With 3:42 left in the fourth quarter, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. took a jet sweep handoff from quarterback Baker Mayfield, outran Dallas Cowboys defensive end Aldon Smith, and trotted 50 yards for the game-sealing touchdown giving Cleveland a 49-38 win.
On the day the Browns offense ran for 307 yards despite starting running back Nick Chubb leaving early with a knee injury and backup Kareem Hunt dealing with a groin injury. Reserve backs D’Ernest Jackson, fresh off working as a fisherman, and Dontrell Hilliard combined for 138 yards with Johnson rushing for a career-high 95 on 13 carries. He entered with just 29 yards in his first 16 games. Hunt added 71 and two touchdowns while Beckham had 73 and a score on just two carries. They averaged 7.7 yards per carrying.
Through the air, Mayfield threw for 165 yards and two scores while receiver Jarvis Landry tossed one on a trick play. Beckham led with 81 yards on five catches. After falling behind 14-7 they outscored the Cowboys 34-0 in the second and third quarters scoring 24 in the second. Two of those touchdowns came off turnovers where the Browns lead the league in that category. Miles Garrett stip sack set up the first score while a Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott fumble set up the other.
A helpless Cowboys defense allowed 508 yards and 33 first downs. This marks the first time since 1960, the first season in team history, Dallas has allowed 38 plus points in three straight games. For the third time in four games, the Cowboys faced a double-digit deficit this time the largest of the season at 27. Quarterback Dak Prescott continues to break every early season passing record-breaking Kurt Warner’s record for most yards through the first four games of a season as he threw for 502 yards and four scores on 58 attempts.
However, for the second-straight week, a late fourth-quarter interception cost the Cowboys a shot to win. Nine different players had a catch with Amari Cooper leading the way with 12 catches for 124 yards and a score while rookie CeeDee Lamb had his first two career touchdowns finishing with five for 79. While he only had 12 carries for 54 yards on the ground Elliott did his part in the passing game catching eight passes for 71 yards. The offense finished with 566 yards and 35 first downs but behind another makeshift line ran for just 85 yards. While tackle Tyron Smith made his season debut center Joe Looney left with an injury and didn’t return.
Cleveland improves to 3-1 for the first time since 2001. Dallas falls to 1-3 and looks to get back on track next week against the New York Giants and former head coach Jason Garrett. The Giants are currently winless and at the time of this writing trails the Los Angles Rams 7-0.
Great story!