three members of the team were introduced before kickoff, including Clay Matthews, Bernie Kosar, Kevin Mack, Reggie Langhorne, Matt Bahr, Brian Brennan, Mike Baab, Paul Farren, Frank Minnifield, Hanford Dixon and Felix Wright. Earnest Byner served as the game’s coin toss captain.